If you’re looking to up your F1 fantasy game, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’ve never played before, or you’ve competed with friends and family but have yet to pop the champagne, keep these tips in your back pocket for the upcoming season. And of course, feel free to share this article with those same friends, you know, after you’ve secured the championship. 

What does F1 Fantasy cost? 

It’s entirely free to play, but, as with most fantasy sports leagues, you will need to sign up for an account with an email and password. After that you’ll be able to create your team and sign up for the Global League, with options to join private leagues with friends and family. 

An F1 Fantasy Team example (Source: F1.com)

How do I create an F1 Fantasy team?  

Once you’re signed in to F1 Fantasy, you’ll be able to choose 5 drivers and 2 constructors. You can create up to three teams, but only one will count toward your league standings. Choose wisely – it can be a good place to test out a new driver/constructor combo, or work out your budgeting troubles. Which brings us to…

What is my F1 Fantasy team budget? 

As part of the league, you’ll get access to a whopping $100M, but you’d be surprised how fast it can go. The pricing for the top drivers and constructors has risen for 2025 while the overall budget has stayed the same; for example, if you wanted to create a team with Lewis Hamilton as one of your drivers and Ferrari as a constructor, that would claim 51.3% of your overall budget. If you want to incorporate teams like McLaren and Red Bull into your roster, you will see similar results. 

Since it will be even more difficult this year to afford a team that’s both consistent and dominant,  fantasy team principals may want to experiment with a few different combinations of top drivers and constructors to see what sticks. If you don’t typically utilize your second and third teams, this could be a valuable tool for 2025, particularly if you are in a competitive fantasy league. 

Are values set at the beginning of the season or do they change? 

The dollar amount at which the drivers and constructors are valued is dynamic and can change at any time. The scoring system has two main updates for 2025 that are worth noting – drivers will now be evaluated on their performance in the last three grand prix, whereas in 2024 it was only based on the previous week. Last year, leaderboards often reflected this volatility, having significant swings from week to week. F1 is always unpredictable, so we’ll likely see that again, but it’s unclear whether this change will actually dampen the impact of one or two low-scoring weekends. The second change is the addition of pit stops and disqualifications to the overall constructor score; the team with the fastest pit stop of the race will now receive 5 additional points added onto its overall score for the race weekend. If a driver is disqualified from a race for any reason, it will count against that driver’s constructor and not the individual. Again, you can’t plan for these but they’re helpful to know when evaluating your score at the end of a race weekend. 

What are power-ups and how should I use them? 

Using these can get super chaotic, but what’s not to like? It can be the perfect way to shake things up especially if you’re having a tougher season with your chosen drivers and constructors. The main power-ups are chips and the DRS boost. 

• Chips can only be used once and because of that, the strategy behind them is important – for example, you may want to choose your Extra DRS Boost (3x points) on a driver that’s already getting bonus points that weekend. Drivers can accumulate points throughout the season for achievements like out-qualifying their teammate or for climbing their way up the grid on race day. You’ll be able to see the progress on these “streaks” throughout the season, but typically mid-season, these will start to accumulate more and that’s when certain chips become more valuable. 

• The regular DRS Boost is a power-up that can be used every week, but again, has to be chosen with care. It will double the point value of any driver you choose for that race week, but that also means a DNF or the impact of a 5-second penalty down the grid can be doubled in value. It’s important to consider the track, the history of the driver at this track, and the current condition of the constructor and the driver before deciding. Use a chip like No Negative or Autopilot if your pick feels particularly risky that week. 

Are the values set at the beginning of the season or do they change? 

The dollar amount at which the drivers and constructors are valued is dynamic and can change week-to-week; a strategy that may have worked in Bahrain week one may not work the following weekend at the same track. Once the season progresses, streaks and power-ups will come into play. 

A look at driver stats to consider when making your choices

Should I choose my favorite team for my fantasy team? 

It depends. Of course, if your favorite team just won the Driver or Constructors championship (hey Red Bull and McLaren!), then it’ll likely be a good choice. But as mentioned, these values are dynamic and can change on a dime. This is something that many fantasy sports enthusiasts struggle with so you’re absolutely not alone in wanting to follow your heart – but in the end, think about the balance between who you really want to support and who you can afford with the finances you have. You can start the season with one lineup and end with one that’s completely different, so start with a balanced team and adjust as you go!