The Formula 1 season roars into Round 2 and DraftKings Fantasy F1 is back with another large fantasy racing contest that pays $50K to first place. The lights go out for the DFS F1 slate Sunday afternoon for a street race at night in Jeddah.
The DraftKings STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023 slate locks at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Set your DraftKings Fantasy F1 lineups here: F1 $150K Grand Prix [$50K to 1st]
1. Max Verstappen ($14,000) — After being outmaneuvered in the 2022 season opener by Charles Leclerc, Verstappen bounced back and won a late-race game of DRS cat-and-mouse to secure victory in the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Red Bulls had a terrific offseason and their dominance showed in Round 1 of the 2023 season at Bahrain.
2. Sergio Perez ($11,200) — Verstappen is the star but Checo is Red Bull’s resident street circuit expert. He has wins at Baku, Monaco, Signapore and he was in contention last season at Jeddah. He won the pole for the 2022 Saudi Arabian GP but a Safety Car (caution) came out while Perez was on pit road, and this cost him a valuable spot on track.
3. Charles Leclerc ($10,200) — All of the common Ferrari highs and lows were jammed into Round 1. There were mechanical issues and head-scratching decisions. Leclerc showed more speed than expected, and he also wore his emotions on his sleeve when he retired early. This could be a long season. On the bright side, Leclerc led the most laps in the 2022 Saudi Arabian GP.
4. Fernando Alonso ($9,600) — The old man has still got it. There were times at Alpine where Alonso looked like his old self. Unfortunately, the Alpine cars were unreliable. So far, Aston Martin has provided Alonso with one of his best cars in years. He was up front all weekend in Sakhir (Bahrain GP).
5. Carlos Sainz ($9,000) — A lot has changed in a season. Does Ferrari have the power to compete with the Red Bulls? The Jeddah street circuit is a dangerous, futuristic amusement park ride. The fabricated street course is fast. Will Ferrari have the horsepower to run with Red Bulls?
For F1 insight and quick DFS help, follow Pearce Dietrich (@race4theprize) on Twitter.
6. George Russell ($7,600) — In 2022, Russell was the most consistent driver and was always on the DFS F1 radar. He routinely turned out top-5 finishes. On the street circuits, he finished fifth at Jeddah and Monaco. He earned a podium in the Azerbaijan GP (Baku).
7. Lewis Hamilton ($8,400) — After a decent performance in the Bahrain GP (fifth), Hamilton and Team Principal Toto Wolff apologized and expressed their disappointment with the Mercedes W14. The team doubled-down on their zero-pod approach during the offseason. Hamilton warned against this. He is not happy with his situation and his contract expires at the end of the season.
8. Lance Stroll ($6,800) — If you can’t beat them, then join them. Mercedes tried to reinvent the wheel. Aston Martin copied Red Bull’s car. The obvious replication became apparent in the middle of the 2022 season. Further gains were made during the offseason. Stroll finished sixth at Bahrain despite having an injured wrist and getting few testing and practice reps.
9. Kevin Magnussen ($3,200) — After a solid test and three good practices, Magnussen collapsed in qualifying and the Bahrain GP. Even with the poor showing, he outperformed his Haas teammate Niko Hulkenberg. Jeddah is a brand new street circuit. Hulkenberg has never raced the Saudi Arabian GP. This is a huge advantage for K-Mag.
10. Lando Norris ($6,000) — McLaren was a mess heading into the Bahrain GP and the race was a total disaster. Norris is a talented diver that has Fantasy F1 appeal. He was the leader of the mid-pack in 2022 and had the sixth-best average finish at the street circuits. That was last year. He might not even be in the mid-pack in 2023 if McLaren cannot fix their car.
Set your DraftKings Fantasy F1 lineups here: F1 $150K Grand Prix [$50K to 1st]
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