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

Following a hard-earned race victory in Montreal, Max Verstappen has arguably re-established himself at the top of the F1 pecking order after missing out on wins in Monaco and Miami — two of only three losses he has suffered through the first nine races of the 2024 season.

But while the Dutchman has earned a series-leading 301 F1 Fantasy points in the process — making him a fixture in 43% of current F1 Fantasy line-ups — the poor performance of his team-mate is dragging down the point-scoring ability of the Red Bull constructor card. Earlier in the year, we showed how Perez could be a better pick than his team-mate, but his form has since slipped. At the last two grands prix alone, Sergio Perez‘s inability to get out of Q1 as well as his subsequent DNFs has cost F1 Fantasy players over 50 points. Even with the Milton Keynes outfit predicted to return to dominant form in Spain this weekend, is it time to pick a new lead constructor?

As we’ve mentioned before, picking constructors whose drivers are close in both talent and form is one of the best ways to climb through the F1 Fantasy ranks due to the team bonuses that come when both progress to Q3. Ferrari had been the team to pick after both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc struck race-winning form in the early stages of the season but — even taking Leclerc’s Monaco win into consideration — McLaren has been a better bet for consistent success in recent races.

Ever since the Miami GP, both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been regularly competitive at the front of the pack and have made it through to Q3 in every single race this year. This gave Fantasy team owners a bonus ten points, in addition to the points awarded for the top ten qualifying places. it also puts the drivers in a strong place to score highly in the race.

While the Woking outfit’s F1 Fantasy points total still trails that of its two title rivals, its consistency could pay off in the long run. In the last two races, Red Bull has earned just 33 F1 Fantasy points due mainly to Perez’s errors; Ferrari has earned 52 due mainly to its undulating form; while McLaren has scored 113.

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F1 Fantasy: Is McLaren becoming the best F1 constructor card?

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It is also worth bearing in mind that this weekend’s Spanish GP marks the start of the first triple-header of the season, in which teams will have little time to make significant upgrades to their cars. Therefore, the running order in Barcelona is likely to remain for at least the next three races. Investing in a team you expect to do well could pay off if you’re proved right and its value soars — which happened to McLaren in 2023.

Read on for our tips and predictions for the Spanish Grand Prix, and don’t forget to join the 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 in Spain

If you want to take full advantage of Red Bull’s expected performance in Barcelona, we’d recommend squeezing Max Verstappen back into your line-up and equipping him with the added DRS boost — doubling his tally for the weekend — while replacing Red Bull as a constructor (if you had it equipped) with either McLaren or Ferrari. This protects you against Perez slip-ups while diversifying your line-up with as many potential podium sitters as possible.

Unfortunately the Dutchman’s inflated price tag could make squeezing in other valuable assets tricky, but while the majority of all F1 Fantasy points are scored by the front-runners, the Spanish GP can also offer point-scoring opportunities from drivers further back on the grid due to Catalunya’s overtaking opportunities. In 2023, 49 overtakes were recorded throughout the race — the fifth-highest tally of the season — and a reduced performance gap between many of the midfield teams suggests more on-track passes could be seen in 2024.

Here’s who we think you should consider for your Spanish GP F1 Fantasy line-up:

 

Mercedes ✅

Mercedes showed signs of life in Montreal, as after securing a dramatic pole position George Russell went on to score the team’s first GP podium finish of the season in third, while team-mate Lewis Hamilton finished moments behind in fourth. The Brackley bunch is still far from title contention, but the Canadian GP showed that, in the right conditions, it can still cause headaches for the likes of McLaren, Ferrari and even Red Bull.

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has been a site of relative success for Mercedes in recent years, having scored a double podium here last year after starting from fourth and twelfth on the grid. Due to the bonuses awarded to drivers for overtaking, an identical performance in 2024 would result in at least 55 F1 Fantasy points scored.

It’s also worth noting that numerous high-ranking engineers at Mercedes have identified the Spanish GP as a key indicator for quality of the upgrade package that was deployed at the Monaco GP. Should it show its true strength in Barcelona with a pole position or even a race win, you can expect the Brackley outfit’s current value of $21.9m to skyrocket!

The increased performance of the W15 makes Russell ($20.8m) a much more realistic option too, as the Briton has performed well for the majority of the season so far: picking up pole and podium in Canada as well as top-ten finishes in all but one race. Swapping him out for the more expensive Perez ($22.4m) or even Sainz ($21.5m) could pay off should Mercedes find a strong run of form.

 

Charles Leclerc ❌

The last few Spanish GPs have not been kind to Charles Leclerc. After a fourth-place finish in Barcelona in 2021, the Monegasque driver retired from the lead in 2022 with an engine failure and then failed to make it out of Q1 in 2023 before climbing through the field to eleventh during the Grand Prix.

A dismal showing in Montreal doesn’t offer much hope that 2024 will be any better. Although Ferrari believes that its lack of performance in Canada was a one-off (and comes after Leclerc’s Monaco victory), Red Bull is anticipated to be back in dominant form in Barcelona at a track that suits its car better. Leclerc’s $23.1m price tag may be better used towards buying Verstappen.

Before making any definite decisions, we’d recommend watching how both Ferraris get on during free practice, as the Maranello outfit is rumoured to have brought a massive aero upgrade to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya which could bring the performance of the SF-24 in line with Red Bull’s RB20.

 

Haas ✅

Haas has been one of the great surprise performers so far in 2024 after picking up points finishes in Saudi Arabia, Australia, China and Miami. The American outfit has also been a great addition to many F1 Fantasy line-ups, having scored 103 points so far this season — mainly courtesy of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hülkenberg‘s ability to expertly carve their way through the midfield.

The experienced driver pairing has combined for 109 overtakes so far this season — 26 more than any other constructor — and have, critically, often been able to hold track position after qualifying high up the grid.

With all three Haas assets each costing less than $10m, they could be a great budget addition to your F1 Fantasy line-up.

 

Logan Sargeant ❌

Logan Sargeant‘s F1 career was called into question again at the Canadian GP, as the American driver crashed twice before retiring from the race — costing the 21% of F1 Fantasy players who include him in their line-up 19 points in the process.

As if Logan’s seat was not under enough pressure from Carlos Sainz — who is tipped to replace him in 2025 — the FIA recently announced that the ban on 17 year-olds entering F1 can be lifted at their discretion after Williams applied for a dispensation to run Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli — aged 17.

Should Sargeant have another nightmare weekend in Spain, the young Italian, who’s a candidate for Mercedes next year, could realistically be called on to replace him.

The pressure to perform won’t do much for Sargeant’s confidence. Further DNFs could significantly hurt your own standing on the F1 Fantasy leaderboards.

 

What F1 Fantasy chips should I use in Spain?

With nothing but blue skies forecast for this weekend’s Spanish GP, there is really no need to use any F1 Fantasy Chips. There are sprint races in Austria, Austin, Brazil and Qatar still to come, so we’d recommend saving your Limitless or Extra DRS Chips for when significantly more points on offer. Street races in Singapore, Azerbaijan and Las Vegas — where overtaking is less common, and upsets more likely  — could also provide you with an opportunity to use up your No Negative or Final Fix Chips, which can help you to avoid losing critical F1 Fantasy points toward the end of the season.