F1 Fantasy Season Preview

F1 Fantasy Season Review

Welcome to F1F’s 2023 F1 Fantasy season review!

F1F is here to look over all the latest changes to Fantasy F1 as well as all the changes that have happened over the winter break in F1 with all the teams. All this is to hopefully help you be able to know how to play and who to pick for the 2023 F1 Fantasy season.

2022 saw massive changes to the regulations which affected all 20 teams, these changes were designed to help create closer racing and add more overtaking action for us all to see on a weekly bases. While it worked in sorts we ended up crowning the F1 champion in the 5th from last race of the season in Japan but let’s hope this season we will have a closer battle for the championship with a possible repeat of 2021 and it coming down to the final race of the year.

This year we see a shake-up and a change to the F1 Fantasy system from past years that could leave a few people wondering how they will be able to keep their favourite constructors and drivers in their lineup.

This year for F1 Fantasy you need to pick 5 drivers the same as last year but this year you need to select two constructors, meaning you need to make 7 selections overall with the same $100M budget that was available last year. So who are you going to pick? How can juggle needing an extra constructor in your lineup? Hopefully, F1F can give you some insight to help you get your teams ready for the 2023 season.

Before we go into details as always, feel free to join the “F1F” F1 Fantasy league by using the code P63TZ1C1V02 in the join/create league section or you can also join the F1F league by clicking here.

				
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So where do you start with your 2023 F1 Fantasy team? For us after such a strong season for both driver and team last season, Max Verstappen is a must-have from the start of 2023 if you are wanting to gain the maximum points on offer. Red Bull will always make sure Max is the priority and they will give him the best tools to outperform his teammate week in and week out, the only downside to picking max is he will take up over a quarter of your budget with him costing a whopping $26.9M from before the season starts. So far 57% of teams have decided Max is needed in their teams and that cost is simply worth it for the points he is almost guaranteed to win.

There are other options should Verstappen not be the pick for you, eight-time world champion Lewis Hamilton can be selected in your team for $23.7M but with uncertainty around Mercerdes’ performance this could be a big risk at this price. A third driver who is valued over $20M is Charles Leclerc, Charles was the biggest threat to Max retaining the driver’s world championship last season but was let down on serval occasions by his team and their “interesting” choices made over the season. 43% of teams have selected Leclerc in their lineup showing that most teams and splitting between Max and Charles as having both in your lineup would use up €48.1M of your $100M budget. Picking both drivers will leave a lot of your eggs in their baskets as it would only leave you an average of $10.4M to spend on your other 5 selections.

Is Fernando Alonso F1 Fantasy standout pick?

F1F believes the stand-out driver to choose for this season is Fernando Alonso! Alonso starts the 2023 season with his new team Aston Martin replacing the retiring Sebastian Vettel. Despite Aston Martins’s two poor seasons of finishing seventh in the 10-team championship, they look to be coming to 2023 with a car that is much improved. There are strong signs from testing and data that they could well be challenging toward the front three and pushing close especially to Mercedes.

Everyone knows what Fernando can do when he has a good car under him so to have him in your F1 Fantasy teams for $8.3M seems like the standout pick for all teams at the start of the 2023 season.

When looking for other drivers to add to your team you would want drivers who are consistent and will most likely outscore their teammates over the season. Lando Norris is someone worth considering although costing $11.2M and McLaren not looking the strongest, we saw with Daniel Riccardo that the McLaren is not an easy car to just jump into and drive so I expect him to outscore Oscar Piastri for the opening rounds of the season.

Nyck De Vries against Yuki Tsunoda will be a battle worth keeping an eye on over the season with them both being in the very early stages of their F1 careers. For F1F, De Vries could look to get off to a better start to the season with Yuki adjusting to life without Gasly in the team, and at $5M on your budget, it could be a good last choice to complete your driver lineup.

In terms of constructors to be selected there at 3 main ones, you are going to be looking to have at the start of the F1 Fantasy season. The must-have pick for F1F is Aston Martin. Fernando Alonso will enjoy having a fast car under him and Lance Stroll can produce some good results as shown in the past in the team’s Racing Point days. Aston will only also cost you $6.7M to have them on your team.

This leaves you needing one more constructor to have your team ready to go. The big choice is now between Red Bull and Ferrari, both will be looking to build on last season’s performance with Ferrari maybe feeling they have something extra to prove after the failures of last year. Your decision may also come down to what budget you have left, Red Bull will cost you $27.2M while Ferrari will cost you $22.1M.

There have also been changes to the points scoring and the additional points scoring features. These changes and updates can be found on the “How to play” page.

Now you have your team sorted, feel free to join the “F1F” F1 Fantasy league by using the code P63TZ1C1V02 in the join/create league section or you can also join the F1F league by clicking here.