It's not cheap to operate a Formula One team, but the actual amounts paid to simply enter a team in the series are shocking.
According to a report from Motorsport.com, the minimum cost for a team to compete in the 2019 F1 season is $546,133. The figure increases yearly based on the U.S. Consumer Price Index. As part of a restructuring plan F1 and the FIA enacted in 2013, each team pays the basic entry fee plus an extra amount that depends on where it placed last year.
For the 2019 season, each team will pay a $546,133 entry fee plus $5,459 per point it scored last year. There is one exception. Mercedes-AMG, the 2018 Constructors' champion, will pay $6,553 per point. The team will, therefore, pay a whopping $4.8 million entry fee to race in 2019. Ferrari has the second largest bill with a $3.6 million entry fee.
Here are the other F1 teams entry fees from most to least expensive:
- Red Bull, $2.8 million
- Renault, $1.2 million
- Haas, $1.05 million
- McLaren, $884,000
- Racing Point, $830,000
- Sauber, $808,000
- Toro Rosso, $726,000
- Williams, $584,000
The FIA finalized the 2019 F1 calendar last October with a few dates subject to change. The season will kick off on March 17 when teams head down under for the Australian Grand Prix. The calendar wraps up on Dec. 1 with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This year, we'll likely witness Mercedes-AMG and Ferrari duke it out for the championship once again. Next year, teams' entry fees will shift yet again depending on the results of the 2019 season.