New Super Licence points system from 2016

Formula One racing’s governing body, the FIA, has revealed details of a new Super Licence points system, making it harder for drivers to become eligible for F1 competition.

From 2016, drivers must have accumulated 40 points over a three-year period, with points allocation based on which other motorsport series they have participated in and the level of results they achieved.

Drivers will have also have to be at least 18-years old, have spent at least two years in junior single-seater categories, hold a valid road driver’s licence and pass a test on the Formula One sporting regulations. The existing requirement of completing 300 kilometres in a recent F1 car also remains.

The junior categories eligible for points, in order of weighting, are: a future FIA F2 championship (60 points for winner), GP2 (50), FIA F3 European championship (40), FIA WEC (LMP1 only) (40), IndyCar (40), GP3 (30), Formula Renault 3.5 (30), Japanese Super Formula (20), national FIA-certified F4 championships (10), national F3 championships (10) and Formula Renault (EuroCup, ALPS or NEC) (5).

If such a system had been in place ahead of 2015, new Toro Rosso signing Max Verstappen would be ineligible to race in F1 this year, having accrued just 20 points by finishing third in the 2014 FIA F3 European championship - the 17-year-old's only season of car racing to date.