Fantasy Preview: Italian Grand Prix

The Art of the Rebound

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The Dutch Grand Prix left devastation in its wake, forcing F1 Fantasy strategists to pick up the pieces. The title hopes for Lando Norris took a huge hit as he retired due to engine failure. An astounding 42.6% of the Global League Top 500 used their DRS Boost on the McLaren veteran after watching him dominate all three Free Practice sessions. Ferrari, meanwhile, entered the weekend as the #2 constructor in the meta lineup but endured its worst catastrophe since China as both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton retired.

Monza could be a low-scoring affair, since it finished in the bottom half of the calendar for overtakes in 2023 and 2024. This hinders Ferrari in their home race since Lewis Hamilton will be serving a 5-place grid penalty from Zandvoort amid a debut season to forget with the Scuderia.

Consider two options to make the most of a complicated Italian Grand Prix:

1. 4A: Piastri, Russell, McLaren, Mercedes - This lineup avoids the biggest losers from Zandvoort and leans into the consistency of George Russell. The Mercedes veteran scored 21 fantasy points at this race last season while only one driver outside of McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull (Franco Colapinto, 11) scored double-digit points. Russell's scoring gap to the midfield should appeal to many players this week.

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2. Budget Building - After enduring some difficult weeks for budget building, fantasy strategists can stack four Tier B drivers with a great chance of gaining $0.6M. Isack Hadjar (-16),  Gabriel Bortoleto (-5), Fernando Alonso (0), and Lance Stroll (3) should all reach their price gain targets and launch a new set of teams into the budget range for a 4A lineup in Baku.

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Driver History At Monza

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The Temple of Speed dates back to Formula 1's inaugural season 75 years ago and is a favorite amongst drivers and fans alike. As we've seen multiple times this season, some drivers always shine (or struggle) at certain circuits. Let's review a few of the best and worst driver histories at Monza:

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Charles Leclerc

A two-time winner of this race, Leclerc finished in the top 4 in 5 out of his last 6 Italian Grands Prix. Ferrari always seem to turn the wick up in front of their home crowd and Leclerc could be in line for a Driver of the Day nod.

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George Russell

Russell finished P3 in 2022 and followed up with P6 and P7 finishes in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Russell also won at Monza during his stints in GP3 and Formula 2.

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Fernando Alonso

Alonso's long track record comes with some strange patterns. He DNF'd 7 times in his illustrious career at Monza but he also stood on the podium six times. In his two races here with Aston Martin the Spaniard finished P9 and P11.

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Yuki Tsunoda

For anyone considering the Red Bull constructor, Tsunoda's history at Monza ranks among the worst imaginable: DNS, P14, DNS, DNF.

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Weather Outlook

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For the first time in several races the week begins with no threat of a wet Grand Prix. As first mentioned on The Fantasy Formula's Midseason Review, this weekend presents the next great opportunity to use the Limitless chip. The dry weather reduces the risk of top drivers committing an error or that a budget driver could crack the top scorers due to overtakes.

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Betting Lines

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Oscar Piastri opens the week ahead of his teammate, Norris, on the heels of his impressive victory at Zandvoort. Both Ferrari drivers find themselves a bit higher than usual while Isack Hadjar's maiden podium in F1 lands him with even odds to Fernando Alonso.

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The Fantasy Formula returns to answer your lineup questions one hour before Qualifying, this Saturday at 9AM EST/2PM BST, only on the official FanAmp YouTube channel. See you there!