2024 F1 Fantasy: Your Ultimate Guide to Beating Formula One's Global League

F1 Fantasy is back and better than ever in 2024. The game enjoyed massive growth in 2023, expanding from 1.6 million teams in 2022 to over 2.4 million teams by Abu Dhabi. For new players and veterans alike, let’s review the steps to build a team, how to play, and some tips to succeed in 2024.

First, perhaps I should share my credentials. I founded my website, F1FantasyHQ.com, to publish weekly strategy guides, highlight data trends, and share exclusive interviews with the top players in the world. The site hosted over 100,000 visitors last season and for the second year in a row I finished in the top 0.2% in the Global League. You are all in good hands!

Getting Started

To play F1 Fantasy, head over to fantasy.formula1.com or use the Fantasy tab in the bottom right-hand corner of the F1 app. Create a team of five drivers and two constructors while staying within the $100M cost cap. These assets earn points based on their final positions after Qualifying, Sprints, and Grands Prix, positions gained, overtakes, Driver of the Day, and Fastest Lap. Select a driver to receive the 2X DRS Boost to double their score to complete your lineup.

Next, enter a fun name (I’m partial to Baby Got Baku) and feel free to insert commas and underscores if someone already selected your preferred team name. After locking in a name, answer a short survey about your home country, favorite constructor, and favorite driver, and F1 enters your team into leagues based on these responses.

The game hosts thousands of leagues, with no limit to how many leagues players can join, so challenge your friends and family or sync up with your favorite content creators in a quest for fantasy glory. The game introduced the Head-to-Head Battlemode this year for two players to duke it out all season, the team that wins the most races by scoring more than their opponent wins the league.

How to Play

Lineups lock at the start of Qualifying each race weekend. Drivers and constructors earn points throughout the weekend and league leader boards are updated after each event. On Sunday night, lineups open for the following race and the game limits players to two free transfers per race. One unused transfer may be carried over to the next race for a maximum of three free transfers and subsequent transfers subtract 10 points apiece from your total score.

Each player starts the season with six powerup chips that can only be used once per season. These chips include:

• 3X DRS Boost – Triple the score of a single driver and move the 2X DRS Boost to a different driver for even more points

• Limitless – Build the ultimate team with an unlimited cost cap with infinite transfers for a single race weekend

• Wildcard – Similar to Limitless, this chip grants unlimited transfers

• Autopilot – Tough week for your top driver? Autopilot moves the 2X DRS Boost to the highest scoring driver on your team

• No Negative – Any scoring category that ends the weeks with a negative score (Did Not Finish penalties, positions lost since qualifying) is set to zero points – this applies to every driver and constructor in your lineup

• Final Fix – Substitute one driver between Qualifying and the Grand Prix and ignore the lineup lock deadline, keeping any points scored by the driver you remove

Playing these chips at the right time has the potential to vault your team to fantasy stardom, so plan wisely!

Tips For Success

Finishing among the top 25% of teams in the world and winning your Mini Leagues is easier than you think. Following a few simple guidelines separates top teams from the rest of the pack:

1. Diversify Your Strategy: F1 Fantasy allows each player to create three teams. I recommend all new players create one team with their favorite drivers, a second team with their “Plan A” strategy, and a third with a “Plan B”. Each year, thousands of players build a team of their favorite drivers but often the strategists that select less popular drivers (looking at you, Lance Stroll) score more fantasy points. The most teams you enter, the more chances you have to win.
2. Win the War of Attrition: As players forget to set their lineups, lose interest in the game, or grow frustrated with a low rank, an opportunity presents itself for us to inch our way up the rankings. Set an alarm for the lineup lock deadline, which occurs on a Friday for Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and all six Sprint weekends.
   
   Also, carefully follow trends on the grid to take advantage of the biggest improvements, such as McLaren’s meteoric rise from back marker to podium contender last season. My team’s biggest rank increases came in the final eight races each of the last two seasons, so I can attest first-hand that patience pays off.
3. Leverage the Top Strategists and Tools: Surround yourself with multiple resources to make the most informed lineup decisions. I publish race previews and lineup advice at F1FantasyHQ.com, meanwhile YouTubers such as F1 Fantasy Hub and PotpanmanF1 provide excellent video content. F1 Fantasy Hub and I team up for a weekly podcast called The Fantasy Formula and answer all your lineup questions in our base on the FanAmp app. Last, but not least, F1FantasyTools.com stands out as a go-to source for stats and fantasy simulations.

With Paddock Passes, Champions Club tickets, and a £500 F1 Authentics Voucher on the line, the stakes are higher than ever for F1 Fantasy this season. Over 700,000 players have registered with one week left until the Bahrain Grand Prix and more are expected to join in the coming weeks. Armed with all the tips to succeed, now you can compete with the best in the world.