How much is a Formula 1 car?

A current-spec Formula 1 car does not have a single sticker price, but the hardware value to assemble one sits roughly in the $15–20 million range, excluding research and development, software, staffing, and testing; meanwhile, the FIA cost cap for performance-related spending is set at a $135 million baseline per team for the 2023–2025 seasons (with adjustments). On the open market, non-running “show cars” can sell from about $100,000 to $500,000, ex-race rolling chassis often fetch $1–5 million, and historically significant, running cars can command eight figures.

Why there isn’t one definitive price

Unlike road cars, Formula 1 machines are bespoke prototypes that evolve throughout the season. Teams do not retail complete, current cars, and the most complex component—the hybrid power unit—typically is not sold to private buyers without factory support. The FIA’s financial regulations also complicate the picture: they cap performance-related spending but exclude drivers’ salaries, the power unit program, and other costs. As a result, “how much an F1 car costs” depends on whether you mean the value of the hardware, the cost to run a championship campaign, or the price of a used car at auction.

What the parts cost (indicative 2024–2025 ranges)

The following ranges reflect commonly cited industry estimates for contemporary hybrid-era cars. Exact figures vary by team, supplier, specification, and update cycle, and do not capture R&D or software/IP value.

• Monocoque (carbon-fiber chassis/tub): $1.5–2.5 million
• Front wing and nose assembly: $150,000–350,000
• Rear wing assembly: $85,000–150,000
• Floor, diffuser, and plank: $300,000–700,000
• Suspension (complete car, incl. wishbones, uprights, dampers): $600,000–1,000,000
• Brake system (carbon discs/pads, calipers, lines): $200,000–300,000
• Steering wheel and driver controls: $80,000–150,000
• Gearbox (eight-speed + casing): $500,000–900,000
• Cooling systems and radiators: $200,000–400,000
• Hydraulics (actuators, pumps, valves): $200,000–350,000
• Electronics and wiring looms (incl. standard ECU): $200,000–500,000
• Hybrid power unit (1.6L V6 turbo + ERS): typically valued at $12–18 million for a season-long customer supply; per physical unit often runs into several million. Teams acquire season packages, not single “retail” engines.
• Tyres: supplied by Pirelli under F1 sporting/commercial agreements, not sold at a retail per-set price to teams.

Taken together, the major components push a single car’s hardware value into the mid-to-high eight figures in U.S. dollars, even before accounting for spares, upgrades, software, and the workforce needed to design, build, and operate it.

The cost-cap context (2025)

F1’s cost cap is intended to control spending on car performance. The baseline cap is $135 million for 2023–2025, with adjustments for the number of races (above 21), sprint events, and inflation, as set out in the FIA’s Financial Regulations. Notably excluded are driver salaries, the compensation of each team’s three highest-paid employees, power unit costs, marketing/hospitality, some travel, and heritage activities. In practice, a top team’s total annual budget remains well above the cap once excluded items are counted, but performance-related spending is constrained to the regulated limit.

What a buyer can actually purchase

Private buyers most commonly encounter ex-team cars through auctions, brokers, or directly from teams’ heritage programs. The configuration and provenance determine both price and usability.

• Show cars and static display replicas (non-running): about $100,000–$500,000 depending on authenticity of parts and team livery.
• Rolling chassis (ex-race cars without power unit, sometimes without gearbox/ECU): roughly $1–5 million; typically not operable without substantial, often unobtainable, systems.
• Running historic cars (especially pre-2014 V8/V10 eras): approximately $2–8 million for non-iconic examples with support/spares; championship-winning or driver-significant cars can exceed $10 million.
• Modern hybrid-era runners (2014–present): rarely available to private owners as complete, operable packages due to proprietary power units and software. When access is granted, it usually requires factory oversight and bespoke support agreements, with pricing case-by-case.

For most collectors, a static car or a pre-2014 running machine is the practical route; current-hybrid cars are technologically dependent on team infrastructure and are seldom sold as turn-key assets.

Hidden and ongoing costs

Acquiring the car is only part of the financial commitment. Operation, maintenance, and incidentals can be substantial even for occasional private running.

• Crash damage and spares: a single front wing can cost hundreds of thousands; a major incident can exceed $1 million in parts.
• Crew and equipment: specialized technicians, starting rigs, brake ovens, software tools, and data systems are required.
• Power unit lease/support: modern hybrids require manufacturer hardware, control software, and trackside engineering.
• Licences and IP-controlled software: access and updates are tightly controlled; without them, cars cannot run.
• Track time, logistics, consumables: circuit hire, transport, fuel/lubricants, and (where applicable) tyres add significant recurring costs.

These operational needs mean that keeping an F1 car active can itself cost seven figures annually, depending on usage and support model.

Key factors that move the price

Multiple attributes influence both auction results and private sale pricing for F1 cars.

• Provenance: association with star drivers (e.g., Hamilton, Verstappen), championships, and landmark wins commands premiums.
• Completeness and run-ability: cars with engines, gearboxes, ECUs, and spares are far more valuable than display-only rollers.
• Era and regulations: pre-2014 normally aspirated cars are simpler to run privately; hybrid-era cars need factory systems.
• Market timing: auction dynamics, macroeconomic conditions, and museum deaccessions can swing prices.
• Documentation and spares packages: maintenance records, set-up data, and included parts materially affect value.

In short, historical significance and technical completeness are the biggest price multipliers.

Bottom line

If you could price a current Formula 1 car strictly by its components, you’d land around $15–20 million—before counting R&D and people. Teams’ performance-related spend is capped at a $135 million baseline (adjusted) through 2025, while total team budgets exceed that once exclusions are included. On the collector market, non-running examples start in the low six figures, operative older cars are typically in the low-to-mid seven figures, and truly iconic, championship-winning machines can climb well into eight figures.

Summary

There is no single price for a Formula 1 car: the hardware value of a current-spec machine is roughly $15–20 million; the FIA performance cost cap sits at a $135 million baseline per team through 2025 with adjustments; and used-market prices range from about $100,000 for display cars to $10 million or more for significant, running racers—especially those with championship pedigree.

Can anyone buy a F1 car?

F1 cars are not available for sale to the general public in the traditional sense. Teams often retain their cars for historical and promotional purposes, or they are given to sponsors or drivers as gifts. But some cars do end up on the market, often through auction houses or specialised brokers.

How much is a Formula 1 tire?

A single Formula 1 tire costs approximately $2,700 to $3,000, though teams do not pay this price directly. Instead, they pay a large annual fee to the FIA for tire packages, which covers all tires supplied throughout the season. A typical Grand Prix weekend requires around 13 sets of tires per driver, giving a total value of over $35,000 for just one driver in a single race.
 
Why Teams Don’t Pay Per Tire

• Annual Contracts: Opens in new tabFormula 1 teams pay the FIA a flat fee for their tire supply, rather than buying individual tires for each race, according to YouTube. 
• Tire Usage: Opens in new tabEach driver is allowed 13 sets of tires for a Grand Prix weekend, but they don’t necessarily use all of them. 

The High Cost of F1 Tires

• High-Performance Materials: F1 tires are built with advanced materials and technology to provide incredible grip, contributing to their high cost. 
• Complex Design: The tires are engineered for specific compounds and characteristics, requiring strict manufacturing guidelines to meet F1 standards. 
• Logistical Costs: In addition to the tire itself, teams incur other costs such as tire blankets (which can cost over $20,000 per car per weekend), transportation, and the complex process of tire management throughout the season. 

Why is F1 so expensive?

Formula 1 (F1) is expensive due to the extreme costs of building the bespoke, high-performance cars, the extensive logistics of a global racing calendar, and the high price of hosting and attending races, which include large fees to Formula 1, and significant investments in infrastructure, safety, and staffing. 
Team & Car Costs

• Exotic Materials & Processes: F1 cars are built with advanced, expensive materials like carbon fiber and undergo highly precise, non-mass-produced manufacturing techniques, making them incredibly costly to produce. 
• Research & Development: Teams spend a large portion of their budget on R&D, particularly in aerodynamics, using wind tunnels and complex simulations to continually innovate and improve car performance. 
• Manufacturing Costs: Producing even a single component, like a front wing, can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars due to the complexity and materials involved. 

Logistics & Operations Costs 

• Global Travel: Opens in new tabTeams must transport their personnel, equipment, and cars to races all over the world, incurring massive costs for flights, hotels, and logistics.
• Factory & Staff: Opens in new tabMaintaining advanced factory facilities and supporting a large staff of engineers, mechanics, and support personnel adds to the overall expenditure.

Race Promoter Costs

• F1 License Fees: Each race promoter pays Formula 1 a significant license fee, which can be tens of millions of dollars, to host an F1 event. 
• Infrastructure: Promoters must invest in building and setting up temporary structures, grandstands, hospitality suites, and other temporary infrastructure for the event. 
• Staffing & Security: A large workforce of event staff, security, marshals, and technical personnel is required, along with associated costs for services like electricity, water, and sanitation. 
• Marketing & Hospitality: Marketing, advertising, and providing extensive hospitality for sponsors, guests, and media contribute to the overall cost. 

Justification for Costs

• High-Performance Engineering: F1 represents the pinnacle of automotive engineering, and the high costs are a reflection of this extreme engineering, innovation, and the pursuit of peak performance. 
• Safety: Years of technological advancements and new regulations have been implemented to enhance safety, which adds to the cost of designing and building the cars and circuits. 

Which is the most expensive Formula 1 car?

The most expensive Formula 1 car is a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen (Streamliner), which sold for €51.155 million (approximately $53.9 million) in February 2025. This record-breaking Grand Prix car was driven by F1 legends Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss and was previously part of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum’s collection.
 
Details of the Record-Breaking Sale 

• Vehicle: 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen.
• Price: €51.155 million (approx. $53.9 million).
• Auction House: RM Sotheby’s.
• Date: February 2, 2025.
• Significance: This sale set a new record for the most expensive Grand Prix car ever sold at auction.

Why it’s so Valuable

• Historic Pedigree: The car was driven by Fangio to victory in the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix and by Stirling Moss to set the fastest lap at the Italian Grand Prix in the same year. 
• Rarity: It is one of only four “Streamliner” versions of the W196 R ever made, and the first of that quartet to be offered for private ownership. 
• Provenance: The car was owned by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum for many years before being sold.