The FIA has increased the number of Super License points allocated to the IndyCar Series, opening the door for more drivers to qualify for a Formula 1 racing seat.
The Super License was originally designed to ensure that drivers could not simply pay for a racing seat in F1, as they had to earn a minimum of 40 points over a three-year period to earn a Super License that would allow them to race in the category. The allocation of points was clearly aimed at the FIA’s single-seater ladder to provide a clear path to F1, but this often left IndyCar drivers short of points.
Now the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council has approved an increase in the allocation of points for third through ninth places in the IndyCar Championship standings – with some positions doubling the number of points received – to “reflect the growing importance of the category.”
Only the IndyCar champion earns the full 40 points required for a super license, with Formula 2 being the only other category to offer the same, although in F2 the top three all get 40 points.
Second place in the IndyCar Series still earns 30 points, but third place now earns 25 points, up from 20 in the past. The points for fourth place have been doubled from 10 to 20, while fifth place now gets 15 points, up from eight.
Sixth place will be awarded 10 points instead of the previous six, while seventh and eighth places will also have their points doubled from four and three to eight and six respectively. Ninth place also receives an extra point – from two to three – while tenth place continues to receive one point.
The changes bring IndyCar closer to the points awarded to F2, but still wouldn’t have been enough to award Colton Herta a super license based solely on IndyCar results. Herta will move to F2 next season in addition to his Cadillac F1 team testing role and is aiming for a minimum of six points to secure his super license. Under the new points allocation, Herta would have been just one point away from the 40 required for a super license.
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