Formula for Success: F1 Fantasy Tips from the 2023 and 2024 Global League Winners

Team Selection

For beginners, David recommends selecting drivers and constructors based on points scored per million dollars of cost cap spent (PPM),

“That will lead you to certain base selections for your team…as an example, constructors are where you get the most value for your money…that just tells me I should spend all my money on constructors and whatever’s left over, you make the most of it with your drivers”.

Andrew also focused on high-end constructors and emphasized the importance of waiting to select expensive drivers in order to grow his cost cap quickly,

“I am more focused on points on the constructor side, but am aggressive with building budget with drivers. For example, I did not run an A Tier driver until Spain, the 10th race of the season. For the early part of the season I relied on picking the best driver that wasn’t Verstappen for the team.This was important as not only did I gain more budget from using a Tier B driver, I was able to fit in stronger Tier C drivers.”

‍

The Importance of Practice Data

During his championship run, David made few changes each week to avoid penalties for exceeding the transfer limit. He also waited until the weekend to set his lineup and relied on a key tool: the Qualifying and Race Simulations from F1.com. By following these simulations, David knew to run McLaren at the beginning of their 2023 ascent,

“One of the things I look at istrying to find a team or a driver that’s not just going to qualify well and not race well…I took a punt on that [selecting McLaren] and it worked out”.

For more information on these simulations check out our interview with Lawrence Barretto, who analyzes this data in his Practice Debrief. Andrew also used Free Practice data to make his championship-deciding move from Ferrari to Mercedes for the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix,

“That decision probably was the boldest decision I made all season, as I decided to run Mercedes and abandon Ferrari based off a single practice. The data was very limited but I realized it was a pretty accurate indicator and even if it rained, a cold track would benefit Mercedes and hurt Ferrari.”

‍

‍

Chip Strategies

As for the powerup chips, both champions agree to deploy them on Sprint weekends to take advantage of the three scoring events (Sprint, Grand Prix Qualifying, and Grand Prix). David highlighted the opportunity for overtakes when drivers take grid penalties,

“I did a triple points [Extra DRS Boost] on Max Verstappen when he had a grid penalty at Spa…if he made those positions up in the race then he would get triple the points on those positions gained”.

Andrew added some key details about using the Extra DRS Boost to ensure the 2X DRS Boost is optimized as well,

“3X DRS is being used when I can identify the top 2 drivers and preferably with a team structure I am already using [to avoid transfer penalties afterwards].”

Also, while possibly unique to Andrew’s enormous budget last season, the reigning P1 player recommends waiting until the end of the season to use the Autopilot chip,

“For Autopilot, I am trying to hold out till I have as many options as possible on my team to choose as a 2X DRS driver. I probably might use it in a race where I have 3 strong drivers but don’t know which one will win or score the most.”

‍

‍

Key Takeaways

Let’s break down the top lessons learned from these championship performances:

·        Start with elite constructors first since they score more points than drivers

·        Select a balanced driver lineup, with more mid-range value picks that stand to gain value faster

·        Free Practice data can predict the next big shift in the grid order, unlocking huge points and cost gap growth opportunities.

·        Most chips deliver the best value on Sprint weekends, since there are three events to score points (Extra DRS Boost, Limitless) or not classify (No Negative)

‍

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.

‍