Pay to Drive? Say It Ain't So, Formula One!

The Grand Prix Driver's Association (GPDA) is complaining that the fees to pay for the Formula One super license—the coveted license that only a few possess—has gone up substantially.

Wealth and prosperity are the name of the game and if you've made it, like only a relative few in comparison to the grid, then the 'pay to drive' mentality should be of little concern to them because with the salary they receive versus how much work they do is pretty comfortable.

I'm not saying that they do little work at all here, it's just that they're in a more comfortable area than others.

When looking at the numbers, it's a lot for mere mortals! However, when comparing it to the salaries that top drivers receive, it is a small expense.

However, I am not absolving the FIA of greed here. In a two year period, how can the cost of safety go up by $11,000 (all figures US)? In 2007, the price for a super license was approximately $2000 per point scored. In 2008, the price went up six-fold to $12,000 plus $2500 per point scored. In 2009, the price has gone up by about $1000, but it seems like this is the straw that broke the camel's back.

Along with the extra $1000 for the privilege of racing in the top tier of motorsport, $3500 has to be paid over for insurance. The amount paid by the drivers varies by how they score among other things. Lewis Hamilton will have to fork over about $280,000 while someone further down the grid like Jenson Button will only have to pay a paltry $25,000.

In comparison to Formula One, it's only about $100 a year to have the license for the lowest form of club racing in the United Kingdom.

When it comes to who is wrong here, I can only say that neither side is 100 percent at fault. I think that in this instance, it appears that the GPDA is not being open minded to find a compromise while the FIA doesn't appear to budge from it's current position.

In tough times like these, we need to compromise, compromise, compromise! Now, three drivers have broken the ranks and paid up so they are out of the equation here. But for the drivers that have a really large expense account in comparison to their salary, why not go forth to the FIA and offer your services in return for a reduced fee.

Formula One drivers don't just drive, they are seen as role models internationally for the young and old as well as those beginning to drive. They can offer a human face because the 'drive safely' or 'take your racing to the track' that they will iterate has more value than the average person. Call it biopower, Foucault style!

Overall, stop complaining and reach a compromise. Many professions require you to pay to do your craft, from teachers paying a yearly fee to their respective College of Teachers, to lawyers paying their respective Bar Association fees. The power that Formula One drivers have over teachers and lawyers is that they are fewer and far between and thus carry more clout in the general populace.