RacingIt takes 20,112 trained volunteers, nearly one million unpaid hours, and labor valued at €13.2 million to run a full Formula 1 season. That scale comes into focus in a new FIA University report, which says each round of the FIA Formula One World Championship relies on an average of 838 volunteers across a 24-race calendar.
The study, published by the FIA University in collaboration with race organizers, quantifies what these officials give. According to the report, volunteers contribute an average of 48 hours per event, totaling 965,376 hours over a season. Sixty-five percent use unpaid or holiday leave to do it, and 85 percent have previously worked a Grand Prix. Using an industry standard replacement labor model, the report values their contribution at €13.2 million for the year. It sets that against about €11.1 million spent annually on recruiting, training, and delivering these officials.
“The FIA Formula One World Championship relies on volunteers; they are the backbone of our sport – without them, we simply could not go racing. They ensure our competitions are safe and fair. They act with professionalism and pride, and they support drivers, teams and fans,” said Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA president, upon the report’s publication.
The report argues that F1 should move “from an ad-hoc reliance on volunteer goodwill toward a more systematic and professional model of volunteer management.” It recommends centralizing training, research, and evaluation, expanding the race operations center, and creating a dedicated Centre of Excellence for officials to build long-term pathways and consistent standards.
Steps are already in motion. The FIA established an Officials Department in 2025 to bring licensing and training into a common framework while preserving regional autonomy, according to the FIA and the report. The governing body is investing around $400,000 per year in a high-performance program to develop future stewards and race directors, with funding set to increase. The FIA also expects additional resourcing via its Concorde Governance Agreement with Formula One Management, the report states.
Operationally, the volunteer workforce covers flag marshals, scrutineers, incident officers, and extrication teams that support medical staff. Scrutineers are the hardest role to appoint, the report notes. Organizers indicated an average preparation time of seven months for a Grand Prix. Workload has risen by about 20 percent in recent years, yet retention remains strong, with roughly two-thirds of volunteers serving more than five years. The report also points to a global pool of about 300,000 officials across FIA-governed motorsport.
These findings come from a 2025 survey of 19 race organizers from the 24 rounds scheduled that season, which the report used to map operations, costs, and areas for future support.