Drivers Break GPDA Agreement, Pay Superlicense Fees

Although the Grand Prix Drivers Association issued a statement earlier this month confirming that the F1 drivers are not at all pleased with the new rise in Superlicense fees imposed by the FIA, it seems some of its representatives have already submitted their license applications to the international body.

The information was released via a FIA spokesman, who revealed that 3 drivers have already submitted their Superlicense applications, including the adjacent fees.

“We can confirm that the FIA has received payment from three drivers,” said the spokesman. The announcement was made shortly after the International Automobile Federation had issued a letter to all F1 teams urging them to process the Superlicense within their drivers lineups.

Nevertheless, the GPDA has made no official statement to confirm a change in their position towards the high fees for the 2009 Superlicensing process. The drivers' body has advised all its members to postpone signing the new agreements for the upcoming season until a compromise with the FIA would be reached.

The fees for getting an F1 Superlicense featured a dramatic increase ahead of the 2008 season, as drivers were then forced to pay from 1690 Euros fee for 2007 to 10,000 Euros for 2008. However, as the economic downturn did not show its ugly head just yet, the GPDA agreed to pay the new fees.

However, the FIA announced that the Superlicense fees for 2009 will undergo a further increase of 400 Euros per license and 100 Euros per point scored.