The Autopilot Chip: Explained | F1 Fantasy Guide (2026)

What is the Autopilot chip?

Like every chip, Autopilot can only be played once per season. After calculating the scores for the weekend, the game will automatically move the 2X Boost to the driver with the highest score on your team.

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When is the best time to use Autopilot?

The best time to use Autopilot is while running two elite drivers and it's unclear which one will score the most points in F1 Fantasy. Heading into the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix, Lando Norris led all drivers in fantasy scoring and many teams ran both McLaren drivers and Autopilot with the hopes of capturing two podium finishes. Most of these teams placed the 2X Boost on Norris, only to watch him retire in the closing stages of the Grand Prix. Autopilot moved the Boost from Norris, who finished the weekend with -5 points, to Piastri, who scored 45 points.

Other useful opportunities to play Autopilot include:

• Wet weekends to protect against DNFs from your top driver
• Sprint weekends, in case a midfield driver completes so many overtakes that they post an elite score. Also, many remember the first lap pileup during the Austin Sprint race in 2025 that collected both McLaren drivers.
• When a top driver takes an engine penalty to ensure the highest score on your team is doubled. In some cases, such as Max Verstappen's 2024 masterclass in Brazil, these scenarios deliver all-time fantasy performances. Other times, drivers find themselves stuck in traffic and finish outside the top 10.

Among the Global League Top 500 last season, 21.8% used Autopilot at the Dutch Grand Prix (example above), 19.4% used it in Brazil (Norris qualified on pole, Verstappen started from the pit lane), and 18.6% used it in Austin (the first weekend many teams could afford Norris and Piastri with two elite constructors).

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How the Autopilot chip works in F1 Fantasy — Example Scenario

For the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, the team below started with the 2X Boost on Oscar Piastri:

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After the Grand Prix scores were calculated, George Russell tallied more points than any other driver in this lineup and the Autopilot chip automatically moved the 2X Boost to Russell.

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Be sure to check out our F1 Fantasy Guides for details on how to use all of these power-ups, how to grow your team budget, and much more. You can also watch The Fantasy Formula on the official FanAmp YouTube channel every race week for detailed lineup advice, exclusive interviews, and a breakdown of the latest news.