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

Entering the final four races of the 2024 F1 Fantasy season,  there’s all still to play for at the top with just 38 points separating the top four teams in the global leaderboards.

With the difference between victory and defeat likely being being minimal, F1 Fantasy players should be concentrating all their efforts on identifying consistent sources of points — which is difficult given the fact that the race at the front is currently being contested by up to five different drivers from three different constructors.

Therefore, F1 Fantasy players may have to look a little further back in the field to find any type of consistency. At the start of the midfield, for example. That’s where you’ll find Nico Hülkenberg who has been quietly but dependably racking up points in recent races, without a single negative score in the past four grands prix.

Earlier in the week, this column recommended going all-in on the Haas drivers, but an unwell Kevin Magnussen has put paid to that.  If you do have Magnussen, you’ll need to remove him, even if that incurs a penalty, because drivers who are not classified will be given a -20 point score — for both this weekend’s sprint race and Grand Prix.

As of Saturday morning, you are not able to transfer in Magnussen’s replacement, Oliver Bearman, so Hülkenberg is the only Haas option, and one worth snapping up for just $11.7m

Since arriving at the US Grand Prix with a large upgrade package, the team has been a constructor transformed. Hülkenberg finished in the top ten in both the Austin sprint race and Grand Prix, as well as the following Mexican race, earning 20 F1 Fantasy points. A starting position of 12th for the Brazilian sprint puts him in a strong position to continue that run.

In fact, a lower qualifying position could be seen as a positive for Fantasy owners, given the potential to score points for gaining position. Only three drivers have performed more overtakes than the 96 recorded for Hülkenberg (Magnussen is top with 111, followed by Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez).

With a point awarded for each one, those account for a high proportion of Hülkenberg’s points tally, which is now being boosted by more competitive finishes.

Bearman has also been impressive in his two substitute performances this year, and you could take a chance on him at Interlagos by choosing Haas as a constructor, but we wouldn’t advise it. Despite the team’s heightened performance, it’s still behind the fastest and not in contention for regular race wins or pole positions — which is where the big constructor points are earned.

Alongside Hülkenberg, you could slot Esteban Ocon into your F1 Fantasy line-up for $13.3m. He’s also scored 20 points in the past two races thanks to a series of overtakes in Mexico that earned him 10 points, and (unexpectedly) setting the fastest lap in the US, which brought a further 10.

He was downbeat after sprint qualifying, which leaves him starting 18th in today’s race. He said that he couldn’t have lapped faster, but there is pace in the car — as evidenced by team-mate Pierre Gasly‘s seventh-place starting slot. So there’s the chance for overtaking bonuses in the sprint, at a circuit where passing is very possible, and then the ability to change the set-up and (hopefully) unlock more pace before Grand prix qualifying.

There is a cheaper alternative, though, and that is Liam Lawson for what appears to be a bargain price of $10.6m. A 20-point score at the US Grand Prix (mainly from 18 points for overtaking and gaining position) was followed by just four in Mexico, as a consequence of his unwise clash with Sergio Perez.

You’d bet on that being a blip. Lawson’s generally looked assured, dependable and — crucially — quick. He starts the sprint race eighth (team-mate Yuki Tsunoda is 18th), and looks well-placed for a successful weekend.

Choosing two of those three drivers will leave more than enough budget left over to fill out your line-up with a blend of title contenders and red hot rookies.

Read on for more tips and predictions for the 2024 Sao Paulo 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.

Join the official Motor Sport Magazine League
Code: P26UURWJ208

JOIN NOW

How to score the most F1 Fantasy points at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Interlagos hosts the fifth sprint race of the season, meaning there is an extra session in which drivers can score additional points.

If you still have your Extra DRS chip (which triples the score of a selected driver) or Limitless chip (which allows you to build a line-up with an unlimited budget) now may be the best time to use them. In the best-case scenario, your driver will score two bumper points hauls from the GP and sprint race, having made full use of the circuit’s plentiful overtaking opportunities to move up the running order (boosting the Fantasy points score further).

But by the same token, the sprint race weekend format could also create additional chances for costly crashes and DNFs. While there is a reduced reward for the winner of the sprint (eight points for a win descending to one point for eighth), the 20-point penalty for failing to finish remains the same.

So, as we saw in COTA, the best way to score the most F1 Fantasy possible this weekend, is by opting for a balanced driver line-up that isn’t prone to mistakes.

While adding Hülkenberg to your line-up does give your F1 Fantasy line-up a decent level of experience, battling in the midfield can lead to some unfortunate clashes — so be sure to bolster your line-up with some big point scoring options too.

You’ll still be able to afford two front-running constructors and as regular readers of Motor Sport‘s F1 Fantasy guides will know picking McLaren and Ferrari — over a struggling Mercedes and Sergio Perez-hampered Red Bull — has long been our recommendation.

Adding Ocon or Gasly should leave you with around $47m to fill out the rest of your line-up.

Being a sprint race weekend, it’s also important to remember that the deadline for picking your line-up ends on Saturday at 2pm ahead of the sprint — you’ve not left it too late by waiting until the start of the weekend.

Charles Leclerc ✅

In Motor Sport‘s last F1 Fantasy guide, we stated that Charles Leclerc was the best F1 Fantasy driver on offer. And, he justified that in Mexico City.

He may have had to settle for third in the race, but Leclerc still scored the second-most F1 Fantasy points (35) over the weekend — six more than Lando Norris and 14 more than Max Verstappen.

With the drivers’ title rivals expected to continue their heated on-track battle in Sao Paulo — which has already resulted in wheel-to-wheel clashes in Austria, Austin and Mexico City — Leclerc will likely continue to take advantage and score precious F1 Fantasy points in the process.

For $25.7m, he’s also at least $1.5m cheaper than Norris or Verstappen, which leaves you with a little extra budget for some better midfield options.

Oscar Piastri ❌

For $0.2m less than Leclerc, Oscar Piastri once looked like a steal.

He has proved a serious if not equal match to Norris in a McLaren and has only scored 82 F1 Fantasy points fewer than the Briton over the course of the 2024 season. But, ever since receiving orders to support his team-mate’s drivers’ title bid in any way he can, the Aussie has gone a little quiet.

In his last two race weekends, Piastri has scored only 56 points. Although that’s only three less than both Verstappen and Norris have managed, it’s still 34 less than Leclerc, 33 less than Sainz and two less than George Russell.

Until the Oscar of Azerbaijan returns, your $25.5m is better spent elsewhere.

Franco Colapinto ✅

The sensation of Franco Colapinto continued in Mexico City, as the Argentine driver finished an impressive 12th and scored eight solid F1 Fantasy points in the process.

That brings his season total — which has spanned just five races — up to 43 points. That’s 37 more than his Williams team-mate Alex Albon, 18 more than Yuki Tsunoda and four more than Pierre Gasly.

The only midfielders/back-markers Colapinto is yet to pass in the budget F1 Fantasy leaderboards are Sauber‘s Valtteri Bottas (50) and Zhou Guanyu (56). On the curves of Interlagos, Williams could have a competitive package that allows Colapinto to mix with the front-runners once again.

For a driver that costs just $7.3m, that’s an awful lot of upsides.

Yuki Tsunoda ❌

Speaking of upsides, Yuki Tsunoda hasn’t had many to speak of recently.

He’s finished with a negative F1 Fantasy score in four out of his last six race weekends and has cost players 59 points in the process — which isn’t ideal with just four rounds of racing remaining. He starts just 18th in the brazil sprint race.

The Japanese driver has seemingly crumbled under the pressure of competing for a Red Bull seat against new team-mate Liam Lawson, who in his first two races back (in COTA and Mexico City) has accumulated 24 F1 Fantasy points. That’s only one less than Yuki has managed for the year.

As the Kiwi only costs $0.7m more than Tsunoda, we’d suggest trying to find a way of fitting him into your line-up instead.

My F1 Fantasy team for the Sao Paulo GP

For the Sao Paulo GP, I’ve chosen to retain my Mexico City GP line-up, with the exception of Magnussen, writes Cambridge Kisby. 

This includes Leclerc as my lead driver, who is likely to be among the front-runners at Interlagos given Ferrari’s recent form. He is joined by Nico Hülkenberg, as well as Esteban Ocon and Franco Colapinto. Lawson slots in to replace Magnussen.

As always, Ferrari and McLaren remain my constructors of choice.