F1 Fantasy: top picks and predictions for the 2023 United States GP

The United States Grand Prix hosts sprint racing for the first time in 2023 — the fifth of the current campaign — and the double race weekend is another opportunity for F1 Fantasy players to boost their regular points totals — with the right combination of drivers.

A successful sprint line-up isn’t necessarily the same as any other grand prix weekend because of the way points are awarded. Finishing position is less important in the sprint, where a maximum of eight points are available, compared to 25 in a GP; while points for overtaking and gaining positions are scored at the same rate as a grand prix (one point per pass or position gained).

So when we look at previous sprints, we can see that the frontrunners still scoop up points, but that making up places during the race carries a greater impact.

---

F1 Fantasy — top-scoring drivers during sprint race weekends 

Driver	Points	Average per race
Max Verstappen	223	55.75
George Russell	124	31
Sergio Perez	116	29
Charles Leclerc	109	27.25
Lewis Hamilton	88	22

Despite the reduced points for classification, you can’t go wrong by choosing a race-winner and Max Verstappen has defined himself as the ‘King of the Sprint’ this season, having scored an impressive 223 F1 Fantasy points across the four sprint race weekends so far — more than any other driver. His victories may be becoming less emphatic as the trailing field starts to catch up, but he’s still out in front.

However, George Russell has the next-highest sprint total, helped by a run from 15th to eighth in Austria, a midfield battle in Belgium, and a drive into the lead in Qatar, which racked up the overtaking points, even if he did fall back later in the race. His proven racecraft could be an asset once more in Texas.

Across the season as a whole, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes drivers have scored the most sprint points, but don’t forget form: McLaren has become a serious force to be reckoned with. Oscar Piastri qualified on the front row in Belgium before becoming the second driver to beat Red Bull on pure pace in 2023 (following Carlos Sainz‘s Singapore victory) and Lando Norris often finishing close behind.

But with the top drivers becoming an ever-more expensive commodity, F1 Fantasy players may need to get tactical heading into COTA and that’s where you’re in luck: sprint weekends in particular can deliver big points from the cheaper midfield.

Don’t forget: sprint weekends come with an earlier team deadline. It’s set to expire as grand prix qualifying gets underway on Friday evening at 11pm (BST).

---

Join the official Motor Sport F1 league
Code: P6UATKVI705

Join now

---

F1 Fantasy — the best way to attack sprint races 

Once you’ve picked your top scorers, it’s time to delve in to the sprint data to find the drivers most likely to outperform their machinery.

While Max Verstappen leads the way in both total sprint weekend points scored (223) and sprint points per $1m of value (7.61), Kevin Magnussen has been a surprisingly equal performer in terms of F1 Fantasy value.

For $20m less than the Dutchman, the Dane has scored 61 F1 Fantasy points from sprint race weekends so far this season, leading to an impressive value of 6.55 sprint points per million spent. With a reputation for supplementing his lack of one-lap pace in qualifying with masterful racecraft, it should come as no surprise that 40% of Magnussen’s sprint race weekend point totals have been made up of bonuses for sprint positions gained and sprint overtakes.

Should he be able to continue his sprint specialist form, the Haas driver could be a great budget option, with Lance Stroll and Zhou Guanyu as comparable but less-experienced alternatives.

---

Highest scoring sprint race drivers: points per million

Driver	Current price	Sprint points per million
Max Verstappen	$29.3m	7.61
Kevin Magnussen	$9.3m	6.55
Lance Stroll	$11m	6.54
Zhou Guanyu	$7.2m	6.52
George Russell	$19.9m	5.77
Oscar Piastri	$14m	5.5
Alex Albon	$10.3m	5.33
Fernando Alonso	$15.4m	5.32

---

If you’re wanting to concentrate more on current form, there is possibly no clearer choice for your US GP sprint race line-up than Oscar Piastri. The Aussie became only the second driver to dethrone a Red Bull in 2023 when he led Verstappen over the line during the Qatar sprint, before finishing second the following day. His performance earned him a career high of 56 F1 Fantasy points for the weekend — 15 more than team-mate Lando Norris, who is $3m more.

If McLaren is able to carry its form to COTA — which shares some similar high-speed characteristics with Losail — having either driver in your line-up could prove to be a rewarding investment. After Qatar, Norris’s price tag climbed to $17m (↑$0.3m) and Piastri is now $14m (↑$1.5m). With the team on form and a sprint race already in the bag for Piastri, the current price could rise even further, so don’t delay if you want a McLaren driver in your team.

Alex Albon has also become one of the grid’s best bang-for-your-buck options, with his Williams now capable of finishing inside the top ten on a consistent basis — the Thai driver having missed out on sixth during the Qatar sprint by just six-hundredths of a second.

On the other hand, don’t forget to sell Liam Lawson, who has now ended his reserve driver duties for AlphaTauri. He had been one of the top-value drivers in recent weeks, but Daniel Ricciardo’s return is now confirmed. Ricciardo wasn’t available to buy when this was published, but it’s worth a Friday afternoon check: he’s listed as the cheapest driver on the grid at $4.5m for now, and carries plenty of point potential.

 

Drivers who could give you an edge at the US GP

Carlos Sainz $19.4m ↓0.3m

The 2022 US GP pole-sitter saw his chances at victory evaporate at Turn 1 when contact with George Russell span his Ferrari out of contention. But with proven pace and race-winning confidence in 2023, Carlos Sainz has been a valuable option for F1 Fantasy players across the season: sixth in the points table while remaining substantially cheaper than his highly renowned team-mate. Right now, he looks to be a more consistent option than Sergio Perez or Russell, who have struggled to produce the same level of on-track results.

Lewis Hamilton $25.3m ↓0.3m

A rare mistake from Lewis Hamilton in Qatar earned him his first DNF since the 2022 Belgian GP and cost F1 Fantasy players 20 crucial points. The Briton will see the US GP as a shot at redemption and with team-mate Russell proving the pace of the Mercedes W14 at Losail (finishing fourth) Hamilton could be fighting near the front if he is able to replicate the performance that saw him secure second at COTA in 2022. For $25.3m, he’s costly, but has been accruing points at a faster rate than the similarly-priced Charles Leclerc.

 

Dragging your team down

Logan Sargeant $4.8m ↓0.1m	In Qatar, and for the fourth time in seven races, Logan Sargeant failed to reach the chequered flag, this time due to illness. It dropped his F1 Fantasy points total for the year to -53. With his 2024 race seat status still unknown, the young American looks to be bowing under pressure. Although a bounce-back performance on home turf in Austin would be a nice story, Sargeant may need more than one positive result to fully regain his confidence and regularly compete alongside his Williams team-mate. In short, it may be best to keep him away from your fantasy line-up for the time being.
Nico Hülkenberg $5.2m ↓0.2m	Nico Hülkenberg has been intermittently impressive during his F1 return — the highlight so far being a seventh place finish in Australia — but the German has not been so successful on sprint race weekends. Aside from Sargeant, he is the only driver to have lost F1 Fantasy points from sprint races (-7) and also has the second worst points per million value for the event (-1.34). Even for $4.1m more, his Haas team-mate Magnussen is a much better investment.
Sergio Perez $4.9m ↓0.2m	The struggles continued for Sergio Perez in Qatar; failing to finish in the sprint before crossing the line a distant tenth during the Grand Prix. Rumours of a performance ultimatum will not be helping his nerves heading to COTA. Although Perez is one of the highest scoring sprint race performers on the entire grid, his recent performances suggest he could potentially do more harm to your F1 Fantasy line-up than point-scoring good.

 

F1 Fantasy chips – which ones to use on a sprint race weekend? 

Final Fix With very little time to hone in their set-ups and adjust to the circuit during the weekend’s only practice session, a mixed running order could be expected during Friday’s Grand Prix qualifying session. So why not take advantage? Use final fix to make one single change to your line-up following the results of qualifying to help get a head start on the competition heading into ‘Sprint Saturday’. Swap out a struggling Perez for a resurgent Hamilton or even sub-in Kevin Magnussen to take advantage of his blinding sprint race pace!

 

New F1 Fantasy app

Some eagle-eyed fans may have spotted a new tab at the bottom right-hand corner of the F1 app – dedicated to all things F1 Fantasy. Making critical late changes to your line-up is now easier than ever, with push notifications altering you to the start of qualifying, race sessions and the team lock deadline. Handy information on the statistics page could also prove useful in finding hidden gems, as well as details on how to play and game rules.