Fantasy F1 supplies the speed for the Saturday night DFS slate at DraftKings. Stay up late, sleep can wait. When the Sun sets in the States, the lights go out for the Rolex Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Check out the fantasy racing picks below, and the $20K grand prize for the featured Fantasy Formula 1 contest could be yours.
The DraftKings Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2024 slate locks at 12 a.m. ET on Sunday.
Set your DraftKings Fantasy F1 lineups here: F1 $80K Grand Prix [$20K to 1st]
1. Max Verstappen ($16,400) — The wins are no longer impressive. Neither is the margin of victory. Verstappen crossed the finish line at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit 13 seconds ahead of the runner-up. The margin was 22 seconds in the Bahrain Grand Prix. More importantly for Fantasy Formula 1, Verstappen was in the optimal F1 DFS lineup at DraftKings in the Saudi Arabian GP.
2. Sergio Perez ($10,200) — The Australian Grand Prix is classified as a street circuit. The Round 2 race in Saudi Arabia was a street circuit. Checo Perez, the second-best street circuit driver, was the runner-up in the Saudi Arabian GP. A distant runner-up.
3. Charles Leclerc ($10,400) — Red Bull has secured the first two steps in the first two races of 2024. Melbourne will likely be more of the same. The final step is up for grabs. Leclerc stepped onto the podium at the Jeddah street circuit in Round 2. Leclerc won the Australian GP in 2022.
4. Fernando Alonso ($7,400) — The veteran earned a podium finish in the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix. His Aston Martin was fast in the 2024 Round 2 practice at Jeddah. He ultimately finished the weekend in 5th place. His 16 fantasy F1 points with a salary of $7,000 earned him a spot in the optimal DFS F1 lineup.
5. George Russell ($8,400) — Mercedes has earned a podium in each of the last two Australian GPs. Russell has been the stronger driver for the team this season with finishes of fifth and sixth. It makes sense. Lewis Hamilton is a lame duck with his move to Ferrari in 2025. Mercedes is going to give the good stuff to Russell.
For F1 insight and quick DFS help, follow Pearce Dietrich (@race4theprize) on Twitter.
6. Lando Norris ($8,200) — His McLaren teammate was faster in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Norris was faster than Oscar Piastri ($7,200) in the 2023 Australian Grand Prix. That was Piastri’s first race in Melbourne. This will be Norris’s fourth race Down Under. He finished fifth in 2022 and sixth in 2023.
7. Lewis Hamilton ($9,000) — Fingers are being pointed. Some say Hamilton isn’t pushing hard enough. Hamilton says it’s the car. Team Principal Toto Wolff agrees with Hamilton. Mercedes has tinkered for two and a half years, but to no avail. Will two weeks be enough time to find the fix and get Hamilton back on the podium or even into the top 5?
8. Nico Hulkenberg ($4,400) — It’s been the year of the punt in DFS F1. Guanyu Zhou ($3,200) was the Captain’s Pick in the Bahrain Grand Prix. A Haas driver, Kevin Magnussen ($4,000), was also in that optimal DFS F1 lineup. Hulkenberg was the Captain’s Pick at Jeddah. He finished seventh and was the Captain’s Pick for the 2023 Australian GP Fantasy Formula 1 contest at DraftKings.
9. Alex Albon ($5,400) — Williams went in a different direction this season. The high-end speed has been dialed down for more downforce. The results haven’t improved. The results compared to the field do not matter in DFS F1. What matters is that Albon outperforms his teammate. He’s finished ahead of Logan Sergeant ($3,000) in both races this season.
10. Carlos Sainz ($8,800) — Will the Ferrari driver be able to race in the Australian Grand Prix? Will it matter? Sainz has not earned a top-10 finish in Melbourne since 2018. Oliver Bearman was impressive at Jeddah. Sainz is on his way out at Ferrari. He needs to show up and run well in Round 3.
Set your DraftKings Fantasy F1 lineups here: F1 $100K Grand Prix [$25K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
