F1 considering increased deposit fees for protests and appeals
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images
The F1 Commission confirmed that the sport is considering increased fees for protests, while noting continued growth in the fan base thanks in part to ‘F1: The Movie’
In a statement on Tuesday, Formula 1 confirmed that the sport is looking into adjusting the deposit fees for protests, appeals, and right of reviews, as well as potentially introducing fees for investigations.
The statement follows the third meeting of the Formula 1 Commission, held at the Formula One Management offices in London. In recent weeks, several team principals, led by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, have taken up the issue in the media. Speaking ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix during the Friday FIA Press Conference, Wolff, whose team has been the subject of two post-race protests from Red Bull this season, discussed the issue at length. One such protest came at the Canadian Grand Prix, where George Russell crossed the finish line first but was not confirmed as the winner until roughly five hours had passed, and a protest from Red Bull was denied.
“I think it’s absolutely legitimate to protest. We are fighting for race wins and championships. And if you have the opinion that what you’ve seen is not right, then you should protest,” said Wolff ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.
“But some of these actions are just really not real. There are things that, from my perspective, are legit to protest and others that are just a little bit of a too long shot.”
Wolff went on to indicate that the sport’s governing body was looking into the issue.
“But in that [Canadian Grand Prix] instance, absolutely put in a fine, and I think the president of the FIA is working on that. Put in a fine that, at least if you lose it, is a little bit of an embarrassment that you lost so much money, and you’re going to think twice whether you do it,” he added.
“I think this is along the lines the FIA are thinking.”
The potential for increases associated with protests was not the only matter discussed at the meeting, which was chaired by FIA Single-Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis and Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali. The sport’s continued global growth, including in the United States, was also on the agenda.
According to the statement released after the meeting, F1’s “global fanbase now stood at 827 million with a year-on-year increase of over 10% including growth in the US fanbase of 52 million, up +11% year-on-year.”
In addition, the commission noted that F1 fans continue to skew younger, and more female. Fans are also flocking to social media to get their F1 fix.
“The fans following Formula 1 continue to get younger, with 43% of the total fan base being under 35 years and 42% of the fans are female. Alongside this there has been significant growth in social media platforms with a combined following of 106 million compared to 18 million in 2018 and positive increases in TV audiences for the 2025 season so far.”
The F1 Commission also attributed momentum to the sport from the F1 movie, which continues to perform well at the box office. F1: The Movie has taken in over $460 million at the box office globally since its release, making it the seventh-highest-grossing movie at the box office this year.
“The positive impact of the F1 Movie was highlighted showing the success of the first few weeks following release and the contribution this project will create to bring new fans into the sport,” noted the Commission.
F1 returns to action this week with the Belgian Grand Prix.
