F1 Fantasy: Mercedes reap rewards after Canada masterclass

Having bounced back from some difficult DNFs in Spain, George Russell was faultless in Montreal, taking a lights-to-flag win. Teammate Kimi Antonelli also did brilliantly to hold on for his first Formula 1 podium. This time out, Max Verstappen was unable to challenge for victory, but he too churned out a second place result—and these three topped the F1 Fantasy standings with 47, 35, and 29 points, respectively.

Sadly for McLaren fans, Mercedes’ brilliance was matched only by Norris’ ineptitude. With both Papaya drivers putting in average qualifying laps, they left themselves a mountain to climb in the race. While Oscar Piastri fought to catch and pass Antonelli, Lando Norris chased, ran into, and scuppered the chances of his teammate in a costly crash.

Neutrals may celebrate the end of this year’s ‘Papaya Rules’ stalemate, but the McLarens picked up just 20 fantasy points combined. Title fight aside, there were also several big surprises in the midfield. Don’t forget, you can still sign up for the GP247 F1 Fantasy league here. In the meantime, let’s get on with this week’s breakdown.

In many ways, Canada represented a much-needed reboot for F1 Fantasy’s underperforming mid-table drivers. Yuki Tsunoda has generally struggled since replacing Liam Lawson earlier this season, but the 25-year-old was rewarded for his on-track overtaking antics with 12 points. Carlos Sainz scored similarly well with 13 F1 Fantasy points.

Despite largely struggling to keep up with Alex Albon for much of this year, the Spaniard outscored his teammate in Canada, who retired due to engine issues.

This week’s other impressive point scorers include Fernando Alonso, whose season fightback now looks well and truly on. Having made a rotten start to the season, the two-time world champion has picked up a whopping 36 points in his last two performances, with seventh place earning him 22 F1 Fantasy points in Canada and six real ones to boot.

Nico Hulkenberg also continued his immense run of form. KICK Sauber may have found some pace, but the German is clearly making his experience count. An impressive eighth-place finish earned him 15 points in F1 Fantasy—and made it 47 points over the last two Grand Prix.

For once Lawson wasn’t at fault for his own downfall. This week, reliability issues saw him start from the pit lane, then cooling problems forced him to retire. But F1 Fantasy took no pity on the Kiwi, deducting him 20 points. Other backmarkers didn’t have the same excuse.

Lance Stroll’s comeback after missing last week’s Spanish Grand Prix was less than triumphant, with the Canadian finishing last of the race’s runners on home soil.

While Gabriel Bortoleto struggled to keep up with his established teammate, Franco Colapinto had another weekend to forget, finishing thirteenth to leave him at the mercy of a potential Flavio Briatore reshuffle.

Surprisingly, Isack Hadjar, one of this season’s young stars, also failed to perform in Canada. He looked off the pace all weekend and finished a lowly sixteenth, earning him two F1 Fantasy points—the same as Colapinto. He’ll be looking for something different next weekend!

Once again, the frontrunner in the GP247 F1 Fantasy league is 44th Gear. Team boss Gavin De Souza may have backed the wrong horse in Norris, but he stayed miles clear at the front thanks to this week’s showing from F1’s oldest rookie at Aston Martin.

As we round off the first ten races of the championship, let’s take a moment to review this year’s top performers and disappointments so far. Piastri is marginally the second-highest scorer with 341 points but still $5.8 million in-game dollars cheaper than Norris. Fifth- and sixth-placed Lewis Hamilton & Charles Leclerc are only slightly less expensive themselves, making them bad value for in-game money.

Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon’s early season form has cooled off, but Hulkenberg remains one of the game’s biggest bargains at $7.2 million. Alonso’s earlier drop-off saw his price dip to $5.1 million, so he could be one to watch in the coming races. As one of 2025’s emerging talents, Hadjar is also a steal at $6.7 million, despite his dip in Canada. So he's still great value as well.

For those interested, there’s still plenty of time to sign up for GP247’s F1 Fantasy league here. The Formula 1 season resumes at Austria’s Red Bull Ring from July 27-29, 2025.