F1 Fantasy is back and better than ever! The 2023 edition of F1 Fantasy began on Feb. 27, allowing fans to create their teams and leagues before the season-opening race in Bahrain on March 4. Each individual can create up to three teams with five drivers and two constructors each (there are 20 drivers and 10 constructors to choose from), and you must stay within the cost cap of $100 million, which can be a very tricky task. Teams must be locked in before the first round of qualification for every race weekend or you face being penalized.
There are fun additions to the game this year, like DRS Boost, which can double your driver’s points at the end of the race weekend. You also have the opportunity to transfer drivers from team to team. This comes in handy when one of your drivers goes on an unlucky finishing streak. That was a lot of information to digest, just remember to create your team and lock in your drivers before the Saturday of each race weekend! The rest comes with practice. As an F1 Fantasy rookie myself, I’d like to share the tips and tricks I’ve discovered so far that have yielded me the most points after a race weekend.
Stats Don’t Mean Everything
Yes, it is a logical decision to have the top performers like Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, and Lewis Hamilton on your fantasy team, but never count out the underdog. The top performers each race weekend obviously yield the most points. However, races are incredibly unpredictable even with all of the statistics, like the number of wins or history of team performance at a specific track, available. The midfield teams (teams that don’t consistently finish at the top of the leaderboard) have drivers that are equally as talented as Verstappen and Hamilton, just in less competitive machinery. Their season statistics don’t always reflect how well they perform. With a good qualifying position and a solid race finish, these midfield underdogs can bring in some useful points for your team. Don’t overlook them.
Driver Interviews Are Your Best Friend
You can look at all of the statistics available, and listen to commentary from F1 reporters and fans alike, but no one can tell you how well the car is going to perform except the person that is driving it. Trust your driver, they know the car best. Drivers are interviewed after every free practice session (there are three every race weekend) and normally give very honest reviews about their time in the car and where they need to improve before qualifying. Listening to their comments and the statements their team makes as well can help you make an informed decision about who to include on your team that weekend before the team-lock deadline. I also find it incredibly helpful to read articles leading up to race week that detail the possible upgrades or penalties teams could face that weekend.
Always Trust Your Gut
As much as I’d like to say that the decisions I make for F1 Fantasy are strictly influenced by statistics and word-of-mouth from teams and drivers, it really comes down to my gut feeling on that weekend. Races are unpredictable and I have driver and team biases that influence every decision I make. Even if it’s as silly as liking one driver’s helmet for the weekend over another driver’s, trust your gut. You may just end up surprising yourself and raking in a bunch of points you never would have.
That’s all the advice I have for you! Be sure to lock in your teams and start your F1 Fantasy journey before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on April 30!
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