With a rain-impacted FP3, the Formula 1 train rolls on into La Circuit de Barcelona, home of pre-season testing. With the familiarity of the track, and the rain coming in limiting set-up qualifying runs, the grid is an unfamiliar one entering Sunday’s race. With the randomness at play, we are set up for a GPP player’s dream for F1 DFS as duplicate winning lineups should be limited. Things are about to get a lil wild in this edition of Formula 1 Race Week: Spanish Grand Prix.

Team Breakdowns

Red Bull Racing

Let’s get the easy one out of the way, it’s Max’s race to lose, probably even more so this weekend. Max Verstappen ($21,900/$14,600) and Red Bull Racing ($13,500) should once again be in the majority of lineups, doesn’t matter how you do it, just get them both in.

Sergio Perez’s ($11,400) Red Bull Rocketship will start from P11. A circuit like Barcelona leads to plenty of overtaking opportunities so seeing Sergio work his way into the top 10 is easy to see. 

Red Bull is the only constant this weekend, the rest of the grid is fairly wide open.

Aston Martin

The Astons ($9700) both start in the top 10 on Sunday as Fernando Alonso ($10,000) will start his home grand prix from P9. Alonso was well in the top 5 in Free Practice 1 and FP2 on Friday but being as he is kind of expensive at ($10,000) we really need him to beat Lance Stroll ($6600) and finish on the podium to make value. 

Lance on the other hand was towards the backside of the grid during the practice sessions struggling to overcome the draggy Aston Martin. The last 2 races here have found Fernando Alonso outside the top 5 so jamming him in might not be a top-priority play and his teammate Stroll has not performed with much fanfare either as he has not finished in the top 10 here.

Ferrari 

Charles Leclerc ($9000) is pressing right now and it’s produced some very lackluster results, his performance during quali was no different. Just like Fernando, Charles was P8 in Fp1 and P6 in Fp2, and now he starts from P19…how can I not have faith that last year’s Spanish Grand Prix winner can’t make it through the field and help my DraftKings Lineups. 

Carlos Sainz ($7400) also has the backing of the Spanish fans as their fellow countryman pilots his scarlet Red Scuderia Ferrari SF-23 from P2 in an attempt to have a Spainaird on the top step. Being behind his teammate throughout the weekend, Carlos’ history here is nothing to overlook either as he has finished in the top ten over the last 3 Spanish Grand Prix races. 
What makes Ferrari ($9300) really interesting this weekend is the ability to play both drivers together in the same lineup, if Charles can make up spots the +5 in points for place differential makes him a solid DFS option. 

Mercedes

George Russell ($8200) P12  and Lewis Hamilton ($9600) P5 do fine here. Lewis has won here multiple times including 2 of the last 3 races. However, the Mercedes ($8900) is a shell of itself. I can see the Mercs finishing both in the points making them a solid option for your non-Red Bull Racing lineups. In terms of the drivers, it’s expected of Lewis to beat George, but they are both even amongst themselves making neither a true priority. 

Alpine

Esteban Ocon ($6200) and Pierre Gasly ($5600) remind me of the Mercedes’ as both are fine options for a lineup, cash game, or GPP. Whichever makes it to your given lineup should be a statement of value. Same with Alpine ($5500) a value at constructor which should allow you to get in a Max and Carlos Sainz lineup.

I have to give the politician answer here, having exposure to both, maybe even 50/50 is a strategy the field will definitely implement, and it makes sense. In Multi entry GPPs have exposure to both, in single entries, you have to make a choice, and what you like in the other 5 positions will dictate your choice, as those other 5 spots are up in the air as well.

McLaren

Of all the teams that shined on Saturday was McLaren ($4400) as both drivers start in the top 10. Oscar Piastri ($3800) will be popular this weekend as he is a good value play starting in the top 10. His teammate Lando Norris ($5800) starts in P3! Super excited to see what the McLarens can do, as they were a midfield team all weekend. Tough to see Lando keeping it in the podium spot, but if McLaren’s history is anything, the last 3 races here have featured a McLaren in the top 10.

Alfa Romeo

Zhou Guanyu ($3400) unqualified teammate Valtteri Bottas ($4400) to put his Alfa in P13, compared to Bottas P16. Neither are priorities but make for good value plays.

Haas

Nico Hulkenberg ($4600) has had a history of putting his Haas into places it tends not to belong…like to the top 10. Starting in P8 Nico is in serious jeopardy of negative points. Tread lightly here. Teammate Kevin Magnussen ($4000) seems to fare better on Sunday making him the better play in my opinion.

AlphaTauri and Williams both seem to be in the same boat this weekend. Neither car is going to perform well here as this track really exposes cars’ weaknesses. DeVryes, Tsunoda, Albon, Sargent, mix and match if you’re playing multiple lineups but all these drivers are fine as last value plays and “off the wall” Captain plays for contrarian lineups

If you have any questions or if you’d like to talk strategy @tcuz86 in Discord.

Welcome to another edition of Formula 1 Race Week: Miami Grand Prix 2023. Formula 1 comes stateside for the first time of the 2023 season, as the grid runs around the Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, for 52 laps in anger. Just like last week Sergio Perez’s Red Bull sits atop of the starting order, as chaos reigned supreme on qualifying on Saturday.

Free Practice 3 really demonstrated how wide open this race was going to be as top teams struggled with tyre wear, and traffic, not to mention the tight corners that caught a few drivers out.

As qualifying continued the underutilized Miami circuit came to life. The track gained more grip every lap, and as the laps quickened, the speeds came down. teams that did not look competitive in the practice sessions started showing pace, and some teams got caught out by the ever-changing conditions. One team that seemed to not be affected was…

Team Breakdowns

Red Bull

The Red Bull rocket ship powers down range as it shows its class once again. However it’s not the Red Bull one would expect to be on top, Sergio Perez ($11,600) starts on the pole as his love affair with street circuits continues. I’m sure Sergio will take it as his teammate Max Verstappen ($14,600) starts in P8 due to Charles Leclerc putting his Ferrari in the wall with less than 2 minutes left in Q3. Sergio demonstrated his ability in these kinds of circuits all season long, but I would be remiss to mention he played second fiddle to his teammate all weekend up to that point.

Playing Max or Sergio is a decision that is going to shape your lineup. Both have merit to be played, as does Red Bull ($13,300) in the Constructor spot. What makes Max more difficult to play this week is that during practice a trend was noticeable, any car that went off the racing line found itself on a dirty circuit, and as drivers put the throttle down, their offline car would lose the back end, spinning out. Max is in another league, so if there was a driver to make this track his own and cut through the field from P9, it’s him.

I have to give the politician answer here, having exposure to both, maybe even 50/50 is a strategy the field will definitely implement, and it makes sense. In Multi entry GPPs have exposure to both, in single entries, you have to make a choice, and what you like in the other 5 positions will dictate your choice, as those other 5 spots are up in the air as well.

Ferrari

A team I probably won’t find much in my lineups is Ferrari ($9900). Charles LeClerc ($9800) starts in P7 and Carlos Sainz ($7600) starts in P3. Carlos has every opportunity for a podium finish while Charles seems to go for broke in qualifying. A sprinkle or two might be in order, but the Scuderia is not one I will be focusing on this weekend in DFS.

Mercedes

Oh Mercedes, how you have fallen. Lewis Hamilton ($9000) and George Russell ($8400) looked well off the pace all weekend and further demonstrated that in qualifying. I’d expect George to stay ahead of his teammate, but that is a premium to pay for those 5 beat-teammate points and what should be a top-10 finish. I do think Mercedes ($9500) goes for a long run, 1 stop strategy, but even that might not be the move for a car that’s struggling with tyre wear and proper setup.

Aston Martin

Lance Stroll ($6400) made things easy on us as he failed to reach Q2, he starts in P18. His team “got greedy” and kept back a new set of soft tyres as they imagined they would advance to the later stages of qualifying easily. Lance’s Aston is capable of taking advantage of his P18 start and should be able to pass a good amount of cars. Lance comes with risk so keep that in mind.

His teammate Fernando Alonso ($9400) is in a prime position in the top 5. The track is difficult to pass on, and Fernando is just as difficult to pass. I like Fernando to beat his teammate, finish in the top 5 and score maximum points in his Aston Martin ($8900).

Alpine

Alpine ($5200) bounced back from a forgettable Baku and is clearly in contention for the mid-range battle this weekend. Both Alpines piloted by Pierre Gasly ($5800) and Esteban Ocon ($5400) showed out this weekend and were comfortably in the top 10 throughout practice and qualifying sessions. Alpine makes for a solid value constructor and both drivers are firmly in play.

McLaren

Lando Norris ($6000) and Oscar Piastri ($4800) look like underperformers in McLaren. Not much there in terms of DFS value.

Alfa Romeo

Alfa came into the weekend looking off, but as Saturday went on, it was clear the Alfa Romeo ($3900) was taking to the circuit well. Valtteri Bottas ($4600) qualified P 10 with his teammate, Zhou Guanyu ($4200) in P14. This race is a pure risk/reward and Bottas qualified in the top 10 last year and finished P7, he’s a worthy risk in this race.

Williams

Alex Albon ($5200) gained 9 positions here last year and was quick all weekend. Starting in P11 he might be thin in terms of DFS value but worthy of a sprinkle. His teammate Logan Sargent ($3000) comes home to race in his home state of Florida. Outside of that, Logan Sargent is not much of a play in this race other than being the bare minimum.

Alpha Tauri

While the F1 world was singing the praises of Yuki Tsunoda ($4400) his teammate Nyck Debris, err DeVries ($3200), came to race this weekend. I doubt that matters much though, as neither two are priorities as the AlphaTauri ($3000) is a junk of a race car.

Haas

While Nico Hulkenberg ($3600) was cruising in the top half of the grid all weekend, it was his teammate Kevin Magnussen ($3800) who qualified better on Saturday. Both are in play, especially in GPPs.

Constructors

Pair Red Bull ($13,300) with Max and Sergio. Ferrari ($9900) for some differentiation. Outside of those two, Alpine ($5200) looks like good value. Red Bull should continue to be the highest DFS scorer and a top priority in all formats.

If you have any questions or if you’d like to talk strategy @tcuz86 in Discord.

Welcome to another edition of Formula 1 Race Week: Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2023.

It’s going to be a quick article from me, so if you have any questions definitely get to me in Discord @tcuz86

Team Breakdowns

Red Bull

Red Bull- Max Verstappen ($14,400) starts 2nd on Sunday in the rocket ship Red Bull. Charles might sit on the pole, but the Red Bull is still the class of the field. Max and Charles registered the exact same qualifying lap time-wise, so there is nothing between them. Do what you want with Max, go all in, and play him in the driver spot with Red Bull at the constructor. However you want to do it, just make sure you play him.

Sergio Perez ($11,400) is an interesting play to me, personally, I won’t lock button Max, so wherever I don’t have Max I want to have Sergio as he’s in the sister rocket ship. Pair him with Red Bull and go from there.

Ferrari

Charles Leclerc ($8,800) sits on the pole and has a good history here at Baku. He can realistically lead laps, but as we saw in today’s sprint race, and last year’s race, the Red Bull can get him. Ferrari has a good chance of maximizing points here, so having exposure to a potential race winner on the pole is a good way to go.

Charles’ teammate, Carlos Sainz ($7,400) needs Charles to DNF or something wild to happen. It’s always a possibility but not something anyone should go all in on.

Mercedes

Should be a lonely race for Lewis Hamilton ($9600) and George Russel ($8000), they don’t have the car to compete against the Ferrari or Red Bull, so they should mix it up with Aston Martin. Neither is a high priority.

Aston Martin

Aston Martin seems to be having a DRS issue all weekend. They say they fix it on both cars, but then we don’t see the rear wing flap opening up in DRS zones. Considering the price point of Fernando Alonso ($10,200) and Lance Stroll ($6600) it feels like paying a premium for ok points. I’d advise looking elsewhere this weekend.

Alpine

it’s just Esteban Ocon ($5600) for me this weekend. Pierre Gasly was on fire on Friday, the team got the car repaired, only for Pierre to put it in a wall in qualifying. He can definitely overtake some cars, but he would need Ocon to DNF and gain 8 spots to get into the points. That is a lot of factors to overcome at ($6,200)

McLaren

McLaren brings a new floor and race track-specific new bits to their chassis and it’s definitely made the McLaren Mercedes come to life. Lando Norris ($5,800) is always going to be the preferred Mclaren driver, however, his teammate, Oscar Piastri ($5,200) should not be outright dismissed. They don’t have the upside to playing them in the same lineup, but being exposed to the upgraded McLaren seems like a fine way to go this weekend. 

Alfa

Alfa has not shown anything at all this weekend. In the bottom teams during practice, bottom during qualifying, and bottom in the sprint race. Zhou Guanyu ($4,400) did gain places during the sprint race and at his price point if he’s a driver I need to click on to run out a few lineups, I would have no problem with that. Also, GPP winning lineups had Zhou in the Captain spot last race. Valtteri is not a priority for me this weekend. 

Williams

Williams- Alex Albon ($4800) qualified in P13 and was mixing it up in the top 10 during the sprint race. Baku has a lot of straights where the low downforce Williams thrives. I like Albon’s chances to maximize points, he would be a heavy exposure candidate if his price tag was a bit cheaper. His teammate Logan Sargent ($3200) is someone I’m struggling to place. His price tag is exceptional, qualified in P15, and got caught out by the Ferraris during qualifying, but it did not hurt him too badly. It’s his price tag that’s the intriguing point. At ($3200) we don’t need him to do much, even if he falls back, at his price, your lineups should be able to recover. I’d much prefer another sub $3.5k driver but if Logan is someone you need to make a lineup work, click away.

Alpha Tauri

After qualifying Yuki Tsunoda looked like a top option for me, good price tag at ($4000) qualified in P8, good track history. However, after looking into the results of other teams, I am concerned about Yuki falling back significantly. I will have some, but not a driver I am all in on this. His teammate on the other hand is the polar opposite. At the bare minimum, Nyck De Vries ($3000) can’t hurt your lineups. Qualifying in p20, there’s nothing that can happen that would cause De Vries to torpedo your lineups, a high-exposure candidate to say the least.

Haas

I like the Hass this weekend for cheap value plays. Hulkenberg ($3800) and Magnussen ($3400) qualified in P17 and P18 respectively so playing them is no issue. Hulkenberg has a history of high tyre degradation so maybe Magnussen ends up as the better play once the race is over, but either way, they are a good last-guy-in plays.

Constructors

Red Bull Racing ($13,200) or Ferrari ($8500) for me. If you’re playing a bunch of lineups, Mercedes paired with one of their drivers if things fall that way, McLaren ($4500) for a cheap way to get top 10 finishers, or Williams ($3100) to get wild with it. 

If you have any questions or if you’d like to talk strategy @tcuz86 in Discord.

Welcome to another edition of Formula 1 Race Week: Australian Grand Prix 2023.

It’s race week in Australia! Albert Park is a similar track to Jeddah, the race from last week which means it’s all about speed! With 20 corners, 4 DRS zones, and just a few heavy braking corners, this track is all about balance and a strong front end. Prior to qualifying it has rained all weekend, adding a touch of spice to this weekend’s proceedings. So let’s get to it.

Team Breakdowns

Red Bull

Max Verstappen ($21,000) has looked human this weekend but has been amongst the top 3 drivers in all practice sessions, qualifying on the pole. Max in the Captain spot with Red Bull Racing ($13,300) in the constructor typically makes a ton of sense, but with Sergio Perez starting in P20, you really need him to get into the top 3 to maximize the RBR constructor play. Don’t be afraid to pair Max with a different constructor this weekend. 

For Sergio Perez ($11,400) to make value he has to pass damn near the entire field. Starting from P20 he’s got the machinery to do it, but considering overtakes are pretty difficult here and his struggles overall on the circuit, this might not be the best weekend for him.

Mercedes

The Mercs are strongly in play this weekend. After finishing in the top 5 last race and with both cars qualifying in the 3 top positions, pairing Lewis Hamilton ($8,200) starting in P2 or George Russell ($8,800) P3 with Mercedes ($8,700) in the constructor spot is a good way to get different while maximizing upside in your DK lines. If you’re playing multiple GPP lines, having a few with the Merc drivers in the captain spot could be very lucrative if things break in your favor.

Aston Martin

Once again a top 5 car, with the pace and the opportunity I would treat Aston Martin ($10,300) the same as I do Mercedes, very playable and a good way to get different while not being too far off the board. Fernando Alonso ($10,200) starts P4 with his teammate Lance Stroll ($7000) P6

Ferrari

Total GPP play here. In MME formats having some exposure to Ferrari ($9300) is very sensible. I would not play them in a cash game format or a single entry. The Mercedes has seemed to be better over the weekend and it really does feel as if Ferrari has kept their engine turned down, however, the Ferrari-powered cars (Haas, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari) seem to come alive on Sunday on long runs. Charles Leclerc ($9,400) and Carlos Sainz ($7,800) are fairly priced GPP plays.

Alpine

If I could make a bet for a team at longer odds to win this race I would put my money on the Alpine ($5,500) camp. They need things to fall their way, GPP plays in MME Gasly ($6,400) P9 and Ocon ($6,000) P11. Ocon did get caught out in qualifying so he might have a spot or two he can gain.

Haas

Having finished just outside the points in Jeddah and the similarities between that circuit and Albert Park here in Melbourne, Australia I like the Haas ($3200) to come alive and score well. Hulkenberg ($3000) is min price starting in P10, he might lose a spot or two so he comes with risk, but at that price point, it’s worth the volatility. Kevin Magnussen ($4200) starts in P14 and is a racer I won’t mind getting exposure to.

McLaren

Lando Norris ($5,600) P12 and Oscar Piastri ($5,000) P16 started to show some life as they made an effort to actually run deep into FP2, but then Lando’s McLaren broke down and they looked disappointing again. They are caring speed here in Australia so having one or two of these dudes in your GPPs is alright, but it feels really thin. This is Oscar P’s home race combined with Lando’s car being a gigantic question mark, I would prefer Oscar in his McLaren ($3,800)

Williams

As I mentioned in the opening paragraph this is a track for speed, and the Williams have a ton of it. The Williams($3,000) of Alex Albon ($4,600) starting in P8 is no fluke. He might have overqualified so it comes with risk, but the upside is there. I’m comfortable using Logan Sargent ($3,200), starting P18 especially if I am going to stack Max in the Captain with Red Bull Racing in the constructor spot.

Alpha Tauri

The last drivers into fades, taking Tsunoda ($4,400) P12 over DeVries ($3,600) P15 but not forcing in either, I will be okay ending up with some DeVries if it comes down to it.

Alfa Romeo

The Alfa is a pure race car. They tend to be nowhere on Friday and Saturday, then come to play in the race. I like the savings and neither is a priority like the Alpha Tauri so if I end up there that’s not an issue. Bottas comes in at ($5,400) and Zhou at ($3,800) starting in P19 and P17 respectively.

In Conclusion

Overall you really need Sergio to come from the depth of the field for the RBR constructor play to pay off. Max should dominate this race and should be in a majority of your lineups. Pairing him with a different constructor, I’ll have the majority Mercedes and Aston Martin but mixing and matching makes a ton of sense. Be careful with Sargent, Norris, and Perez as they all had reliability issues throughout the course of the weekend.

If you have any questions or if you’d like to talk strategy @tcuz86 in Discord.

Welcome to another edition of Formula 1 Race Week: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023. I typically write this article by price point but this week there is a lot to break down, and it all matters for our DFS purposes. 

Fair warning I am a broken record in my breakdown stressing one point: this race is chaos. The Jeddah Corniche Street Circuit is one of the longest on the grid, has the most corners, and is very fast. All those factors tend to lead to Safety Cars, red flags, reliability issues, and pure chaos.

With that warning in place…

Team Breakdowns

Alpha Tauri– Nick De Vries $3000 had engine issues in fp3, he ended up only qualifying p18. Yuki Tsunoda $3400 had the same problem last year at this track and his engine decided to give out again before the start of the race. 

I will be fading the Alpha Tauri for the Constructor position, fading De Vries in the flex, and will only have a limited amount of Yuki as a last man in…would rather play K. Mag or L. Sargent around that price point though.

Haas $3100  is very much in play. The team typically qualifies well and fades in the race, however, this circuit has always been kind to them.
With Kevin Magnussen $3200, P13, and Nico Hulkenberg $4000, P10, I like the Haas for value and I wouldn’t be surprised if both cars finish in the points.

Williams $3300 is another strong value. The antithesis of Haas, they tend to qualify poorly and race well. This weekend is no different, Alex Albon $5000 was amongst the top 10 in practice all weekend, then Saturday came… starting in p17, I’d expect Albon to gain positions and make value.  Logan Sargent $3800 having damage and being a rookie, is a pure punt play, if you play him make sure you’re not playing Albon, and don’t go crazy on him.

McLaren $3700 is a full fade. McLaren Mercedes was amongst the slowest cars all weekend. With Lando Norris $6000 being overpriced, his car sucking and having clipped a wall during qualifying, I won’t have any Lando. Oscar Piastri $4800 would be a play due to Lando’s issues, but he’s also overpriced, his car also sucks, and he overqualified. Full fade

I want nothing to do with Valtteri Bottas $6400, Zhou Guanyu $4400, and Alfa Romeo $4300

Alpine $5200 is where things get interesting. It has been a strong car all weekend and was a strong car last weekend too. Esteban Ocon $5800 starts P6 and his teammate Pierre Gasly $5400 P9. With both cars firmly in the top 10, both are strong candidates to maintain position, score well, and return DFS value. Alpine with a double-point finish is a bet I would love to make.

Mercedes $8500, just like Alpine, has been strong all weekend; with this circuit being true to form and being chaotic as all hell, George Russell $7600 finds himself starting P3. He has been a touch better than teammate  Lewis Hamilton, $8400 this weekend, and his Merc should be in contention for a podium finish. George is going to be a volatile play so keep that in mind, on the positive side he’s starting P3, however, Carlos Sainz could get him, Lance Stroll could get him, and Max…oh we’re gonna talk about Max….could also get him. Risky, but a ton of upside and a hell of a value play if it works out. A sprinkle in the captain spot paired with Mercedes makes sense to me, depending on the way the rest of your roster looks of course.

Lewis Hamilton $8400 in P8 should maintain his position in the top 10 +/- a couple of spots. Once again this race tends to be chaotic so having a lineup or two in a GPP is a good way to go this weekend.

Aston Martin $9200 has been the second-best constructor all weekend. Both Lance Stroll $6800 and Fernando Alonso $9600 look like they are up for the task of bringing home a podium finish this weekend. Alonso starts in P2 and is notorious to be hard to overtake. Lance starts P6, putting the Aston in a fantastic spot for double points, and a podium finish if not two. 

Ferrari $10,900 has been a tough nut to crack. Charles Leclerc $10,200 comes into the weekend with a 10-grid penalty. After crossing the qualifying finish line in P2, his penalties were assessed and he will start 12th. He has a great shot of overtaking at least 5 cars before he starts to face stiffer competition. Normally his price would make him unplayable, but with the potential of overtakes and finishing in the points, I like the idea of having a limited amount.

Carlos Sainz $9000 on the other hand is an easier fade. Carlos starts in P4 which is a good spot for him, however, Ferrari seems to be nursing some sort of power unit issue. As I’ve mentioned quite a bit this race tends to be chaotic, so with all drivers and constructors I would tread lightly, considering Carlos’ price tag, I would tread even lighter; you need him to win to be a real value play.

And now for Red Bull $13,100. You could almost hear audible gasps from the fans at the Jeddah Circuit today when the unthinkable happened, Sergio Perez $11,200 putting his Red Bull on the pole….wow, what a shock! I kid of course because the gasps were due to the 2022 World Champ Max Verstappen $14,000 having gearbox issues and failing to get out of the 2nd qualifying session. This is Max’s 2nd gearbox replacement this weekend which puts him in an extremely interesting position for DFS purposes.

You could have zero…as I mentioned so many times, this tends to be a chaotic race, a race of reliability. Last year Did Not Finish due to reliability issues being extremely prevalent up and down the grid, and 4 cars all DNF’ed on the same lap. Add on top of that reliability issues on Friday or Saturday historically tend to pop up again on Sunday, taking the chance on Max not finishing this race is an understandable move.

Or you could go the exact opposite way, the Red Bull is in a class of its own, and playing Max in either the captain or the flex position puts you on the best driver, in the best car, with place differential, winning the race from P15 upside for maximum ceiling on your DFS lineup. His price tag wouldn’t be an issue at all at that point. I would advise if you go that route, play him with Red Bull Racing in the constructor spot to maximize potential upside. You would have to play the riskiest of the drivers to fill your remaining roster spots, but as Matt Damon likes to say “Fortune favors the brave”….that’s 2 articles in a row with that one, I promise I won’t make it 3 weeks in a row.

And last but most certainly not least is the pole sitter for the 2023 Jeddah Corniche Saudi Arabia GP, Sergio Perez $11,200. Sergio’s pole is no fluke as he was on the pole last year and was cruising in P1 till the chaotic nature of this race caught him out of position for a pit stop, pushing him to P4. Sergio fell out of contention due to pure randomness, and I bet he races hard to get that win back. I like him a lot this weekend. He pilots the sister Rocketship, err Red Bull so he has all the potential in the world to dominate this race. There’s tons of value to pair him with Red Bull (or any other constructor) so fitting him into the captain spot or the flex is a good play for DFS.

I have to say it one last time, THIS RACE IS RISKY! Don’t go all in this weekend, but also don’t be afraid to embrace the risk. If you have any questions or if you’d like to talk strategy @tcuz86 in Discord.

We’re back for another year of Formula 1 racing. Max and Red Bull look like the class of the field once again, however, after the second year under these current regulations the grid has tightened up. Let’s look at some options for this weekend’s race.

Top Captain Options

Lando Norris, McLaren Mercedes, $10,500. Of all these options, Lando is the riskiest. Lando qualified in P11, realistically he should be able to gain a couple of spots, and if he does, he lands in a point-paying position. Considering his teammate is a rookie down in P18 he should beat his teammate. As I stated he comes with risk, but like those dumb crypto.com commercials say, fortune favors the brave… I hate you, Matt Damon.

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin, $11,400. Alonso has been the talk of the grid, and I totally see why. Aston has not misstepped since testing and they showed pace throughout the entire weekend. I do not foresee him gaining positions on the Ferrari and Red Bulls, but I do not see him losing spots to the guys behind him either. I imagine he will be popular, and I’ll probably end up being with the field on Alonso.

Pierre Gasly, Alpine, $8100. Pierre’s appeal comes in that he is dead last after having lap times deleted in the first qualifying session. If Pierre actually has a capable car underneath him, he should be able to gain a good amount of spots as he passes the back markers.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, $13,000. Max should win this race with relative ease. Pair him with Red Bull Racing in the constructor spot if you think he dominates this race.

Rest of the Field

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing, $9400

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, $11,200

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari, $9000

George Russell, Mercedes, $8200

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, $10,400

The thing about this group of drivers are they priced up and don’t have much of an opportunity to score maximum points unless they win the race. Max Did Not Finish this race last year (neither did his teammate Sergio Perez) and if he DNFs again, these drivers are good dart throws in tournaments, but pair them with their constructor.

Valtteri Bottas, $6600 and Zhou Guanyu $5200, Alfa Romeo I have a sneaky feeling that the Alfa will be a top 10 car consistently this year. Though for this race, they will be a price point play for me. One has to beat the other, but considering their starting positions of P12 and P13 respectively, it’s tough to differentiate between them.

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin, $6200 If the Aston is as strong as it appears to be, Lance should not fair too badly from his starting position of P8. He comes with some risk as he was questionable coming into the race weekend after a bicycle accident he suffered weeks ago, but he logged laps and looked fine in the car.

Esteban Ocon, Alpine, $5800 Similar to Stroll, but comes with the added advantage of beating his teammate and should be able to finish in the top 10.

Oscar Piastri, Mclaren, $4800 starting in P18 Piastri should be able to overtake the Williams’ and Yuki Tsunoda, other than that Piastri probably won’t do much in this race.

Nick De Vries, AlphaTauri, $4400

Kevin Magnussen, Haas, $4200

Alex Albon, Williams, $3800

Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri, $3600

Logan Sargent, Williams, $3000

These gentlemen more than likely will drive around the back of the field. The AlphaTauri looked like an easy car to drive in testing; Logan Sargent brings an American back to F1 for the first time since 2015 and Alexander Rossi. Play at your own risk for all these guys.

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas, $3200 Anything can happen with this Haas, if he finishes even close to where he starts (and beats K. Mag) at $3200, he’s the ultimate value, and if he DNFs, he gets you negative points. Haas always seems to have a car look awesome in qualifying, but in the race…it all falls apart—a true GPP play.

Constructors

Keep in mind, Constructors can easily out-score driver plays so I think one of the best strategies is to pair you’re expected race winner with their constructor.

A sneaky team to play:

Alfa Romeo, if things fall their way, they could have both cars in the points, that’s 25 points at $4400, worth a shot.

Questions, comments, concerns @tcuz86 in discord.

TEAM BREAKDOWNS

Williams $3000

Nicholas Latifi $3000 continues his run as Formula 1’s “how the hell does he have a drive?!” award. Thankfully the championship has already been settled so he can’t crash and ruin someone’s shot at that award. But it’s Nicholas Latifi and I don’t put anything past him. As long as Nic finishes, he is useful, so if has your last guy in, don’t stress over it. In fact, the Williams drivers can’t hurt you since they start so low anyway all they can do is not score points, and that’s not too bad.

Alex Albon $4000 starting P19 is just like his teammate, he can’t really hurt your lineups. It takes losing 3 grid spots to generate negative DraftKings points, starting P19 he can’t do that. Even if he DNF Alex will score 0 DKFP. Having returned a value of 162% at his price point, Albon is the most valuable driver below $4000.

Haas $3200

What a difference a week makes. Last week all the highs of the world, sprint wins, pole positions, and good vibes. This weekend: pain. Mick Schumacher $3600 informed us via IG he won’t be with the team next year which I am personally torn over. Mick has so much talent, but the amount of times he has crashed and caused expensive repairs is impossible to overlook. I hope we see him on the grid in the future.

For his final appearance for Gene Haas’ F1 team, Mick finds himself starting P12. The Haas has always shown ability over one quick lap, it’s the race pace that tends to let them down. Over the last 4 races, Mick has been one of the 5 worst drivers to return fantasy value, with 3.5 DKFP. The last guy in is definitely not a priority play.

Mick’s teammate Kevin Magnussen $4800 has been equally as disappointing this weekend. Hanging out in the cellar of the bottom 5, Kevin’s price tag is hard to use, even with his recent form of 6 DKFP. I think you can get better value elsewhere.

Alpha Tauri $3300

This is where things start to get interesting this weekend. The sister Red Bull has performed well here at the Yas Marina in the past 4 races, with 3 top-10 finishes. Yuki finished just off the podium in P4 having started in P8 last year, and Pierre has gone from P10 to P8 and P12 to P5. Very encouraging for Alpha Tauri.

However, even with the team’s strong historical trends here, Pierre Gasly $5000 has not shown much over this weekend. He has been a bottom 5 driver on pace in FP2, 3, and qualifying. With his starting position of P17, he’s overvalued at $5000. In his last 4 races, he has returned 70% value, 2nd worst of all 20 drivers.

Yuki Tsunoda $3400 finds himself in P11. A very spicy proposition. Yuki has been in the 3rd tier (P15-P10) of drivers this weekend (20 drivers divided by 5 for 4 tiers) and was awarded an extra grid start for Danny Ric being penalized for his torpedoing of K-Mag and my lineups last weekend, I’m not salty, I promise. At his price point, having returned 139.71% of value scoring 4.75 DKFP over his last 4, I’ll have some Yuki in my lineups.

Alfa Romeo $3700

The Alfa has not shown much positive or negative here in Abu Dhabi. A very neutral playing field for Italy’s favorite second son. Zhou Guanyu $3200 has won here in the F2 series, the equivalent of the Xfinity series for NASCAR. Over this weekend Zhou has been in the 3rd and 4th tier of drivers, having qualified P15. Scoring 3.75 DKFP in his last 4, returning the value of 117.91%, he’s not a priority but fine as a DraftKings play.

Valtteri Bottas $5600 has had a disappointing last 4 races. At his $5600 price point, he has only scored 3.75 DKFP, returning a value of 66.96% over his last 4. The absolute worst value of all drivers. He has gone from bringing the Williams from the ashes of mediocrity to a top team’s rear gunner, to a bottom-dwelling team driver. Starting in P18 he’s just like the Williams drivers with a starting grid position so low, he can’t hurt you, but that’s an extreme premium at $5600.

Aston Martin $4200

Just like the Alfa Romeo, Yas Marina is a neutral circuit for Aston Martin. That being said, they tend to perform better than the Alfa here in Abu Dhabi. This weekend hasn’t bucked that trend. Flirting with the bottom fringes of the 2nd tier and the top of the 4th tier, I would put The Astons firmly in the 3rd tier.

Lance Stroll $4200 starts just ahead of the 3rd tier ranking, starting in P14. There’s nothing in Lance’s history here that suggests Lance is over or under-qualified. In his last 4 races at the circuit, he has gained positions from P20 to P13, dropped positions from P13 to DNF, P8 to P10, and maintained positions P13 to P13. A very meh kind of play. having scored just 3.75 DKFP over his last 4, Stroll has only returned a value of 77.38%. Nothing makes stroll a priority play this weekend.

Sebastian Vettel $6200 leaves the F1 grid after this race as he is set to retire after the checkered flag drops this Sunday. The 4-time world champ, takes his 122 podiums with him as this is his 300th race. For this weekend, Seb starts in P9, just ahead of the team’s 3rd-tier placing. That reads like Seb is driving hard this weekend. Historically Seb has gone from P3 to P2, P5 to P5, P13 to P14, and P15 to P11, definitely in play. Scoring 9.25 DKFP over his last 4, returning a value of 149.19% I will have exposure to Seb and will play him with confidence in my DK lines. Danke Seb, you will be missed.

Alpine $5300

Alpine is a tier 2 car this weekend. Firmly in the top 10, Alpine has historically finished where they have started here. Fernando Alonso’s $7000 has had an interesting last 4 races. And by interesting, I mean very disappointing. He has only scored 6 DKFP over his last 4 and returned a value of 85.71%, nothing to be excited about. Starting P10 you really need him to beat his teammate and gain 3 spots to pay off the price tag, a proposition that’s hard to trust.

Esteban Ocon $6600 looks like the better value between the 2. Once again the history of the Alpine suggests Ocon should finish in the top 10, and if he doesn’t drop places or get beat by his teammate, he should continue to return his last 4 race value of 181.12% scoring 12 DKFP over his last 4.

McLaren $5900

McLaren really solidifies itself as the best of the rest. Historically they have finished just well within the 2nd tier of cars here, with finishes at P8, P5, P7, P4, P11, P7, and P12. Not that special. But for our purposes, playable.

Lando loves finishing P7, and because of that he has only scored 6 DKFP over his last 4. He is overpriced at $7600. He starts this race in, of course, P7.

His teammate Daniel, the torpedo, Ricciardo won’t be a starting driver next year. He should be confirmed as the reserve Red Bull driver so we will still see Danny Ric around the paddock. Danny has had 2 really good races out of his last 4 scoring double-digit DraftKings points, which has him returning a value of 181.82% not terrible for 8 DKFP over his last 4. Having been penalized for a doggy move last weekend, I can see Danny Ric performing well from P13 gaining at least spots, maybe even a 3rd. Not a priority by any means, but good for a lineup or two as a contrarian play.

Ferrari $10,300

Ferrari still has something to play for as Charles Leclerc has a shot at 2nd in the driver’s championship and the team is just 19 points ahead of the surging Mercedes for the 2nd place constructor championship. What a far cry from the Ferrari glory days. Very disappointing as the team started off so well this year. Historically the Scuderia has performed like a tier 2 team in Abu Dhabi. With only 1 podium over the last 4 appearances.

That one podium finish was accomplished by Carlos Sainz Jr $8800 after starting from P5 to finish P3. Outside of that, Carlos has not done much here. Of the top 6 drivers, he has been the least valuable at 142.05% 12dkp over the last 4. Not a top priority by any means, but he has been a 2nd tier car all weekend and qualified P4, making him slightly overvalued.

Carlos’s teammate, Charles LeClerc $10,600 starts from P3 and has been a Tier1/2 car all weekend. As he is fighting for the 2nd place drivers championship, and also a slight middle finger to his team, Charles is very much in play this weekend. Here in Abu Dhabi Charles has not faired well driving for Ferrari, he has lost places in both races he has had here with the Scuderia. Returning a value of 158.02% with 16.75 DKFP over his last 4, it’s very much in Charles’ wheelhouse to perform well here.

Mercedes $11,100

Mercedes scored its first 1,2 last weekend after having started this season on the backfoot compared to their competition. This bodes well for the Silver Arrows next year. As for Abu Dhabi, the Mercs have been a Tier 1 team all weekend. Historically the Merc finds itself on the podium here in Abu Dhabi, a trend I can see continuing.

George Russell $10,000 starts in P6 meaning he slightly underqualified. This is his first year with a good team here so his historical trends are kind of meaningless. Over his last 4 races though, he has scored 19.25 DKFP and returned a value of 192.50% the second most valuable driver over his last 4 races. George is a solid play this weekend.

Lewis Hamilton $11,200 starts in P5, his car has not been outside the top tier all weekend. Historically Lewis has never finished off the podium here in Abu Dhabi with 2 wins, a 2nd, and a 3rd in his last 4 races. I like Lewis’ chances here. 191.96% puts Lewis just behind his teammate in terms of value returned over his last 4 and he has scored 21.5 DKFP over the span. Definitely have some Lewis.

Red Bull $12,500

The class of the 2022 season finishes strong as the drivers to beat this weekend. Both Max Verstappen $13,600 and Sergio Perez $9400 have shown out this weekend. They will be tough to dethrone. Red Bull has had a mixed bag of results here, however, as Max does well, but Sergio has not.

Sergio Perez $9400 has returned a value of 148.94% and scored just 14dkp over his last 4. At his price point, we really need him to win to outperform his teammate in terms of being valuable for our fantasy lineups. Hard to say if he can do it. If you are going to play Sergio, having him in the captain’s spot makes a ton of sense.

My analysis of Max is as follows: play him. The guy is the best driver on the grid, in the best car. The most valuable driver over the last 4, the highest-scoring driver over that time frame. He’s tough to fit, but there’s enough value to make it work. Max, like Lewis, has not finished off the podium here.

TL;DR

Find a way to Fit Max in. Yuki, Zhou, Albon, and Latifi make for good values. The Mercs have been in form over the last 4 races. Sergio and Carlos are fighting for P2 in the driver’s world championship, and Mercedes and Ferrari are fighting for 2nd place in the constructor’s championship.

DFS Constructor options

• Red Bull Racing $12,500 The class of the field.
• Ferrari $10,300 Fighting for P2 in constructors.
• Mercedes $11,100 Also fighting for P2 and coming off a double podium finish.
• Alpine $5300 A solid value play. 

Your time is your most valuable asset and I thank you for spending some of it on reading this article. If you have questions feel free to get at me @tcuz86 in Discord.

Best of luck and see you next season,

Theodore

Welcome to the 21st Grand Prix weekend of the season, this one coming live from Sao Paolo, Brazil. Interlagos is a quick 2.7-mile lap and tends to be the most eventful race track with lots of overtakes and safety cars. We had a sprint race this Saturday which set the starting grid position for the Grand Prix on Sunday. Here in this article, I will get more in-depth on the top options for this week’s F1 DraftKing’s contests.

Formula 1: DFS Top Captain Options

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing $20,700

Max over his last 4 races has produced 28.2 DKP and beat his teammate 3 out of 4 times. Here at Interlagos Max has 4 top 5s with 1 win. After starting the sprint race in P2 Max’s car was damaged as Carlos Sainz overtook him. Max starts the race on Sunday in P4 and has demonstrated an ability to overtake those around him with relative ease. He doesn’t have much to prove this weekend and has complained openly that his car is difficult to turn in the corners. I’ll have my shares but might go with a few more valuable drivers in the top captain spot.

Formula 1: DFS Contrarian Captain Options

George Russell Mercedes $14,700 George has scored 10.63 DKP over his last 4 races, not once beating Lewis Hamilton over the span.

George started the sprint race from the 3rd position. He took advantage of the overqualified Haas falling back from the pole and overtook Max V with 10+ laps to go to cruise to a relatively comfortable maiden win. He has the car to perform here, which makes him worthy of a lineup as captain if he can convert P1 into his first Grand Prix win.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes $15,900

Lewis loves Interlagos! Starting the sprint race in P8 Lewis did what he does here and found his way to the steps of the podium, finishing 3rd. With K-Mag, Lando, and Carlos falling back, Esteban and Fernando exchanging friendly fire, Lewis drove past them and was able to overtake a struggling Max V to finish 3rd.

Lewis has scored 17.6 DKP over the last 4 beating his teammate in all 4 races. Interlagos is like a highlight reel for Lewis Hamilton. In his last 4 races here he has 4 top 5s, with 2 wins. He won from P10 once here and finished 4th after starting 20th from the pit lane. There’s a reason he is an adopted son of Brazil, and the way he owns Interlagos, it might as well be a home track.

Sergio Perez Red Bull $14,100

Sergio has scored 22 DKP over his last 4, only beating Max last time out in Mexico over the last 4 races. he was very fast in free practice and could contend for a win coming from outside the top 3. I like Sergio’s chances here.

Formula 1: DFS Mid Tier options

Charles Leclerc Ferrari $10,800

Leclerc scored 14.53 DKP over the last 4 races, defeating his teammate in 3 out of the last 4 races. Charles has 2 top 10s here, no wins, and no podiums. Starting from P10, Charles just kind of ran his sprint race. He picked up 4 spots, but they felt hollow. Taking advantage of the overqualified Haas and McLaren, and the damaged/penalized Alpine. Ferrari might be back this weekend but it’s hard to tell from Charles Leclerc’s side of the garage. He should finish in the points and beat his teammate who has a grid penalty for changing his engine which makes him a valuable option for our DK lineups.

Lando Norris $7600 McLaren

Lando has scored 9.75 DKP beating his teammate 75% of the last 4 races. McLaren’s pace was on full display in the sprint race. Meaning, Lando lacked the pace to keep up with the Red bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes; Lando was +12 seconds to Charles Leclerc demonstrating the point clearly, Lando’s McLaren is the 7th fastest car on the grid. Incidents in front of him will have to occur for him to move up, and the cars immediately behind him aren’t much of a threat, outside the Alpines. Lando should maintain value here.

Formula 1: DFS Other options

Sebastian Vettel $5600 Aston Martin

Vettel and Lewis really perform well at Interlagos. Vettel’s dominance was apparent when he had the Ferrari to pilot, as he had one race win and 1 top 10, both with Ferrari. However, with his last two appearances here at Interlagos in the hunter-green of Aston Martin, Seb has finished outside the top 10 in both races. During the sprint race, he was really only able to beat Pierre Gasly as the other spots he gained were by the Alpines and the DNF of Alex Albon. He might be properly placed in P9 and could realistically hold onto it + or – 1 position to return value.

Formula 1: DFS Value 5-point options

Kevin Magnussen $4000 Haas

It was fun to watch but K-Mag predictably fell back after the 3rd lap, having overqualified for the sprint race. He isn’t too far forward however as he starts the Grad Prix from P8 and doesn’t have much threat to his race pace behind him. Vettel, Gasly, and Ricciardo are all behind him and Haas has shown an ability to keep those competitors at bay. Kevin has scored 6.5 DKP and beat his teammate 3 out of the last 4. He does have a DNF here and a top-10 finish. For a Value play, you can’t ask for much more at $4000.

DFS Constructor options

• Mercedes $10,900 Fingers crossed for a double podium finish for the Mercs. 
• Red Bull Racing $12,900 The class of the field.
• Haas $3100 Showing an opportunity to flourish here at Interlagos. 
• Ferrari $10,300 For the first time all season Ferrari is cheaper than Mercedes. The Merc has been coming on strong, but don’t overlook the Ferraris. 

Race Week Mexico Grand Prix DFS overall strategy

Interlagos is fun and with the sprint race, I have a lot of notes on all the drivers that I just can’t put into this article. Therefore, I’ll be posting notes in Discord. One major note I did find was that the Constructor position had been the most valuable spot, Fantasy Points/$, by a vast margin. Even more valuable than the Captain option. Hit me up in Discord to pick my brain.

If you have questions please feel free to contact me in discord @tcuz86, or on Twitter @tcuz86. Have fun and thanks for reading Formula 1: Race Week Brazil Grand Prix, November 2022.