Championship leader Kimi Antonelli has just one win in his last seven Grands Prix, while Lando Norris climbed to P4 in the World Drivers' Championship after back-to-back wins in Hungary and the Netherlands. The first tripleheader of the second half kicks off at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, one of the oldest and most iconic circuits on the Formula 1 calendar. This week's Fantasy Preview explores a critical engine penalty for both the F1 and F1 Fantasy championships, a scoring adjustment after the Dutch Grand Prix, and the legend with a forgettable record at the Temple of Speed.
Antonelli’s Back-of-the-Grid Opportunity
In the aftermath of the Dutch Grand Prix, Toto Wolff confirmed that Kimi Antonelli will replace all major power unit components for Monza. Since Antonelli has already reached his limit for multiple parts this year, he is expected to start at the back of the grid on Sunday. Mercedes have suffered several reliability issues this year, leading to Antonelli's retirement in Barcelona and George Russell's retirements in Canada and Belgium. These proactive upgrades aim to reduce the risk of further reliability failures as the season wears on.
Antonelli starting at the back of the grid opens up a huge scoring opportunity in F1 Fantasy. With Cadillac, Williams, and Haas likely starting ahead of him, we could see Antonelli gain at least 10 positions and complete a significant number of overtakes in the process. Drivers who climb from the back of the grid into the Top 10 are typically rewarded with Driver of the Day honors as well, raising the scoring ceiling for the championship leader.
To estimate Antonelli's potential this weekend, let's look at the last contender to take a grid penalty: Lando Norris at Spa. Norris started P13 after a 10-place grid drop and only climbed back to P7, but in the process had 10 overtakes, 6 positions gained, and the Fastest Lap to ultimately score 40 fantasy points.
The Mercedes sophomore should be the top 2X Boost priority this weekend, while teams that can afford Antonelli and Norris can consider the Autopilot chip in case Antonelli struggles to recover on his way through the midfield.
Inactive Penalty Confusion Resolved
Heading into Zandvoort, Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson's Racing Bulls asset were each due to receive a 35-point Inactive penalty. F1 Fantasy applies the Not Classified penalty for each event in which a driver is Inactive. On a Sprint weekend, that includes the Sprint race (-10), Qualifying (-5), and Grand Prix (-20). After the scores for the week were finalized, however, players were shocked to discover that the game applied a 45-point penalty for each.
After a quick inquiry to the F1 Fantasy team, these penalties were corrected within 48 hours, causing some minor movement in the Global League rankings. The most likely explanation is that the Inactive driver formula included the 2025 penalty for Not Classifying a Sprint race (-20) instead of the updated 2026 penalty (-10).
Crucially, the penalty was applied to a player's overall lineup, rather than to the individual drivers. When Hadjar returns to Red Bull, his three-race average for determining price changes will likely treat the Dutch Grand Prix as a zero.
Monza History
Lando Norris is looking to win his third Grand Prix in a row, and he finished on the Italian Grand Prix podium each of the last two seasons. Betting lines predict Norris (+150) will win once again as he continues to climb the championship ladder. Players with at least $124M can run Norris and Kimi Antonelli for a high-upside Tier A combination — this duo scored 94 points combined at Zandvoort.
While McLaren and Mercedes dominate headlines this week, Ferrari look to continue their strong run of form at their home circuit. Lewis Hamilton finished in the top five twelve times at Monza, while Charles Leclerc finished P4 or higher each of the last four seasons. The Ferrari constructor remains one of the top assets in the game, and both Hamilton and Leclerc stand out as the top options in 4A lineups behind Antonelli and Norris.
Unfortunately, not every driver enters the weekend with a great record at Monza. Fernando Alonso posted eight DNFs at the Temple of Speed and hasn’t scored more than 6 fantasy points in his last three appearances. With the lowest target to gain $0.6M (-9 points), fantasy players are hoping the two-time champion can rewrite his Italian Grand Prix history.
Weather Outlook
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We'll have to wait another weekend to see the 2026 regulations in wet conditions. The forecast for this weekend calls for clear skies and warm temperatures. Mercedes typically thrive in cooler conditions, so monitor Friday's practice sessions carefully — if Kimi Antonelli looks strong on the hottest day of the weekend, we can confidently place the 2X Boost on the Italian youngster as he storms up the field on Sunday.
The Fantasy Formula is back to answer all of your questions ahead of the lineup lock deadline. The action begins one hour before Qualifying, this Saturday at 9AM EST/2PM in the UK, only on the official FanAmp YouTube channel. See you there!
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