Of course, not just anyone can up and go drive an F1 car. Formula One is famously the most competitive, expensive and hi-tech sport in the world. It’s the very fulcrum where cutting-edge engineering and the very best driving talent meet.
Nevertheless, the ongoing McLaren court case against IndyCar champion Alex Palou has shed rare light on the vast sum rookie drivers must pay to drive an F1 car. Spoiler alert, the numbers are so high it’ll make your head spin faster than an F1 engine at full revs …
HOW MUCH TO DRIVE AN F1 CAR?
Unfortunately for him, it’s details of Japanese driver Ryo Hirakawa’s recent McLaren F1 test that are now being scrutinised so publicly. According to Sky Deutschland, court documents show that the Japanese driver paid a staggering USD $3.5 million (R60.6 million) to drive an F1 car.
Granted, the McLaren is the best and fastest car on the F1 grid at the moment and there must be some contingency built in for car damage. But many young drivers are still willing to pay these amounts because the test is effectively an audition for a future race seat. But that’s still an inordinately high amount of money for a few hours behind the wheel. We wonder if the drivers get their deposit back in the event of crash.
FREE PRACTICE AND PREP
In fact, this cost is only for a single free practice session at a grand prix weekend. However, the drive does include two preparatory tests with the team beforehand to learn the car. So, assuming each session is 60 minutes, that’s R333 333 per minute to drive an F1 car.
Hirakawa (31) who later joined Alpine and most recently tested for Haas, made his McLaren F1 test in FP1 at Abu Dhabi in 2024. While the opportunity did come at an extraordinary cost, it was reportedly covered in part by a large Japanese car manufacture who backs the driver.
PALOU WILL NOT DRIVE AN F1 CAR FOR MCLAREN
These details emerged as part of McLaren’s $20.7-million (R358 million) damages claim against IndyCar drive Alex Palou. The four-time IndyCar champ withdrew from his contract to remain with Chip Ganassi Racing. McLaren’s legal team described the Spaniard’s FP1 outing at the Austin GP in 2022, which it funded, as ‘wasted expenditure.’
In testimony, McLaren CEO Zak Brown admitted that: “Even Lando Norris once had to pay for early test to drive an F1 car before earning his full-time contract” – with GMM.
What do you think of the prohibitively high cost to drive an F1 car for young rookies? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section below …
