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

The Basics

Each new team starts with a $100M cost cap to select a team of five drivers and two constructors. The game updates the values of all assets after each race based on performance - drivers and constructors can gain or lose value. For example, if a driver finishes P2, wins Driver of the Day, and records the Fastest Lap, he likely scored enough points to earn a price increase. On the other hand, if a driver finished with a negative score his price probably decreased.

In the example above, let's assume the driver's value increased by $1.0M after that strong performance. The cost cap for teams that selected this driver also increases from $100M to $101M, giving them more buying power moving forward. By the end of the season, top teams build over $30M in value and can afford multiple top drivers and constructors such as this team below:

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With this in mind, growing our team's cost cap unlocks the ability to bring in higher quality drivers later in the season and provides a competitive advantage. So how are price changes calculated so we can spot the best values?

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Pricing Tiers and Price Deltas

F1 Fantasy Tools and Discord user MaxAlive determined that all assets fall into three categories based on price:

• Tier A: $25.0M and above
• Tier B: $15.0M - $24.9M
• Tier C: $14.9M and below

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With these definitions in place, he then noticed that each tier undergoes different types of price changes:

• Tier A: -$0.7M, -$0.5M, $0M, $0.1M, $0.2M
• Tier B: -$0.5M, -$0.3M, $0.1M, $0.3M, $1.0M
• Tier C: -$0.2M, $-0.1M, $0.5M, $1.0M, $1.5M

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All of the price changes in 2023 and 2024 fit these parameters perfectly, so how does the game determine which price change is assigned at the end of each race weekend?

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Normalized Points

With some refinement from fellow Discord user, AndyTails, MaxAlive then defined the concept of Normalized Points: the points scored by a driver in the current race week divided by the average score for all the drivers in that race rounded to the nearest whole number (the same math applies to constructors).

Ranges of Normalized Points align with the pricing outcomes for each of three tiers to reveal the final piece of the puzzle:

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Let's review an example from the 2024 Australian Grand Prix. In that race, the Ferrari constructor scored 92 points. The average score for all constructors at Australia was 25.8 points. Ferrari's Normalized Points value is 3.566 (92/25.8), and for a constructor in Tier B that equates to a $1.0M price increase.

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Tips for Spotting Value

Since assets in Tier B and Tier C earn more value than those in Tier A, look for bargains among top constructors (Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes) in Tier B. For the first 7 races of the 2024 season, Lando Norris was priced in Tier B despite routintely finishing in the top 5. Over that stretch, Norris gained $2.4M in value while Charles Leclerc took advantage of his low price by gaining $7.0M in value over the course of the season.

Also, keep an eye out for teams that improved year-over-year and now provide strong results in Tier C. Haas evolved considerably from 2023 to 2024 and Kevin Magnussen delivered 6 consecutive $0.5M price increases. On the flip side, avoid the temptation to run cheap assets that lose value every week. Logan Sargeant lost value in 11 straight races last season and many teams selected the American because he was the cheapest driver.

In an exclusive interview with FanAmp, Andrew Harris shared his tips for balancing points upside and increasing asset value:

"I strike a balance of building budget and maximum points by thinking about what the team could build to in the future. A common mistake I have seen made by players is they stick in a bunch of cheap assets so they can squeeze in 1 very strong asset. Having a balanced team is important for budget growth, also by having some consistency on your budget drivers it minimizes swaps and you can prioritize making adjustments to the important assets in your team such as drivers or even constructors." - Andrew Harris, 2024 F1 Fantasy Global League Champion

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Price Gain Predictor from F1 Fantasy Tools

F1 Fantasy Tools built a simple tool to predict price changes each race weekend as part of the popular Team Calculator. After simulating the points scored for each driver and constructor, the tool calculates the Normalized Points ratios and lines them up with the table above to determine the projected price change. In the example below, teams that want to lean into cost cap building would consider the Tier B drivers (Carlos Sainz and George Russell) since they project to gain more value than the Tier A drivers.

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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.

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Be sure to check out our F1 Fantasy Guides for details on how to use the six powerup chips, how to grow your team budget, and much 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 of the latest news.