The 2024 Fantasy F1 season opens with the Round 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix at 10 a.m. ET Saturday, March 2. DraftKings is celebrating the launch of the 2024 DFS Formula 1 season with an enormous contest that pays $50K to first place. Before the lights go out and the grid speeds towards turn 1, check out the fantasy racing picks below.
The DraftKings Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2024 slate locks at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday.
Set your DraftKings Fantasy F1 lineups here: F1 $150K Lights Out Special [$50K to 1st]
1. Max Verstappen ($16,000) — The 2023 F1 season concluded with Verstappen’s 19th win of the season. That historic win was not good enough to land Verstappen a place in the DraftKings F1 optimal lineup. He led nearly every lap, recorded the fastest lap and scored 39.2 DKFP. His price tag was a season-high $17,000. He did not fit.
2. Lando Norris ($8,400) — DFS F1 is a game of salary constraints. It’s not simply picking the best drivers and constructors. Norris was an optimal fantasy Formula 1 pick in the second-most Grand Prix lineups at DraftKings in 2023 (eight). McLaren struggled in the 2023 test sessions, but this season, Norris was at the top of the charts just below Max Verstappen after day 1.
3. Charles Leclerc ($10,000) — Ferrari burst back onto the scene in 2022 with a Leclerc win at Bahrain. Last season was forgettable. They no longer had an equipment edge and the team transitioned with a new Team Principal. The Sakhir test sessions went well for the Scuderia, but will they have enough speed to once again go toe-to-toe with Red Bull?
4. Sergio Perez ($9,600) — Life is not easy in the shadows of Verstappen. Perez didn’t do himself any favors by struggling in qualifying each round. Red Bull’s sidekick finished second in the 2023 F1 standings, but his two wins did not meet expectations.
5. Carlos Sainz Jr ($9,000) — Red Bull won every Grand Prix in 2023 except one. Sainz and Ferarri secured the top step of the podium last summer at Singapore. Sainz is at a crossroads. He lost his Ferrari seat, but there could be eight seats opening up. A good showing in the Bahrain GP would be a good first step towards a new ride. Sainz has a top-5 finish in four of the last five GPs at Bahrain.
For F1 insight and quick DFS help, follow Pearce Dietrich (@race4theprize) on Twitter.
6. Fernando Alonso ($7,400) — The 20-year-vet proved he still had it last season. Aston Martin also proved their worth as mid-pack contenders. Alonso finished fourth in the standings. His resurgent season began with a surprising podium finish at Bahrain. It was his first podium at the high-downforce circuit since the early 2000s when he won three times with Renault and Ferarri.
7. Lewis Hamilton ($9,200) — This will be an interesting year, but they all are for Hamilton. It’s been quite a ride since the end of the controversial 2021 season. With Hamilton’s Ferrari departure looming, this could get ugly. Last season wasn’t that ugly. Hamilton tied for the second most optimal fantasy racing lineups with seven maximal point-per-dollar performances.
8. Alexander Albon ($4,200) — Williams and Albon took a major step forward last season. The former Red Bull prospect began to live up to his promise in 2023 by earning seven top-10 finishes for the underdog organization. Those top 10s led to Albon qualifying for the third-most optimal lineups at DraftKings.
9. Nico Hulkenberg ($3,400) — Haas F1 is not a great team. That’s reflected in their drivers’ DraftKings salaries. Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen don’t have to be great. They just need to be better than their price tags. Between the two DFS F1 value picks, the Haas drivers were optimal fantasy Formula 1 picks for 12 of the 22 races in 2023
10. Yuki Tsunoda ($5,200) — The team has a new name, but this is the same old Tsunoda. The mercurial talent for RB (formerly AlphaTauri) is an inconsistent driver, but not at Bahrain. In three GPs, Tsunoda has finished ninth, eighth and 11th.
Set your DraftKings Fantasy F1 lineups here: F1 $150K Lights Out Special [$50K 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.
