Fantasy Impact: Lindblad, Colapinto, and Bortoleto Hit with COTA Grid Drops

Lindblad will take a 5-place penalty as he brings on a sixth internal combustion engine. The Racing Bulls rookie took a 30-place grid drop two races ago in Malaysia for adding an internal combustion engine, turbocharger, and exhaust set to his allocation.

With only a five-place penalty, Lindblad’s fantasy outlook for the weekend remains unchanged. He ranks among the top-5 drivers under $12M for points scoring and price gain potential. In the Global League Top 500, 79% of teams selected Lindblad at Singapore.

Over at Alpine, Colapinto took a new control electronics and faces a 10-place grid drop. Following a disastrous weekend at Singapore in which the Argentinian retired from both the Sprint and Grand Prix, the team’s decision to replace these parts was expected.

With a 39-point target to avoid a price drop and a combined -6 fantasy points over his last five races combined, Colapinto should be left out of United States Grand Prix lineups.

Bortoleto faces the steepest penalty of the bunch, a 20-place penalty that will likely see the Brazilian start the Grand Prix at the back of the grid. He takes a new energy store and control electronics, which exceeded his allocation for the season.

Starting behind the back marker teams, Bortoleto presents the biggest risk/reward opportunity on the grid. Like Colapinto, Bortoleto retired from both races in Singapore and needs a whopping 37 points to avoid a $0.6M price drop.

But in a rapid Audi that should easily clear the likes of Cadillac, Williams, and Aston Martin, Bortoleto starts the weekend as the midfield driver with the clearest path to 15 or more fantasy points. Players with large budgets ($140M or more) should consider Bortoleto as a high-differential alternative to the Racing Bulls duo.

Across the Audi garage, Nico Hülkenberg complained of a power unit issue, and speculation swirled over whether both Audi driver need a penalty. Audi Racing Director, Allan McNish, explained that the two drivers ran different packages in the session and Hulkenberg’s experience was normal.

The German veteran finished the session despite his concerns, but if he takes a grid penalty this further cements his position as a must-have F1 Fantasy asset.

With two more hours of practice in store, more penalties may be announced as the weekend unfolds. The Fantasy Formula is in the paddock all weekend long to share the latest news and fantasy insights.