Top Picks in the F1 Fantasy League for the Japanese Grand Prix 2019

For the past few years, Formula One has had the F1 Fantasy League to keep the fans engaged. Fantasy leagues have been prevalent in many other sports, and now F1 has also caught on. So, the question is, how do you get the best fantasy team and win big?

With regard to how the system works, everybody has $1 million dollars to play with. The idea is to choose any five drivers and one constructor and they will score points after each race.

There is also something called a turbo driver, where one of your five chosen drivers can give you double points from the weekend doubled. However, this is only applicable for drivers who are worth less than $19 million. So, someone like Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas or Charles LeClerc is out of question.

So, here is Essentially Sports’ picks for the F1 Fantasy team for the Japanese Grand Prix 2019.

Sebastian Vettel

Without a doubt, his win in Singapore would have influenced many to add him to their roster. In spite of a rocky start to the season, coupled with a hungry teammate in Charles LeClerc, Vettel proved that he still had it in him.

Sebastian Vettel is worth $28.7 million and with Ferrari’s resurgence and his mojo back, he could be a formidable player and a boon for Fantasy F1 players. However, don’t be fooled by his DNF in Russia, he is still a formidable racer and is unafraid of getting his elbows out.

Alex Albon (Turbo)

In the last three races, ever since he joined Red Bull, Alex Albon has consistently been in the top 6. Granted, for this weekend, both Red Bulls have 5-place grid penalties, however, being the 3rd best team, a top 6 is almost guaranteed.

Red bull have also been very happy with the Thai driver and his highest position is 5th in Belgium, his first race for Red Bull. Since he is worth $13 million, he can be a valuable player for Turbo boost.

Nico Hulkenberg

The German driver is well known for being a consistent racer and at the Russian GP, he finished 10th for one point. Behind the Big 3 teams, for argument’s sake, the next best team is a toss up between McLaren and Renault.

However, as hard a charger as Daniel Ricciardo is, he is a bit of a loose cannon and his divebombs may not work every time. Hulkenberg on the other hand, is capable of keeping his nose clean on occasion and can bring the car into the points. Hulkenberg is currently worth $11.2 million in the Fantasy League.

Carlos Sainz Jr

12 months ago, not a single McLaren driver would have featured on F1 fantasy teams, unless they had die-hard fans. Fast-forward to 2019 though, the British outfit is getting back to its feet and becoming the best of the rest.

To that end, Carlos Sainz is one driver who has the ability to get in the points, albeit unnoticed. In Silverstone, Budapest and Hockenheim, he was in the top 6 for all three races. Admittedly, Spa and Monza were disappointments with retirements, and Singapore saw him finish 12th after being involved in a couple of incidents. Sainz Jr is worth $8.5 million in the Fantasy team.

Lando Norris

Known for his killer memes off track, Lando Norris is an excellent driver on it as well. He is the cheapest driver, at $5.8 million, but he will certainly give you your money’s worth. Norris picked up two well-deserved 6th places, in Austria and Bahrain. He came agonisingly close to recording four points finishes in the last 4 races. Sadly, his car broke down on the last lap of the Belgian Grand Prix while he was running in a career best 5th and ultimately ended the race in 11th.

Ferrari

On the team’s front, the recent resurgence of Ferrari makes them prime candidates for Fantasy players. Having triggered a winning streak from Spa onwards, Scuderia Ferrari are on a roll. The team is worth $29.3 million and they will certainly deliver their money’s worth.