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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for the Xfinity Series. Below you will find my rankings for the drivers in this race.
A Group: Drivers I will have the most exposure to and are high priority
B Group: This group is drivers I feel have a high upside and are great filler pieces to pair with the A Group
C Group: The drivers in this tier are a little bit risky, but could still turn out to be optimal. This group should be used in GPP’s
F Group: These drivers are on my do not play list
Drivers highlighted in yellow are potential dominators
(Starting position in parenthesis)
| A Group | B Group | C Group | F Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Mayer (36) | Kaz Grala (18) | Sheldon Creed (1) | Patrick Emerling (29) |
| Cole Custer (2) | Riley Herbst (12) | Blaine Perkins (27) | Dylan Lupton (22) |
| Myatt Snider (9) | Alex Labbe (15) | Jordan Taylor (6) | |
| Brandon Jones (37) | Daniel Hemric (10) | Connor Mosack (11) | |
| Sammy Smith (16) | Ryan Sieg (24) | Preston Pardus (25) | |
| Stefan Parsons (38) | JH Nemechek (4) | Jeffrey Earnhardt (31) | |
| Jeremy Clements (20) | Josh Berry (3) | Parker Kligerman (14) |
Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for the Craftsman Truck Series. Below you will find my rankings for the drivers in this race.
A Group: Drivers I will have the most exposure to and are high priority
B Group: This group is drivers I feel have a high upside and are great filler pieces to pair with the A Group
C Group: The drivers in this tier are a little bit risky, but could still turn out to be optimal. This group should be used in GPP’s
F Group: These drivers are on my do not play list
Drivers highlighted in yellow are potential dominators.
(Starting position in parenthesis)
| A Group | B Group | C Group | F Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Crafton (34) | Stewart Friesen (5) | Nick Sanchez (9) | Norm Benning (33) |
| Ty Majeski (1) | Carson Hocevar (4) | Grant Enfinger (10) | Spencer Boyd (28) |
| Christian Eckes (3) | Bayley Currey (11) | Dean Thompson (16) | Stephen Mallozzi (30) |
| Rajah Caruth (35) | Hailie Deegan (19) | Matt DiBenedetto (15) | |
| Zane Smith (6) | Conner Jones (24) | Toni Breidinger (18) | |
| Ben Rhodes (2) | Jesse Love (20) | Colby Howard (22) | |
| Jack Wood (21) | Chris Hacker (26) | Timmy Hill (27) |
Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for the Xfinity Series. Below you will find my rankings for the drivers in this race.
A Group: Drivers I will have the most exposure to and are high priority
B Group: This group is drivers I feel have a high upside and are great filler pieces to pair with the A Group
C Group: The drivers in this tier are a little bit risky, but could still turn out to be optimal. This group should be used in GPP’s
F Group: These drivers are on my do not play list
Drivers highlighted in yellow are potential dominators
(Starting position in parenthesis)
*** Be aware that this race most likely will be PPD because of rain and run on Sunday or Monday ***
| A Group | B Group | C Group | F Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Sieg (36) | Austin Hill (17) | Sam Mayer (8) | Kyle Sieg (24) |
| Parker Retzlaff (37) | Jeremy Clements (27) | Kyle Busch (6) | Dawson Cram (26) |
| Justin Allgaier (1) | Carson Hocevar (15) | Patrick Emerling (34) | |
| JH Nemechek (2) | Ty Gibbs (3) | Josh Williams (29) | |
| Josh Berry (14) | Connor Mosack (25) | Sammy Smith (18) | |
| Kaz Grala (32) | Parker Kligerman (20) | Joe Graf Jr. (23) | |
| Chandler Smith (10) | Riley Herbst (13) | Brennan Poole (31) |
Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for the Xfinity Series. Below you will find my rankings for the drivers in this race.
A Group: Drivers I will have the most exposure to and are high priority
B Group: This group is drivers I feel have a high upside and are great filler pieces to pair with the A Group
C Group: The drivers in this tier are a little bit risky, but could still turn out to be optimal. This group should be used in GPP’s
F Group: These drivers are on my do not play list
Drivers highlighted in yellow are potential dominators
(Starting position in parenthesis)
| A Group | B Group | C Group | F Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Allgaier (17) | Blaine Perkins (38) | Josh Berry (13) | |
| Sheldon Creed (7) | Cole Custer (5) | Kyle Larson (3) | |
| Ryan Truex (2) | Brandon Jones (11) | Corey Heim (24) | |
| Ty Dillon (30) | Kaz Grala (26) | Gray Gaulding (36) | |
| Joe Graf Jr. (37) | Carson Hocevar (25) | Sammy Smith (9) | |
| John Hunter Nemechek (1) | Austin Hill (10) | Ross Chastain (21) | |
| Parker Kligerman (23) | Chandler Smith (6) | Ryan Sieg (16) |
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…
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.
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.
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.
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 ($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.
Lando Norris ($6000) and Oscar Piastri ($4800) look like underperformers in McLaren. Not much there in terms of DFS value.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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