Fantasy Preview: Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Bortoleto Back on the Menu

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Gabriel Bortoleto turned heads again at Monza, finishing P8 and securing championship points for the third time in the last four races. The Brazilian rookie has now outqualified his teammate, Nico Hulkenberg, 10 times this season. The fifth cheapest driver in F1 Fantasy at $5.7M, Bortoleto needs just 3 points to gain $0.2M and 8 points for $0.6M.

Bortoleto's first ten races failed to produce a double-digit fantasy score, but over his last six he logged 25 points in Austria, 24 points in Hungary, and 13 points at Monza. Consider the Sauber rookie this week in the midst of his second half resurgence as an affordable source of points and cost gap gains.

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Baku Driver History

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As last week's history segment proved, some drivers consistently perform well or run into bad luck at a single circuit. Charles Leclerc notched his 7th straight top-5 finish at the Italian Grand Prix, while Fernando Alonso suffered his eighth DNF at the Temple of Speed. Let's review some notable driver histories at Baku:

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Charles Leclerc

Leclerc's Baku record is a curious one: he qualified on pole in each of the last four trips to Azerbaijan but is still seeking his first victory. Leclerc's six top-5 finishes at Baku demonstrate his consistency here and suggests that Ferrari will outpace Tier A rivals Mercedes and Red Bull.

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Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton

Last season, this duo proved that frontrunning cars starting at the back of the grid can produce excellent fantasy results. Lando Norris started P15 and climbed all the way to P4. His 11 positions gained, 5 overtakes, and Fastest Lap powered Norris to 38 fantasy points and his fourth highest score of the season. Hamilton, meanwhile, started P19 and finished P9 en route to 26 fantasy points. If a McLaren, Ferrari, George Russell, or Max Verstappen start outside the top 10, consider using the Final Fix chip and hope that lightning strikes twice around the streets of Baku.

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Franco Colapinto and Oliver Bearman

Due to their low price gain targets, Oliver Bearman (-5) and Franco Colapinto (6) enter the week as popular Tier B options. The two rookies shined at Baku last season and both finished in the top 10. Bearman made the first of two fill-in appearances for Haas and finished P10 with 7 fantasy points, while Colapinto finished P8 with 9 fantasy points in his second race with Williams. Bearman looks to build on his grid-leading 77 overtakes this season.

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Lance Stroll

Stroll's -1 fantasy point at Monza broke a streak of five strong performances in a row. He returns to Baku, the circuit where he's failed to reach the checkered flag in three out of his last four races. The last time an Aston Martin driver's DNF streak was mentioned in this space was Fernando Alonso at Monza and, well, you know how that ended.

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Weather Outlook

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Clear skies and moderate temperatures should limit the damage due to DNFs, but beware of street circuits since early retirements come in bunches. Four drivers failed to reach the checkered flag at Baku in 2024 and five did not finish in 2022. The No Negative and Autopilot chips can wait for another day.

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Betting Lines

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Sports books expect another solid performance from Ferrari, as both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton open the week ahead of the Mercedes duo. Continue to roll with Ferrari as another big week awaits. Fernando Alonso's history at Baku, Alex Albon's resurgent season, and Gabriel Bortoleto's recent form all justify their top-10 projections ahead of Free Practice. Albon (3) and Bortoleto (8) both have reasonable price gain targets and these lines suggest that both drivers will continue to increase their value this weekend.

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The Fantasy Formula returns to answer your lineup questions one hour before Qualifying, this Saturday at 7AM EST/12PM BST, only on the official FanAmp YouTube channel. See you there!

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