The FIA has increased the amount of Superlicense points allocated to the IndyCar Series, allowing more drivers to qualify for seats in F1 races.
The Super License was originally designed to prevent drivers from simply paying for a race seat in F1, with drivers needing to earn at least 40 points over three years to earn a Super License to race in that category. The distribution of points was clearly focused on the FIA’s single-seater ladder to provide a clear pathway to F1, but this often meant IndyCar drivers were short on points.
Now, the FIA World Motorsport Council has approved an increase in the points allocation for third to ninth place in the IndyCar Championship standings to “reflect the growing importance of this category”. For many positions, points earned will be doubled.
Only the IndyCar champion can earn the full 40 points required for a Superlicense, and the same category is given only in F2, where the top three finishers all earn 40 points.
Second place in the IndyCar Series will still earn 30 points, but third place will now earn 25 points, up from 20. The points for 4th place have doubled from 10 points to 20 points, and the points for 5th place have increased from 8 points to 15 points.
6th place was awarded 10 points instead of the previous 6 points, and 7th and 8th place also had their points doubled from 4 and 3 to 8 and 6 respectively. 9th place gets 2 to 3 extra points, while 10th place gets 1 point.
This change would bring IndyCar closer to the points allocated to F2, but it was still not enough to award Colton Herta a superlicense based on IndyCar results alone. Herta plans to move to F2 next season alongside his test duties with the Cadillac F1 team and is hoping to earn at least six points to earn his superlicence. Under the new points allocation, Hertha were just one point away from the 40 points required for a superlicence.
