F1 Fantasy Budgets: Explained | F1 Fantasy Guide (2024)

The Basics

Each new team starts with a $100M cost cap to buy a team of five drivers and two constructors. The game updates the values of all assets after each race based on recent performance - drivers and constructors can gain or lose value. For example, if Sergio Perez finishes P2, wins Driver of the Day, and records the Fastest Lap, he likely scored enough points to earn a price increase. A typical price increase ranges from $0.2M to $1.0M.

In the example above, let's assume Perez's value increased by $1.0M after his strong performance. The cost cap for teams running Perez also increases from $100M to $101M, giving them more buying power moving forward. By the end of the 2023 season, my team's cost cap rose to $141.2M - this team ran two top drivers and constructors with the budget harvested throughout the season.

With this in mind, growing our team's cost cap unlocks the ability to bring in higher quality drivers later in the season and drives a competitive advantage. So how do we build value?

Tips for Spotting Value

The metric for assessing fantasy value is points scored per million dollars of price (PPM). Drivers sporting a high PPM are outperforming their current price and stand out as candidates for price increases in future races. In the game, navigate to Statistics, then Value for Money Drivers to view the list below. From recent experience, drivers often gain value when their PPMs exceed 1.0.

Drivers that recently experienced bad luck due to DNFs or poor performance also stand out as a target for price gains. If a driver that consistently finishes in the top 10 retires from a race, the game generally reduces their cost for the following race. If that driver logs an average performance in the next race, they will likely regain the value lost from the DNF.

The last trick for finding price increases requires a keen eye for teams that use breakthrough upgrades to improve performance. In 2023, McLaren struggled at the back of the grid for the first eight races but the team introduced significant upgrades and Lando Norris's P2 finish at Silverstone validated that McLaren's fantasy stock was on the rise. Strategists that invested in McLaren early in their ascent enjoyed over $5M in cost cap gains from Lando alone.

Spotting these trends takes diligence and a careful eye on race day. For educated fantasy strategists, however, all you need is a single tool to do this work for you.

Price Gain Predictor from F1 Fantasy Tools

Luckily for us, F1 Fantasy Tools built a simple tool to predict price changes each race weekend.

On the Team Calculator page, F1 Fantasy Tools calculates a delta-$ prediction for every driver and constructor based on an algorithm that becomes more informed with the price change data from previous races. The simulation is generated for the upcoming race between Free Practice 2 and Free Practice 3 and undergoes a final update between Free Practice 3 and Qualifying.

For players looking to gain an advantage in a field of over more than two million teams, look to grow your cost cap steadily over the course of the season to maximize your buying power. Be sure to follow The Fantasy Formula here and on your favorite social media platforms all season long for great buy-low assets to boost your cost cap.

Be sure to check out our fantasy guides for details on how to use all of the coveted chip power-ups, how to select your drivers and constructors, and more. If you have questions, be sure to join The Fantasy Formula community by downloading the FanAmp app. You can also watch The Fantasy Formula on the official FanAmp YouTube channel every race week for detailed lineup advice, exclusive interviews, and a breakdown the latest news.