MAGNY COURS, France — Formula One drivers are angry about a large license fee hike, but dismissed suggestions that they would strike at the upcoming British Grand Prix.
Governing body FIA has increased the fee drivers have to pay by more than 400 percent this year, leading to reports Friday that drivers were considering a strike. However, Grand Prix Drivers’ Association chairman Pedro de la Rosa said Saturday that such a measure had had never been discussed.
“One thing that is clear is that we never suggested a strike,” De la Rosa told The Associated Press. “We’re just not happy about the way it was implemented. All of this talk of strike has just been rumors.”
Drivers discussed the topic briefly at Friday’s GPDA meeting and were now seeking to meet FIA officials to discuss the new super license fee.
“For sure we are not happy about it — it’s a big increase from one year to another. We’re concerned about what may happen in the future. It’s just not fair,” De la Rosa, a McLaren test driver, said. “We have asked to meet as soon as possible, this is an issue that needs to be handled quickly.”
The FIA said president Max Mosley had written to the drivers’ association on June 6 to set up a meeting but had not yet received a reply from the drivers.
Last year, each F1 driver had to pay the FIA $2,700 and an extra $713 per point won. Mosley has increased the license fee to $15,600 plus $3,125 for every point won this season. If world champion Kimi Raikkonen equals his 110-point haul from last year, he would have to pay $300,000.
Raikkonen reportedly earns $39 million per year from Ferrari, while other top drivers such as Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton are believed to be paid around $15 million. Some drivers’ contracts stipulate that the team pays for the super license fee.
De la Rosa said the first time the drivers heard anything about the increase was through the press.
“We’re not happy that the public knows about this, this is a private issue between the drivers and the FIA,” he said.
Hamilton of McLaren and Ferrari pair Felipe Massa and Raikkonen are not members of the GPDA but attend meetings. They have dismissed a strike, after Alonso brought up the possibility on Friday.
“For sure it’s one of the options we are talking about in the GPDA,” the Renault driver said. “It’s a ridiculous amount. We should pay a reasonable price. It cannot change 1,000 percent in a year.”
For Hamilton, a strike was out of the question.
“I don’t believe for one minute the drivers will take such drastic measures,” said Hamilton. “We have the British Grand Prix in a couple of weeks’ time and other grands prix to follow, and I’m certainly not planning on missing any of them.”
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