Formula 1: what is Fantasy F1 League and who to pick for Bahrain Grand Prix 2023?

Everything you need to know about your fantasy F1 team ahead of this weekend’s race
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The 2023 Formula 1 season is only a few days away and Max Verstappen will be eyeing up his third title as the season kicks off in Bahrain this weekend. Red Bull had the strongest pre-season testing outing, achieving the fastest lap time while Alpine looked to be struggling as their fastest lap came in at over two seconds slower than Red Bull.

However, each team has been able to make their final tweaks ahead of the start of the new season, which will see three new rookies join the paddock and one familiar face return. Nyck de Vries, Logan Sargeant and Oscar Piastri will all start their first ever F1 season on Sunday while Nico Hulkenberg has joined Haas, returning to the tracks for the first time since 2020 (excepting a role as reserve driver at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2022).

Here is all you need to know about Fantasy F1...

How does Fantasy F1 work?

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First up is to pick your team. Players can pick five drivers and two constructors all within a budget of $100 million. Then choose which driver will score you double points this weekend. This extra was previously known as the ‘turbo’ driver but has this year been changed to ‘DRS Boost’.

A ‘mega driver’ can be chosen just twice in the season, where the player will earn triple the number of points their driver has scored.

This booster would do well to be used later in the season when fans have a better idea of who is racing well and which cars are coming in fastest with the new regulations.Players can then make two substitutions for free each race week. If you make more than two transfers, each additional transfer will incur a four point penalty for your team.

Go to the Fantasy Formula 1 Websiteto set up your team now.

Lewis Hamilton (L) and rookie Nyck de Vries (R)Lewis Hamilton (L) and rookie Nyck de Vries (R)
Lewis Hamilton (L) and rookie Nyck de Vries (R)

What’s new in 2023?

This year, Fantasy F1 has brought in Chips which can be used to help power-up your team. Each chip will suit a different situation throughout the season and this could include helping to make wholesale changes to the line-up or giving a driger a x3 score multiplier.

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There are six chips available but each one can only be used once during the season and you can only use one per race. The chips are:

  • Autopilot chip
  • Extra DRS Boost
  • No Negative
  • Wildcard
  • Limitless
  • Final Fix

How much is each driver and constructor?

Prices for the drivers and constructors will be updated after each race with prices increasing or decreasing depending on their performance and will then remain fixed until the next Grand Prix.

Drivers:

  • Max Verstappen - $26.9m
  • Lewis Hamilton - $23.7m
  • Charles Leclerc - $21.2m
  • George Russell - $18.6m
  • Sergio Perez - $18.0m
  • Carlos Sainz - $17.2m
  • Lando Norris - $11.2m
  • Esteban Ocon - $9.4m
  • Fernando Alonso - $8.3m
  • Pierre Gasly - $8.1m
  • Valtteri Bottas - $7.8m
  • Lance Stroll - $7.5m
  • Oscar Piastri - $7m
  • Kevin Magnussen - $6.7m
  • Alexander Albon - $5.5m
  • Nyck De Vries - $5m
  • Zhou Guanyu - $4.9m
  • Yuki Tsunoda - $4.8m
  • Nico Hulkenberg - $4.3m
  • Logan Sargeant - $4m

Constructors:

  • Red Bull Racing - $27.2m
  • Mercedes - $25.1m
  • Ferrari - $22.1m
  • Alpine - $10.1m
  • McLaren - $9.1m
  • Aston Martin - $6.7m
  • AlphaTauri - $6.4m
  • Alfa Romeo - $6.2m
  • Haas - $5.3m
  • Williams - $5.1m

Who to pick in Bahrain?

The Bahrain Grand Prix takes place this weekend, Sunday 4 March 2023, and will begin at 3pm GMT. The race will be available to watch on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Formula 1 channels.

Red Bull have had the best outing in pre-season testing in Bahrain and picking Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez with Red Bull for the season opener is a sure way to drum up some points. However, this could come at a heavy cost as you will then need to pick some budget picks. Based off recent performances in last weekend’s testing, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso could be a useful option.

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Alternatively, Ferrari were also looking positive in their pre-season run and Charles Leclerc could be a good alternative if you don’t want two Red Bulls. Additionally, the Monegasque driver won the race in 2022 and with a new Team Principal at the helm, Ferrari could realise their potential.

Depending on your finances, Carlos Sainz, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton will also be solid picks for that second driver slot.

In terms of constructors, Red Bull would be the clear front-runner while Aston Martin would be a good choice for the second constructor’s slot.

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