From Bahrain to Abu Dhabi — here's how to stay at the very top of the F1 Fantasy leaderboards
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The 2024 F1 season is well underway but with plenty of racing still to come there’s still ample opportunity to hop into the team principal hot-seat, pick your 2024 F1 Fantasy line-ups and join the Motor Sport league.
There are some rule changes but the basics stay the same as last year: with a $100 million cost cap per team, players can pick up to three teams, each consisting of five drivers and two constructors who will score points across the season. These are based on how well they perform in qualifying, sprint races and grands prix, where points are available for places gained as well as finishing positions.
Each driver and constructor began the season with an initial valued based on their performance in 2023 which has since risen or fallen depending on how they’ve begun the 2024 campaign. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen ($30m) and Red Bull ($27.9m) remain the most costly picks in both categories, but Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has seen his initial $19.1m value climb by almost $3m since the season began.
Further rule tweaks will affect some of your tactical choices. They include changes to Chips as well as heightened penalties for exceeding your transfer allowance, new driver prices and the return of Head-to-Head leagues.
Here’s a run down of all the new rules and scoring systems as well as a few tips and tricks that can help you in your bid. For more advice on choosing your team for the first race of the season, see our F1 Fantasy Bahrain Grand Prix tips and predictions.
The 2024 Fantasy season will feel and act in a very similar way to 2023, only with a few minor changes.
The No Negative Chip is the only chip that has been adapted ahead of the new campaign. Previously, when activated, this limited a player’s loss at zero points when any of their drivers scored a negative over a grand prix weekend. But instead of being applied to their overall total, this chip will now apply to the individual categories in which the driver scored a negative.
This will theoretically allow players to achieve higher points totals when this chip is applied — increasing its effectiveness.
However, even when this chip is applied, players will still face an increased penalty for making too many changes to their driver line-up ahead of each race weekend.
Any player who makes more than two driver/constructor swaps will now be deducted 10 points instead of 4 for every additional transfer.
This hefty penalty should force players to stick with a main line-up while only making limited changes week-to-week and taking the rough with the smooth — rather than taking a points hit to swap in teams and drivers that look strong on a particular track.
Back by popular demand, Head-to-Head Leagues will make a return to F1 Fantasy in 2024. Unlike the regular league format, players will compete directly against other competitors in a 1v1 style competition, with the winner being determined by whoever scores the most points over that particular race weekend. The league format will act much like a round robin, in which you’ll compete head-to-head against everyone in your league at least once throughout the season.
By the end of the season, the player with the most 1v1 victories from 24 different races will ultimately be crowned champion.
Similarly to last year, the deadline for locking your team comes after the third practice session ahead of the race. There’s a prominent countdown clock on the team selection page, to help you make the cut. The system changes slightly for sprint weekend, with the deadline coming into effect after both the sole free practice session and sprint qualifying but before the sprint race itself. This gives players a massive advantage, as they will be able to see drivers and cars in competitive trim before making any line-up decisions. In Miami, the F1 Fantasy deadline will expire on Friday April 4 at 4pm (BST).
But if you still need to make a last minute change ahead of the competitive action, the ‘Final Fix’ chip allows you to make one transfer between qualifying and the race. So if Logan Sargeant clinches pole after a haphazard Monte Carlo qualifying session, that’s probably your opportunity to play it.
| Driver | Reason |
Max Verstappen $30.1m |
After just five rounds of racing in 2024, Max Verstappen has scored four race wins and pulled off a perfect run of pole positions. So it’s little wonder why he remains the most costly driver on the F1 Fantasy grid. For a current cost of $30.1m, the Dutchman has scored 176 Fantasy points so far this season; 14 better than Leclerc; 19 better than Perez; and 74 more than Lando Norris.
The price of that superiority means you’ll have to dish out almost a third of your budget to have Verstappen in your line-up. But having shown no indication of slowing down, Verstappen could continue to be a major point scorer throughout the season…again. |
Charles Leclerc  $22m |
Following two seasons of ups and downs for Charles Leclerc and Ferrari in 2022 and ’23, the Monegasque driver looked set to challenge at the very front one again in ’24 but has started slowly: failing to beat his cheaper team-mate in 4 out of the first 5 races of the season. But in F1 Fantasy terms, Leclerc may be the best driver currently on offer.
For $22m, he’s currently the best value for money driver on the grid — scoring an average of 1.47 points per million of his value. Leclerc also only averages 2.8 points per race less than Verstappen…who costs $6m more! These results could even continue to improve, with a better and more reliable Ferrari now under him. |
Sergio Perez $23m |
If you’re not keen on spending a third of your budget but still want a piece of the Red Bull dominance in your F1 Fantasy line-up, Sergio Perez is your best bet. The $23m Mexican has been a reliable option for the Milton Keynes outfit, having finished directly behind Verstappen in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Japan. A F1 Fantasy points total of 157 also means he ranks inside the top three for overall value (1.37 points per million) and has almost completed the third most overtakes of any driver on the grid (25).
With his Red Bull contract set to expire at the end of the season, Perez is currently doing all the right things in the hope of being rewarded with an extension. That little bit of extra motivation could mean that he remains a consistent F1 Fantasy option throughout the season. |
| Driver | Reason |
Alex Albon $7m |
Alex Albon was arguably the hottest ticket in F1 ahead of the 2024 season with rumoured links with Red Bull and Mercedes, but an ailing Williams has stunted his progress. The Thai driver has scored just one F1 Fantasy point through five rounds of racing, but for just $7m he could still become the biggest bang-for-your-buck driver on the grid.
With a habit of qualifying toward the rear of the field, his superior race pace often allows him to gradually climb his way to the midfield — a method which allowed him to score 63 F1 Fantasy points from overtaking alone. Following a slow start to the season, Williams could soon be moving from strength-to-strength and with Albon to lead them, the Grove outfit could quickly become a regular midfield contender. |
Carlos Sainz $20.4m |
Carlos Sainz may be leaving Ferrari at the end of the 2024 season — with Lewis Hamilton arriving as his replacement — but the possibility of being left without a seat for 2025 seems to have lit a fire under the Spaniard. A race win in Australia has been the obvious highlight of his season so far, but further podiums in Bahrain and Japan have earned him 140 F1 Fantasy points so far this season — the fourth highest grand total on the grid.
His ousting from Maranello has seemingly also struck a cord with race fans, as Sainz has been voted Driver of the Day more than any other driver on the grid so far this season — an achievement which comes with a ten point bonus for F1 Fantasy players who include him in their line-up! With his incredible form set to continue, it may be a good idea to pick Sainz up now before his price skyrockets! |
Lando Norris $23m |
Ranked among the very best in 2023, Lando Norris was given a significant price hike ahead of the 2024 season and has remained the second-most expensive driver on the grid, despite McLaren’s slow start to the season.
The Briton began the season with an sixth-place finish in Bahrain followed by a eighth-place finish in Saudi Arabia but soon finished on the podium twice in the following three races. His results have scored 102 F1 Fantasy points so far this season, ranking him among the top five competitors. Should the Woking outfit make another miraculous leap in performance as it did last year, Norris could quickly become a regular race winning contender for $7m less than F1’s current dominator. |
There are other notable options worth considering — depending on how much of your budget is going spare. Fernando Alonso has remained on top form after finishing an impressive fourth in the drivers’ standings last year: finishing inside the top ten at every round so far this season. As a result, the Spaniard is much more costly than he was last year, but even for $16.5m he could still be a great value option.
If you’re looking for a cut-price option to fit in your driver line-up, then Kevin Magnussen ($8.7m) or Nico Hülkenberg ($7.6m) could be your men. With Haas now able to fight regularly in the midfield, both drivers have proven to be valuable and consistent options for F1 Fantasy players — their years of experience proving invaluable.
Logan Sargeant looks to be in for another season behind the wheel of an underperforming car, but with doubts over his ability still lingering, it’s probably best to avoid the American for the time being — even for just $6.3m — as the penalty for mistakes and DNFs remains high. There is also rumour that Williams are on the look out for a driver that could replace the American — possibly resulting in a mid-season exit.
Alpine have endured a similarly disastrous start to the 2024 season, with the French outfit currently ranked last in the constructors’ standings. As a result, Pierre Gasly has struggled to compete in a tightly contested midfield and has scored just 9 F1 Fantasy points to far this season. With the similarly priced Hülkenberg having scored 31 points over the same time period, its perhaps fair to say that the Frenchman is a driver worth avoiding for now.
The dream team? Mercedes and Aston Martin
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Like last year, F1 Fantasy players are able to pick two constructors to support over the course of the 2024 F1 season. For your initial holding team (which can be changed until the end of free practice three on March 1 at 1.30pm) we recommend pairing Red Bull ($27.9m) with a midfield outfit such as Visa Cash App RB ($8.5m) or Haas ($8.4m). Not only does this leave players with a $64m budget for their drivers, but it will also allow you take advantage of almost all of the possible point-scoring opportunities — from overtakes and positions gained to pole positions and race wins.
Other obvious options include Mercedes, Ferrari or McLaren, but the Milton Keynes outfit are set to hold onto its advantage for the foreseeable future.
Given their performance so far in 2024, leaving Williams, Alpine and Sauber out of your line-up is probably a good idea for now.
Whether you decide to pick from our own selection or blaze your own trail, there are some tips to avoid losing out on big point hauls, and potentially making significant gains.
Cheaper drivers, although handy for filling out more expensive driver lineups, are unlikely to score qualifying points. So in order to make up the deficit, pick those who are known for good race pace or drivers who complete a lot of overtakes such as Zhou Guanyu ($6.6m) or Yuki Tsunoda ($8m) – both of which ranked instead the top ten of overtakes made last season.
It’s important to avoid drivers who are likely to cause accidents, DNF or have unpredictable cars where possible, as this could result in a costly point deduction (-25), and instead focus on reliability and consistency. In 2023, Esteban Ocon and Logan Sargeant failed to finish seven races each across the season, resulting in 175 points lost.
Including bold overtakers can pay off in a big way over the course of an F1 Fantasy season, with bonuses for overtaking and making up places (1 point per place in both cases) on offer. Oscar Piastri scored an additional 144 points from overtakes alone last season and team-mate Lando Norris added an additional 115 to give McLaren the highest team total too.
Although drivers may only complete 5-6 overtakes each race, the points scored from each can add up in the long run and could ultimately be the difference between victory and a podium place. In 2023, just five points separated F1 Fantasy’s global champion and second place.
Don’t overlook pitstops. Red Bull could give you a good chance of bagging the ten bonus points for performing the fastest stop in each race: it had the quickest wheel-changers in nine of last year’s 22 grand prix. Only two other teams secured a fastest time in 2023: Ferrari at seven races and McLaren at six. A speedy team can also claim further points for the second and third-fastest stops.
The winner of the 2024 F1 Fantasy Global League will receive two Paddock Club passes to a 2025 grand prix of their choosing.
Second place will receive two Champions Club passes to a 2025 grand prix of their choosing, while third place will receive a £500 F1 Authentics store voucher.
Mini-league competitions, running over a small number of race weekends will offer the chance to win more.
As with last year, there is the global league and mini leagues to enter, as well as the option of joining or creating public or private leagues for the chance of glory against family, friends or colleagues.
For the first time, Motor Sport will be hosting its own league with regular leaderboard updates on our social channels.
Points will be awarded and deducted based on a drivers/constructors’ performance during a grand prix weekend.
Drivers will be awarded for individual qualifying performance, with ten points given to pole position all the way down to 1 point for tenth. If drivers fail to set a time they will be deducted 5 points and if disqualified, they will be deducted 15 points.
Constructors will score the combined total of its two drivers as well as scoring points for one of the following outcomes:
| Neither driver reaches Q2 | -1 point |
| One driver reaches Q2 | 1 point |
| Both drivers reach Q2 | 3 points |
| One driver reaches Q3 | 5 points |
| Both drivers reach Q3 | 10 points |
Points for pitstops in this year’s game
Mohd Rasfan/AFP via Getty Images
Positions gained points As well as scoring points for finishing position, points will also be awarded for positions gained (1 point per position) and lost (-1 point per position). There is no cap how many points a driver can score through this method.
Overtaking points Much like last year, drivers are awarded points for overtaking. A move is classed as “when one driver legally passes another on track, and the driver passed was not entering or in the pit lane or suffering a car failure or going unreasonably slow” and earns one point per overtake. So just hope that your drivers get caught in a multi-lap dice where positions are swapped multiple times.
Fastest lap / Driver of the day points Ten points will also be awarded for fastest lap honours and driver of the day.
Race result points The full race result point system follows the same points system found in Formula 1 — 25 points to the winner, 18 to second, 15 to third and so on.
Retirement points deductions 20 points will be deducted for DNFs and 25 points will be deducted for disqualifications.
Constructors / pitstop points Constructors will score the combined total of its two drivers in the race, with the exception of the driver of the day bonus, as well as scoring points for the following:
| Fastest pitstop | 10 points |
| Second-fastest pitstop | 5 points |
| Third fastest pitstop | 3 points |
Players will have access to six ‘chips’, only one of which can be used to give you a boost before each race weekend. Each chip can only be used once during the season and you can only use one per race.
Autopilot This will automatically give your DRS Boost to the highest scoring driver in your team.
When to use it: save it for a sprint weekend for maximum bonus
Extra DRS Boost This will triple the score of a selected driver for a grand prix weekend.
When to use it: Another one for a sprint weekend, when there’s a driver with a clear advantage
No Negative If you’ve elected for a riskier strategy, this chip will stop you from scoring any negative points over the course of the weekend – meaning the only way is up! Unlike last year, this will be applied to individual scoring categories instead of the driver’s overall score for the weekend.
When to use it: Is it looking like a wet weekend in treacherous Singapore? Take out this insurance policy
Wildcard This will allow you to make an unlimited amount of changes to your team whilst staying under the cost cap.
When to use it: Save for after the Australian Grand Prix, where the past races and early upgrades will have painted a better picture of the running order
Limitless Similar to the wildcard, this will allow you to make unlimited changes to your team with no cost cap for just one grand prix – allowing you to pick the best teams and drivers
When to use it: When trying to recover points after a slow start or in the final stages of the season when top teams and drivers have separated themselves from the rest of the field.
Final Fix – This allows you to make a single change between the end of qualifying and the start of the grand prix.
When to use it: To transfer in a driver who has qualified unexpectedly high on a track where overtaking is tricky
Ahead of each race, you will have two free transfers to customise your driver or constructor line-up. Changing this regularly each week to keep up with driver form can give you a significant advantage over the rest of the league.
There is still no benefit in timing your transfers during the week: dynamic pricing used to allow players to trade their way to astronomical team values. However, driver and team values is now be updated after races to reflect their performances.
Score double points! Activate a DRS boost on one driver in your line-up per race to receive double their points tally for the upcoming grand prix weekend.
If you exceed the driver transfer allowance (2), you will be deducted ten points plus additional transfer. Similarly, if you create a team after the team-lock deadline, which closes before qualifying, you will be deducted ten points.
Compete alongside other Motor Sport readers and join our official F1 Fantasy league below!
After creating your team, find and join the Motor Sport link either by clicking this link here, or by entering the following code into the ‘Find a League section’: P26UURWJ208
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