F1 Fantasy started in 2018 but 2019 will be the first full season of F1 Fantasy. The essence of the fantasy is very similar to that of Fantasy Premier League. You have a budget of $100 million and are required to choose 5 drivers and 1 constructor which then earns you points based on their performance. There are leagues to compete in and Official prizes to be won.
HOW TO PLAY
Step 1: Create your account
To create your account, visit F1 Fantasy Here. You can then click on "Play Now" or "Sign Up" ("Login" if you are already registered). You will then be redirected to a sign up page where you enter your details such as name, email, password and residence.
On completion of registering your account, you will be directed to the following screen:
Click on "Get Started" and you can then select your first team.
Step 2: Select your first team
You can choose 5 drivers from the list provided on the left of your screen by simply clicking the + button. You can then choose a constructor from the list or if a constructor is not shown, adjust your second filter to "Constructor" to view all constructors.
Your screen should look as follows once selecting all drivers:
Once done, click on "Save Team."
Thereafter, you will be directed to name your team and select your favourite Constructor. You also need to select a Turbo Driver. This is a driver that earns double points that race weekend. You can then save your first team.
Step 3: Create and Join Leagues
Upon saving your first team, you will automatically be entered into the following leagues:
- Official F1 Global league
- Your official country league
- Your official favourite constructor league
You will then be asked if you would like to create your own league. You can do so by naming your league, deciding to make it public or private and then choosing the amount of teams each player can enter (either 1,2 or 3 teams). If you create your own league, you will receive a league code that you can share with friends for them to join your league.
Alternatively, if you do not create your league you can join a league. This is done on the "League Lobby" as shown below:
You can join any official leagues, create your own league or join a private league here. Simply click on "Join" and select which 3 teams you wish to enter into that league.
Step 4: Create additional teams
In Fantasy F1, you can have 3 different teams that you enter into leagues. You have already created your first league so to create an additional two, select "My Teams" in the top banner of the screen. You will then be presented with a similar screen as below:
You can then select a second team and create another team which follows the same process as Step 2.
Step 5: Manage your teams
Every week you are allowed 1 substitution to change out a driver or constructor. Every additional change costs you 10 points. You are also allowed 2 Wild Cards per season (One before Hungary GP, 4 August 2019) where you can completely overhaul your team and select all new drivers and Constructors without losing any points.
That’s the overview of creating your team and managing it. Some rules and changes include:
General F1 Fantasy Rules:
- Budget of $100 million for 5 drivers and 1 constructor. Budget increases if you driver or constructor value increases.
- Teams must be changed and saved before start of Qualifying on race weekend. NB!!! This means team changes must be done on Saturdays before qualifying.
- Only your first team is entered into the global and Constructors League.
- Points are scored on performance of driver. Teams earn all points of driver excluding “driver only” points. A full scoring breakdown is available here. Points for gaining a position are based on the starting grid position of the driver.
- One Turbo Driver per race can be chosen to earn double points. Value of driver must be $19 million or less. If their value increase above $19 million, a new turbo driver must be selected.
- Two wildcats per season (1 before Hungary and 1 after). Can be used to make unlimited changes to team up to start of qualifying. Wildcard 1 if unused by Hungary expires and thus 1 Wildcard is only available after Hungary.
New F1 Fantasy features
- Select 3 teams (this was available for a portion of 2018 season)
- Ability to create private leagues and leagues for every race.
- Condensed leagues that last for 3 or 5 races. This is a possible future platform FormulaHUB will consider for competitions as they are short and sweet.
Other than that, F1 fantasy is pretty simple and I’m sure many of you will get to love it.
Strategies for team selection
Strategy 1: Hammer Time
Although this strategy is named after Lewis Hamilton, the main driver can potentially be swapped out. The general outline includes:
2x Top 3 team (Mercedes, Ferrari or Redbull) drivers e.g. Hamilton and Verstappen
3x Middle range team drivers e.g. Ricciardo, Perez, Grosjean
1x Middle range team e.g. Renault
The idea with this strategy is to invest in some strong drivers to earn points without over using your bank and having to rely on bottom teams. The middle range team such as Renault can provide consistent points through top 10 finishes and qualifying while minimizing the risk of losing points through being overtaken easily of not finishing the race such as Williams possibly. Having two big drivers can earn many podium and top 3 classification points to make up for the loss in constructors points.
Risk: Medium-Low
Reward: Medium-High
Strategy 2: One Team Wonder
Possibly the riskiest strategy of them all. You've been told to never put all your eggs in one basket but it is worth a shot in F1 Fantasy.
2x Top team drivers from same team e.g. Hamilton & Bottas from Mercedes or Vettel & LeClerc from Ferrari.
3x Low range team drivers e.g. Kubica, Albon, Kyvat etc.
1x Low range team e.g. Williams or Toro Rosso
The idea here is to maximise on top team performance. Mercedes or Ferrari finishing in 1,2 in the race will maximise driver and team points. The risk, however, is that the low range drivers may not finish or that both drivers of the top team can go out e.g. Hamilton and Rosberg in 2016 or Verstappen and Ricciardo in Baku in 2018. The points lost on low range drivers can easily be won back if the top team performs well.
Risk: Very High
Reward: High
Strategy 3: Hard Compound
A hard compound tyre is not known for setting fast times but rather durability and future outlook. That is exactly what the Hard Compound strategy aims for: Not quick points returns but a durable model to last the season.
2x Top team low-cost drivers e.g. Bottas, Gasly, Vettel
1x Middle Range driver e.g Hulkenberg, Grosjean
2x Middle to Low Range drivers e.g Sainz, Giovinazzi, Stroll
1x Top team e.g. Redbull, Ferrari
This strategy looks to balance a top team that can generate points will still relying on having enough balance to employ some further top team drivers. The overall return can be strong and the correct middle range drivers can also aid point scoring. Low range drivers can add some value if they are consistent so caution on selection is needed here.
Risk: Low
Reward: Medium
Strategy 4: Top 3 Attack
This strategy aims to get as many top drivers as possible to aim for podium, qualifying and streak points. The downside is having a small balance left for the remaining drivers and constructors.
3x Top team drivers e.g. Any Ferrari, Mercedes or Red Bull Drivers
2x Low range drivers e.g. Russell, Albon, Kyvat
1x Low range team e.g. Toro Rosso, Williams
This strategy can earn massive points for a podium of all 3 top drivers. The low returns on constructor and low drivers must be considered, however, and you need to look for more consistent constructors that can finish races.
Risk: High
Reward: Medium
Strategy 5: Mid-Field Magic
Another strategy that looks at a longer team focus.
3x Top team lower cost drivers e.g. Gasly, LeClerc, Bottas
2x Mid range drivers e.g. Ricciardo, Raikkonen
1x Mid-Low range team e.g Alfa Romeo, McLaren
This strategy aims to balance the top earning team points with a stable middle range earners that are strong finishers and can rack up some decent points.
Risk: Medium-Low
Reward: Medium
These are just a few strategies that are options for the upcoming season and can be adapted to suit your own needs and style!
FormulaHUB F1 Fantasy League
The FormulaHUB league is up and running. To join this league:
Enter Code: 4a0645200f to join
Unfortunately no prizes as yet but hopefully we can start a mid-season league with some prizes!!!
Thank you for you time and reading!
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