Warren Kosoy 
It is the 18th edition of Formula 1 Race Week. This week the F1 circus finds itself on the island nation of Japan, at the Suzuka International Circuit. A curvy 3 mile lap with no brakes…its like a bad pickup line. But I digress, Suzuka tends to lead to very entertaining races as simple mistakes ruin drivers races. So lets strap into our 5 point harness and discuss DFS options for the Japanese Grand Prix.
Formula 1: DFS Top Captain Options
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing $18,600
Max can clinch his 2nd world championship this weekend if he finishes on the top spot, the spot he is starting from, Leclerc behind and the fastest lap. Considering how absurdly confident the Red Bull team is going about its business this weekend, wrap it up, the championship is Max’s. Max will be my captain this weekend in all my lineups.
Formula 1: DFS Contrarian Options
Charles Leclerc $11,200, Carlos Sainz $9000 Ferrari One of the main reasons this season has been copy and paste for the Top Captain options featured in this article is due to a phenomenon we’re seeing a lot in the 2022 season; the top 3 drivers are well within .001 seconds of each other. One mistake can take a top contender and have them finish 4 spots down. Suzuka qualifying expressed this one again. The Ferrari drivers are well within the margin of .1 seconds. If Max missteps, Charles and Carlos Sainz are right there to take advantage. This also makes Ferrari, $11,300 a top option for the constructor position.
Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing $13,200 This is racing, random stuff happens. Sergio starts P4 and if rain, mistakes or random racing luck happens, a sprinkle in the captain spot for your DFS lineups could work out nicely.
Formula 1: DFS Mid Tier options
Lando Norris McLaren $8000
Lando and McLaren are constantly nipping at the heels of the top teams. This week the McLaren looks off the pace as it brings up the rear of the top 10.
Fernando Alonso $7000, Esteban Ocon $5600 Alpine Esteban starts in P5 with Alonso in P8. It is difficult to overtake here and Fernando is famous for getting his elbows out wide. The issue for Alpine is that they qualify so well, than fall apart in the race. Roster worthy, but comes with a risk. Alpine showed more pace than the Mercedes team though, so good things can happen.
Sebastian Vettel $6000 Aston Martin Vettel loves this track, as he is set to retire from F1 this weekend, it was pretty obvious he has a special place in his heart for Suzuka. I think the team will do everything in their power to help him get as high as he can on the grid. I also like Seb in a captain position if you are willing to take the risk in one of your DraftKings lineups.
Formula 1: DFS Other options
If you are willing to get wild with your lineups, try having one of the Mercedes’ drivers in a lineup. Id prefer Lewis over George due to Lewis starting in P6 to George’s P8. The “issue” I have with Merc is that they find themselves in no mans land. Not fast enough for the top position, but not valuable enough (for DFS) to garner significant ownership. A sprinkle candidate for a random lineup, for sure.
Formula 1: DFS Value 5-point options
Haas‘ drivers aren’t split up enough. They start P15, P18. I will overlook them as a priority, but if you land on either as a last man in option, I would not be to upset.
Albon‘s $4600 permanent position in this article. His teammate Latifi will be off the grid next year so soak up the Albon value now.
Tsunoda Stating in P13 and as his home race, having Yuki in a lineup is not a bad option. Pierre, his teammate, starts in P17 and has not looked to sharp.
DFS Constructor options
- Ferrari $11,300 Both drivers in the top 3.
- Red Bull Racing $12,000 The class of the field, Max is nipping at championship #2
- Alpine $5100 Probably the best value constructor option.
Race Week Japanese Grand Prix DFS overall strategy
It’s Suzuka so there is always a chance of rain. The 53 laps could be under damp conditions and the teams whom are best at identifying and reacting are going to perform well. This worries me for the value options though as we can see teams gambling and getting it completely wrong, like what Mercedes did with George Russell in Singapore.
Personally I love the Japanese Grand Prix, the fans always make this a spectacle to watch. It is like they cosplay race drivers, its so different! The race goes live at 11pm MST, which always makes me happy being the only person in a crowded bar screaming “It’s lights out, and away we go!!”
If you have questions please feel free to hit me up in discord @tcuz86, or on Twitter @tcuz86. Have fun and thanks for reading Formula 1: Race Week Japanese Grand Prix, October 2022.
