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F1 Fantasy 2026 features a few key rule changes, and this guide outlines every update to the game and what they mean for fantasy strategists. Many of these changes address the most common concerns from the community last season and will improve the player experience even further.
Reduced Sprint DNF Penalty
One of the most requested scoring changes has finally arrived. The DNF/NC penalty in Sprint races has been reduced from -20 points to -10 points. Sprint races already scaled down the scoring for the top eight finishers and recording the Fastest Lap, so this commonsense update reduces the penalty (and the pain) of failing to complete 90% of the Sprint distance. A lap 1 incident in Austin last season led to retirements from Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and Fernando Alonso, highlighting the urgency to reduce the penalty in line with the other Sprint scoring categories.
A word of caution here: drivers still lose one point per position lost, so a driver that loses 15 positions (-15) will finish with a lower score than a driver that failed to reach the checkered flag (-10).
Transfers Based on Net Changes
In recent seasons, transfers counted individually, even if you reversed them. F1 Fantasy now calculates transfers based on the net change from the previous race.
Consider the following example:
- Lando Norris starts the week in your lineup
- You replace Norris with Oscar Piastri
- You change your mind and replace Piastri with Norris
Previously, the game counted this scenario as two transfers (Norris out/Piastri in, Piastri out/Norris in). This year, however, the game will recognize that the team is unchanged from the previous race and not spend any free transfers.
This was a fan-favorite feature from the early 2020s that allows players to experiment with new lineups without accidentally locking in the wrong team.
Price Floor Now $3M
The price floor refers to the lowest price an asset can reach without losing any more value. In previous seasons, the price floor was set to $4.5M but in 2026 the game announced that the minimum price has been reduced to $3M.
This means that drivers could lose more value than ever before reaching the floor, so pivoting off of assets in decline will be crucial this year. On the flip side, once they reach the floor a $3M driver frees up more cost cap to use on more expensive constructors and improving the 2X Boosted driver.
All Teams Eligible for Prizes
The game allows players to create up to three teams, however only Team 1 (the first team created) was eligible for prizes in the Global League in previous seasons. 2025 ended in confusion as two of the podium finishers were Team 3 entries, therefore P2, P4, and P6 took home the top three prizes. This year, any team is eligible for a Global League Prize. Players are limited to a maximum of one prize, covering off the risk that one player creates three identical teams and finishes in the top three positions.
This flexibility allows players to run different strategies across their three teams and inspires more people to create multiple teams. This change should result in more growth for F1 Fantasy in 2026 and closes a loophole that historically frustrated top players.
Crucially, all other scoring rules remain the same and the six chips will return from 2025 — with a stable ruleset players can apply lessons learned from last season to chase a higher Global League ranking in 2026.
Want More F1 Fantasy Content?
Be sure to check out our F1 Fantasy Guides for details on the best races to use the six powerup chips, 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.
Follow @FanAmpFantasyHQ on X, Instagram, Threads, and TikTok for daily tips, lineup advice, and exclusive interviews all season long 🏁
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