Driver who doesn't pay licence fee has many alternatives - Mosley

One week after the Grand Prix Drivers' Association launched an attack on the high licence price, FIA President Max Mosley told the drivers that the fees are 'reasonable', considering the money the racers earn and safety levels in the sport.

Mosley sent a letter to all drivers saying that the drivers are free to race in other categories where the license fees are much lower if they are not satisfied with the current situation.

"Apart from Formula One, there are a large number of series and championships where a professional racing driver can earn a good, sometimes very good, living. International licences (even "A" licences) are issued by a driver's ASN under the authority of the FIA."

"The costs of such licences are fixed by the relevant ASN but are usually modest. A driver who does not want, or even cannot afford to pay for, a Formula One superlicence thus has many alternatives.

"The drivers who compete in Formula One are, in general, by far the highest paid motor sport competitors, so it seems reasonable that they should make a tax-deductible contribution to the safety and running of the sport from which they benefit so greatly.

"I very much doubt whether any legal system imposes duties of the kind postulated in your press release but the efforts made by the FIA in relation to regulation and safety are both necessary and of the highest standard. These efforts have saved the lives of many superlicence holders. They do not pay for themselves."

Earlier this week, the FIA confirmed that three drivers already paid for their superlicences to the governing body.