F1 Fantasy: top picks & predictions for the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix

With just ten races remaining in the 2024 F1 season, choosing the right drivers and constructors to lead your F1 Fantasy outfit is becoming gradually more critical as the race toward the title heats up. But four teams are now in regular race winning contention: with Mercedes back at the top, McLaren hot on Red Bull‘s heels; and Ferrari aiming for a resurgent return to form; who should you bet on in the return to racing action at Zandvoort?

Having secured pole position and won at every Dutch Grand Prix since its return to the F1 calendar in 2021, it’s hard to exclude Max Verstappen from your line-up considerations. In front of an adoring home crowd, the Dutchman has remained flawless no matter what the conditions, but it could be a much different story in 2024. With McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari now all capable of catching and surpassing Verstappen’s brilliant pace, it’s possible that his winning streak on home soil could come to an end this weekend. The reigning world champion has also gone winless in the last four grand prix, but has still managed to score 106 F1 Fantasy points – a total only bettered by two drivers: Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri.

Amid Mercedes’ struggle for performance since 2022, Hamilton has rarely been worth adding to your F1 Fantasy line-up – especially given his exuberant $24m price tag – due to his inability to challenge for regular pole positions or race wins against faster and cheaper opposition. But with an upgraded W15 now at his disposal, the Briton has quickly returned to his title-winning form of old. In his last six grand prix entries, Hamilton has finished no lower the fourth, including winning two races at Silverstone and Spa thus earning him 142 F1 Fantasy points. That’s more than both Lando Norris (84) and George Russell‘s (40) totals combined.

Oscar Piastri has been equally formidable behind the wheel of the McLaren MCL38 – a car which has been widely regarded as the quickest on the current grid. Over the last four grand prix, the Aussie has scored just one F1 Fantasy point less than Hamilton as he secured second-place finishes in Austria and Belgium and a debut race win in Hungary. At times, Piastri has even shown better one-lap and race pace than team-mate Norris – and for $2.7m cheaper, we’d say he’s probably the best bang-for-your-buck driver on the grid who could have a chance to win several races in the second half of the season.

The best news is, given their relatively affordable price tags, it’s possible to squeeze in both Piastri and Hamilton into your F1 Fantasy line-up, with plenty of budget left over for two front-running constructors (such as McLaren and Mercedes) as well as three solid midfield options.

Read on for our tips and predictions for the Dutch Grand Prix and remember to join our Motor Sport Fantasy league.

There are more on the rules and scoring in our F1 Fantasy full guide; and if you need some creative inspiration, check out our F1 Fantasy team name generator. For more information on the chips available and when to use them, we’ve got an F1 Fantasy chips explainer too.

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How to score the most F1 Fantasy points possible at the Dutch GP

Zandvoort’s narrow and winding layout means that overtaking opportunities are often limited on race day – although as we’ve seen in the past, a spell of torrential rain can result in plenty of wheel-to-wheel action, with 186 recorded overtakes during the 2023 Dutch GP.

Similar conditions in 2024 could create more chaos, meaning that picking up experienced drivers for your F1 Fantasy line-up who have a tendency to perform well in mixed conditions could be a worthwhile tactic. It may be worth staying clear of drivers who are prone to crashes in order to avoid the costly point deduction of a DNF and utilising your Final Fix Chip – which allows you to make one change to your line-up between qualifying and the race start – to take advantage of any shock qualifiers.

If you’ve followed our advice and decided to choose Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri – the two highest-scoring drivers from the last four race weekends – as your lead drivers of choice, and also selected their respective constructors – something we suggested ahead of the Belgian GP – you should have at least $30m remaining in your budget to fill out the rest of your line-up.

With those criteria in mind, here’s who we’d recommend and who to avoid:

Nico Hülkenberg ✅

Nico Hülkenberg has continued to be a great pick for those on a limited budget, as the German has scored a total of 76 F1 Fantasy points so far this season for a price tag of just $9.4m – giving him a points-per-million value better than Fernando Alonso ($16.4m), Haas team-mate Kevin Magnussen ($11.8m) and Yuki Tsunoda ($10.9m).

Hülkenberg is also a renowned wet-weather master, with enough experience to guide his way through the chaos and up the running order – regardless of the machinery underneath him. At last year’s Canadian Grand Prix, he put his Haas on the front row of the grid beside Verstappen and equally great drive at Silverstone in 2024 saw him claim a brilliant sixth-place finish.

Pierre Gasly 😐

After finishing third at last year’s wet-weather Dutch Grand Prix, Pierre Gasly could be among your choices for a budget driver in 2024 – the Frenchman’s immense talent becoming a part of your F1 Fantasy line-up for just $9.6m. But with Alpine still struggling for performance, Gasly might be a hinderance to the success of your Dutch GP weekend.

Out of the last four races, the Frenchman has failed to finish two of them – costing F1 Fantasy players 39 points in deductions. His statistics are also no match for the similarly priced Hülkenberg, who has not only tripled the Frenchman’s points total from the season so far, but has also qualified and finished further up the grid on average.

Until Enstone turns it around, we’d suggest leaving Gasly on the sidelines.

Valtteri Bottas ✅

If you’re after experience on a budget, Valtteri Bottas may be the driver you’ve been looking for.

Although behind the wheel of an ailing Sauber and with no confirmed seat for 2025, the Finn has a history of performing well under pressure and has been a good and steady source of F1 Fantasy points over the first half of the season.

In the predicted chaos of Sunday’s race, could Bottas channel the talent that earned a podium finish at Zandvoort in 2021? Stranger things have happened.

George Russell ❌

George Russell‘s $20.7m price-tag may look tempting – especially for a driver who has won two out of the last four F1 grand prix on track (being disqualified from the final order in Belgium). But the Briton’s tendency to make mistakes in mixed-weather races means that he could once again cost your F1 Fantasy team major points.

With Mercedes now back in regular race-winning contention, it’s certainly possible that Russell could become a more viable option as the season progresses, but with the experience and talent of Hamilton available for just $3.4m more, we believe the decision is a no-brainer.