F1 Fantasy: McLaren open the door for Max in Qatar

Heading into the Grand Prix, Verstappen knew that finishing ahead of Lando Norris was essential to staying in contention. The Brit, meanwhile, knew no risks were needed. This played out on Sunday, with Norris’ timid approach to turn one and McLaren’s shocking pit strategy.

Following a clash between Pierre Gasly and Nico Hulkenberg, the safety car came out, prompting most of the field to box. Trying to maintain track position and strategic "flexibility," McLaren kept both cars out, squandering a free pit stop. While Oscar Piastri fought back to second, it really was his race to win. Norris didn’t even recover to the podium, cutting his lead to just 12 points.

All this was reflected in the F1 Fantasy league. Verstappen picked up a whopping 55 points, Piastri scored a respectable 46 points, and Norris earned only 25 points. Like Ferrari (who put in yet another shocking performance), Gasly and Hulkenberg were punished with totals of three points and -18 points, on a critical weekend for the destiny of the F1 crown.

Aside from Verstappen, Carlos Sainz was this weekend’s clear star performer. The Spaniard beat Lewis Hamilton to his first Grand Prix podium for Williams in Baku. But few would’ve predicted that another one was on the cards in Qatar. He drove a smooth race, as his nickname would suggest! And he capitalized effectively on McLaren’s error.

While Sainz scored 27 fantasy points, Gabriel Bortoleto picked up 14 points for an efficient if unspectacular race. Fernando Alonso, wily fox that he is, managed to grab seventh for six real points and 12 in F1 Fantasy. Considering how bad Aston Martin have been at recent events, that’s some achievement!

Unfancied Red Bull pair Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda also had relatively good weekends. Lawson fought off Hamilton on the opening lap and finished P9; Tsunoda rounded off the points in P10. They took home 11 & 12 in-game points respectively, but were outperformed by their teammates in the race. So, they’re “winners” in one sense, very much “losers” in another.

To put it bluntly, Ferrari had an abysmal weekend in Qatar. This is becoming a bad habit for the Scuderia towards the end of this season. Leclerc got overtaken by Hulkenberg in a Sauber on the second lap, and Hamilton was uncompetitive all race long. They salvaged 15 fantasy points for eighth and twelfth, but the prancing horse is limping to the end of the campaign.

Another team in much need of a refresh, Alpine, were anonymous once again. Nine fantasy points between the two drivers was probably more than they deserved for P14 & P16. Lance Stroll also failed to make an impact, picking up two in-game points after failing to finish the race from a woeful P17.

Ollie Bearman was more unlucky than anything else, scoring -17 points. He was running in the top ten when he tried to leave the pits with only three wheels on his wagon. It seemed like more of a team error than a driver one; he was unfortunate to get a ten-second penalty for it. Isack Hadjar also fell to the back from P6 on the penultimate lap due to a puncture—very unlucky!

Elsewhere, Alex Albon was outperformed once again by his teammate. Earlier in the year, he seemed to have the upper hand on Sainz. Now, whenever an opportunity presents itself, it feels like the Spaniard is best placed to pounce. Albon ended up in P11, scoring just five fantasy points.

Unlike Norris, the leader of our F1 Fantasy league managed to extend their lead in Qatar. Team 44th Gear opened the gap to 172 points thanks to multipliers placed on Verstappen and Piastri, surely putting them clear of the chasing pack heading to Abu Dhabi.

Players looking to mix things up for the final round should consider ditching Mercedes. Their drivers are now nearly as pricey as Piastri, after a strong handful of performances. Alpine, Aston Martin, and of course Ferrari seem to be the teams to avoid for next weekend.

Alpine have also opened a one-race league for fans. This so-called “Desert Dash” will allow players to compete for the chance to win a “meet & greet” with one of the team’s drivers. So there’s still something to play for (other than pride). For a bit of fun, readers can also join GP247’s F1 Fantasy league here.