Last season, Gavin De Souza outscored over 2.7 million teams to become the 2025 F1 Fantasy Global League champion. To celebrate his victory, Formula 1 invited him behind the scenes for a VIP weekend at the British Grand Prix. In this exclusive interview, Gavin looks back on his experience at Silverstone and the strategy that helped him win the Global League.
Fantasy Becomes Reality
Based in London, Gavin chose his home race because of Silverstone’s significance in Formula 1 history. “It’s one of the sport’s most iconic circuits, and with so many F1 teams based in the UK, it felt like a really special place to experience a Grand Prix.”
Gavin knew that attending his first Grand Prix would be an unforgettable weekend, but the reality exceeded his expectations. “Watching on TV, you naturally focus on the cars and the racing, but being there gives you a completely different appreciation for everything that happens behind the scenes.”
His once-in-a-lifetime experience included a paddock tour, a pit lane walk, and a guided truck tour of the circuit. For Gavin, walking into the F1 paddock for the first time became a defining memory. “As a Formula 1 fan, it’s somewhere you’ve seen countless times on TV but never really expect to experience yourself. What made it even more special was knowing that I was there because of F1 Fantasy.”
The Silverstone Experience
Gavin met the engineers behind the drivable LEGO cars piloted by F1 drivers, chatted with Ferrari engineers after Friday’s practice session, and even found himself in the background of a Kimi Antonelli social media post. But above all, what left the biggest impression was seeing how many people work behind the scenes. Gavin said, “When you're in the paddock you realize just how many people are working constantly throughout the day. Every team member has a job, everyone knows exactly where they need to be, and everything runs with incredible precision.”
For the action on track, Gavin sat in the Copse Grandstand to watch the drivers tackle one of the fastest corners on the Formula 1 calendar. “You know it’s one of the fastest corners on the calendar, but seeing the cars take it flat-out right in front of you is unbelievable. The noise, the speed, and the commitment from the drivers through that corner is something television can’t fully capture.” The weekend ended with another memorable moment as Gavin witnessed Charles Leclerc win his first Grand Prix of the season.
Keys to Success in F1 Fantasy
For new players, the reigning champion revealed some basic strategies that drove his success last season. Rather than simply focusing on scoring the most points each race weekend, Gavin planned ahead for upcoming circuits, studied practice pace to uncover value picks, and steadily built his budget to afford premium drivers and constructors later in the season.
From the keyboard to the paddock, Gavin fulfilled the dream of millions of fantasy players around the world. His advice for aspiring champions is simple: “Stay patient, trust your gut, and most importantly, enjoy the process. Formula 1 is unpredictable, and you never know where the game might take you”.
Want more tips from F1 Fantasy greats? Check out my interview with Andrew Harris, the 2024 F1 Fantasy winner.
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