After the exciting announcement of our first-ever F1 Fantasy featured league where we challenge you to race our writers, we asked some of those Motorsport.com experts to tell us about their selections.
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A scruffy mess
Stuart Codling, senior writer, ‘Team Moribund F1’: “If my team looks like a scruffy mess of compromises, that’s probably because it is. For the constructors I chose Ferrari because it has two of the best qualifiers in the business (with the caveat that Lewis Hamilton hasn’t been great in the ground-effect era) and Alpine because I needed a cheaper outfit with a reasonable chance of scoring points.
“The danger in a format like this is that you can get sucked into putting all your budget into one ‘star’ driver and end up relying on them to do the heavy lifting. Lance Stroll, historically, isn’t great at qualifying but often picks up quite a few places in the race. That made him seem a better bet for points than some of the other drivers who are in the same ballpark cost-wise.”
Piastri's good value for money
Fabien Gaillard, F1 Editor, Motorsport.com France, ‘Roast Grand Prix’: “For my starting choice, let's say that I'm betting on the teams rather than the drivers. Oscar Piastri is my ‘leader’ because he is driving the car that many see as the best and is cheaper than Lando Norris, which frees up some margin for the rest of my squad.
“Liam Lawson is a gamble, but he has the advantage of driving a Red Bull which, though it may not be the best F1 car, will at least be at front of the pack.
“Now, having spent a significant part of my budget, I then settled on two teams that I think could take some minor honors and score points: I have therefore placed my bets on the two Haas drivers.”
Keeping options open
Erwin Jaeggi, F1 journalist, ‘The Jaeggimeisters’: “I chose Max Verstappen as my lead driver because I still see him as the favourite for the world title, even though he himself suggests otherwise.
“Buying the second-most expensive driver in the game has significant consequences for the rest of my lineup. However, with Max in my team, there's a strong chance I'll score big points on a regular basis.
“I'm hoping Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso can pick up points from time to time, while Gabriel Bortoleto and Oliver Bearman round out my roster - if one of them underperforms, I can always make adjustments, much like Alpine keeping their options open!”
Concern over Willams
Mark Mann-Bryans, F1 business correspondent, ‘MMB Racing’: “Norris might be the most expensive driver in the game, but it feels like he is up there for a reason – the Erling Haaland or Mohamed Salah of F1 Fantasy – so I stuck him in as my number one driver.
“I’ve very much taken advantage of being able to make as many changes as possible before the weekend and swapped out Lawson and Alonso for Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Yuki Tsunoda – I will probably change again before the deadline!
“My only concern is backing both Williams and Sainz, if that pre-season testing pace proves to be a one-off, I might struggle to pull in a lot of points in the opening rounds.”
Autofill is your friend
Norman Fischer, F1 Editor, Motorsport.com Germany, ‘Berserk MF1’: “To be honest, I just clicked on 'Auto Fill', but I wasn't satisfied with the lineup. So I clicked 20 times until I was fine with it!
“Now my team consists of Piastri, who I believe can perform similarly to Norris or Verstappen but at a lower price, and George Russell, who will play a strong role. Alonso also gets more out of the car for little money.
“Additionally, I’m betting on a one-team package with Bearman, Esteban Ocon, and Haas, as I see this as an advantage. This way, I was even able to afford a Red Bull as my second car.”
