Mercedes' staggering entry fee for F1 2022 season revealed

Mercedes F1 clinched a record-breaking eighth consecutive world title last season to seal their complete dominance of the sport throughout the turbo-hybrid era. But to return to the sport in 2022, the reigning world champions will have to pay a steep entry fee.

Mercedes will be required to pay the FIA upwards of $4.5 million to participate in the upcoming season, as per F1’s sporting regulations. While each team is required to pay a base fee of $556,509, the FIA also collects additional fees for every point the team scored during the previous season.

Furthermore, the fee per point scored is also far higher for the world champion team compared to the rest. This means Mercedes is required to fork out $6,677 per point compared to $5,563 for the rest of the teams.

The German team will have to cough up a significantly higher entry fee compared to its rivals. However, the actual amount hasn’t increased compared to the last few years, due to their dominance of the sport. However, due to the increase in the number of points they scored last season, rivals Ferrari and Red Bull have seen their entry fees increase by a huge margin compared to 2020.

Red Bull, who finished second in the constructor’s championship with 585.5 points, will pay an additional $3.25 million on top of the base fee. Following its failure to score a single point last season, Haas will only be required to pay the base fee.

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Christian Horner not allowed to visit Mercedes factory despite charity win

Early this week, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner cheekily bid on an interesting item at the Autosport charity auction – a VIP tour to the Mercedes F1 factory. After outbidding the competition by the tune of £4,000, Horner secured the tour, and expected to visit Brackley with “about 20 people” from his team.

However, Horner’s plans won’t be coming fruition any time soon. A small clause within the fine print of the item prevents any rival team members from visiting the team's factory in Brackley.

When asked about the potential visit by Horner during an interview with the Sun, a spokesperson for the German team said:

“We haven’t discussed it yet [with Horner]. To do so, we’d have to waive the terms and conditions under which it was offered – always pays to read the small print!”

Heading into the 2022 season when the new technical regulations have the potential to change the order of the grid, Horner would have liked to learn some secrets from his key rivals. Regardless, Red Bull are hoping to finally beat Mercedes to constructors after eight long years, while also defending Max Verstappen’s driver’s title.