Fantasy F1 returns for another Saturday slate on DraftKings. This week the DFS F1 action will be under the lights at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The excitement of this high-speed street circuit is accentuated by the $25K grand prize offered to the winner of the DraftKings featured DFS Formula 1 contest.
The DraftKings STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024 slate locks at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Set your DraftKings Fantasy F1 lineups here: F1 $100K Grand Prix [$25K to 1st]
1. Max Verstappen ($16,200) — When the lights go out, the Red Bull drama disappears. Verstappen will be dialed in. The RB20 is dialed in. It’s routine for Verstappen to win. Even more frightening is that he is regularly winning by 20 seconds.
2. Sergio Perez ($10,200) — This is the rare round where Verstappen can be defeated. Checo is one of the best street circuit drivers in Formula 1. The Mexican star won the 2023 Grand Prix at the Jeddah Street Circuit in Saudi Arabia and should have won the Grand Prix in 2022. He also has wins at the street circuits in Baku (Azerbaijan) and Monaco.
3. George Russell ($8,000) — Mercedes hasn’t fielded the fastest cars in recent seasons. Despite the disadvantage, Russell finished fifth at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in 2022 and fourth in 2023.
4. Carlos Sainz ($9,400) — The only race that Red Bull did not win in 2023 was the Singapore Grand Prix. Carlos Sainz won that street circuit race. He secured a position on the podium in the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
5. Charles Leclerc ($10,000) — Max Verstappen outsmarted Leclerc in the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. It was a game of DRS cat-and-mouse. The Ferrari may have been faster, but the Red Bull was smarter. In 2023, Leclerc had to serve a grid penalty, and then communication issues during the race — something always goes wrong for Ferrari — resulted in a disappointing seventh-place finish.
For F1 insight and quick DFS help, follow Pearce Dietrich (@race4theprize) on Twitter.
6. Lewis Hamilton ($8,800) — It’s hard to believe, but Hamilton’s last win was the penultimate race of 2021 at Jeddah. Everything would change in the next round at Abu Dhabi. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is an opportunity for redemption. Mercedes had speed and pace in Round 1 at Bahrain, but Hamilton will need to be more aggressive with qualifying trim if he wants to win.
7. Lando Norris ($8,200) — Red Bull stands alone at the top. From there, it’s anyone’s race. The third step on the podium is up for grabs. Jeddah is a high-speed street circuit that will favor the top-end speeds of McLaren and Ferrari. Norris wasn’t great at these courses in 2023, but finished second at Marina Bay (Singapore GP).
8. Oscar Piastri ($7,200) — During his 2021 F2 championship season, Piastri won at Jeddah. Last season wasn’t particularly special for Piastri at the street circuits. That is expected from a debutant, and McLaren did not get off to a strong start last season. His teammate and the two Ferrari drivers will be the popular DFS F1 options for the Saudia Arabian GP. Piastri could be a sneaky Fantasy F1 option on Saturday.
9. Kevin Magnussen ($3,600) — Haas once again placed a driver in the optimal DFS F1 lineup at DraftKings last week. They’re the worst team on the grid, so their drivers are always the cheapest. The teammate with the best finish earns five points and that’s enough for a fantasy Formula 1 value pick. Nico Hulkenberg ($3,400) wrecked on lap 1 at Bahrain. Case closed. It was a Magnussen day. It was a Magnussen day, or actually night, in Jeddah in 2023. He finished 10th, seven spots ahead of his teammate.
10. Guanyu Zhou ($4,000) — The winning lineup in last week’s Bahrain GP featured Zhou as the optimal DFS F1 Captain’s Pick on DraftKings. Punting the captain might be more common with tight salaries and a high-price Verstappen. Zhou nearly qualified for Q3 in the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP. He finished 13th, well ahead of his Kick Sauber (formerly Alfa Romeo) teammate, Valtteri Bottas ($4,400).
Set your DraftKings Fantasy F1 lineups here: F1 $100K Grand Prix [$25K to 1st]
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