Does Verstappen get a promotion? The platinum license explained!

To directly answer that question: No. But before we delve deeper into this, first, an explanation about the different categories that the FIA uses for the World Endurance Championship (WEC): bronze, silver, gold and platinum. Every driver who wants to participate in the WEC is annually classified in one of these categories based on experience and skills. Logically, the bronze drivers (often amateurs) are the least, and the platinum ones are the best.

Why is this relevant? The FIA wants to prevent drivers who are not capable enough from racing in a car for which they are not good enough (yet). A driver with a silver or gold license cannot take a seat in the super-fast hypercars. For this, you must first have demonstrated that you are ready. So, if you are very good as a gold driver, you can ask to be considered for a platinum license.

There is another reason why a distinction is made between drivers. There are classes in the WEC where it is prescribed that - for example - one gold, one silver and one bronze driver participate in one team. This is an attempt to make the teams in, for example, the GT class as equal as possible.

Back to Max Verstappen, who has been marked by the FIA as a platinum driver since last summer, just like Fernando Alonso, Lando Norris, Franco Colapinto, Nico Hulkenberg, and Lance Stroll. Verstappen has the opportunity on paper to drive a hypercar in the WEC, but this actually applies to all his colleagues in Formula 1.

A driver who has a super license simply needs to apply, and he (or she) also gets a platinum license. In other words, men like Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, are missing from the platinum list, but one formal action and they will also receive the platinum status.

Has anything changed for Verstappen? Actually not. Ever since he has been active in Formula 1, he has been able to participate in the WEC in the toughest class. So you don't necessarily need to have a platinum license to participate in, for example, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This can also be done with a bronze, silver, or gold license, but in a certain class.

Verstappen recently made it clear on the circuit that he can also be competitive in other classes outside Formula 1. During a test on the Nordschleife, the Dutchman broke the lap record in the GT3. He also confirmed that he would like to participate in the 24-hour race on the Nordschleife. A special 'license' is required for this race. This is entirely separate from the FIA's licensing system for WEC.