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The action resumes at Circuit of the Americas and the first Sprint weekend of the second half. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri continue their title battle while Max Verstappen proved at Singapore that the RB21 is back in the fight. Chips will be flying in F1 Fantasy this weekend so let's dive into the top stories of the week!
All Eyes on Extra DRS
For weeks, F1 Fantasy strategists grew their budgets and prepared to run four Tier A assets at COTA with the hopes of deploying the Extra DRS Boost chip. The recent resurgence of Max Verstappen and Mercedes came at the expense of McLaren and Ferrari, unraveling the meta lineup and leaving many players scrambling on how to best deploy their limited free transfers. Let's unpack the recent history of these top assets and predict who will shine in Austin this weekend.
Max Verstappen sports an impressive record at Austin, winning the last two Sprint races and winning three Grands Prix from 2021 to 2023. Verstappen enters the week as the top 3X Boosted option. George Russell looks to build on an impressive 2025 campaign in which he scored 30 or more fantasy points in the first two Sprint weekends. Last year at COTA, Russell started in the pit lane and gained 14 positions to finish P6 and earned an impressive 38 fantasy points.
Carlos Sainz needs -18 or more points this weekend to gain $0.6M and his form at COTA suggests that another strong performance awaits. Sainz's eight top-8 finishes date back to 2016 when he raced with Toro Rosso, and the only time he failed to achieve this feat was in 2023 when he qualified on pole and was contacted by Russell on the opening lap.
Lando Norris qualified on the front row each of the last two seasons and is the only current driver to score championship points in every visit to this circuit. Oscar Piastri was knocked out in SQ1 prior to last year's Sprint race and finished P5 in the Grand Prix. Piastri is seeking a bounce back performance after watching his grasp on the World Drivers' Championship slip in recent weeks.
As for which 3X/2X combinations stand out, budgets will dictate which combination to deploy this weekend:
- High Budget: Piastri and Verstappen with McLaren and Mercedes/Ferrari/Red Bull
- Medium Budget: Piastri/Verstappen and Russell with McLaren and Mercedes
- Low Budget: Piastri/Verstappen and Russell with McLaren and Racing Bulls
Antonelli and a New 4A Light
The Global League remains divided between teams with enough budget to run four Tier A assets and those that continue to chase budget gains each week. The cheapest Piastri/Russell/McLaren/Mercedes team costs $127M, leaving thousands of teams unable to match the scoring potential of these powerful lineups.
Kimi Antonelli's strong results at Baku and Singapore unlock a unique combination of scoring potential and cost cap gains for COTA. The Italian rookie scored 22 points and 17 points, respectively, in those races and needs just 16 points to gain $0.6M. In a Sprint weekend with three scoring events for F1 Fantasy, that target is within reach for Antonelli. At just $15.1M, Antonelli enables strong lineups at a much lower cost including this gem:
MCL-MER-PIA-ANT-SAI-ALO-GAS ($121.5M)
This lineup includes four of the five drivers with the lowest targets to gain $0.2M, including Carlos Sainz and Singapore Driver of the Day, Fernando Alonso. Pivoting from Alonso to Franco Colapinto frees up enough budget to upgrade Piastri to Max Verstappen if Red Bull look quickest in Sprint Qualifying.
Antonelli started this season with six straight double-digit fantasy scores and strategists with lower budgets will be counting on Antonelli's run of form to continue at tracks that Mercedes historically strive at, including Interlagos and Las Vegas. If he ends the year on a high note, low budget teams can take advantage of a high-value Tier B driver in the final races.
Weather Outlook
As always, Austin expects to be hot and dry this weekend. Mercedes have performed well in all conditions this season, rewriting their history after struggling in warm weather in previous seasons, but keep a close eye on Sprint Qualifying in case they open the door for Ferrari to strike back.
While No Negative usually prevents the most negative points on Sprint weekends (Spa notwithstanding), players still holding this chip should wait until Interlagos to confirm if rain will impact the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Betting Lines
This week's opening lines reflect a change in the pecking order at the top of the grid. Max Verstappen looks to continue his streak of six consecutive USGP podiums and he starts the week as the favorite to win. George Russell, meanwhile, starts ahead of the Ferrari duo despite Charles Leclerc winning this race in 2024. Many teams may pivot to Verstappen and Russell due to their recent stability while the McLaren duo squabble on and off the track.
Both Racing Bulls find themselves entrenched in the top 10 once again. The VCARB constructor remains one of the most valuable Tier B assets for cash strapped teams. Keep an eye on Liam Lawson, who started on the back row in 2024 due to an engine penalty and finished P9 in an impressive recovery drive.
The Fantasy Formula returns to answer your lineup questions one hour before the Sprint race, this Saturday at 12PM EST/5PM BST, only on the official FanAmp YouTube channel. See you there!
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