F1 Fantasy: Brilliant Austria drive sees Max Verstappen take biggest point haul

Verstappen put on a vintage display at the Red Bull Ring, dicing with old adversary Lewis Hamilton, before taking the fight to Russell in inferior machinery. He didn’t quite manage to chase down the win, but a strong return to form for the Dutchman earned him 43 in-game points, 8 more than both Mercedes cars. 

Having won from pole, Russell was hard done by in F1 fantasy terms. He won’t care though! Teammate Kimi Antonelli, who went too gung-ho in the opening stages, is now a little closer in the standings at 40 points away. On a damage limitation weekend, Antonelli didn’t do badly either, finishing on the podium. 

Ferrari were the real losers in red-hot Austria. They turned up with a big upgrade package but got completely screwed over by tyre degradation. Hamilton did okay fantasy-wise, taking home 27 in-game points for P5. Leclerc was nowhere, taking P8 for 9 fantasy points. 

Considering how far back they finished, McLaren also did alright points-wise. Oscar Piastri took 23 points for P4, and Lando Norris earned 11 fantasy points for P7. But make no mistake about it, Mercedes and Red Bull were the clear winners—in F1 Fantasy and real life. Russell’s title charge is back on course. Verstappen showed us what he’s still capable of. 

There was a clear pecking order in Austria, with the top 8 lapping the rest of the field. Isack Hadjar finished well inside this leading pack, taking P6 for 15 fantasy points. His strong showing really underlined Red Bull’s recent progress and should give them cause for optimism heading to Silverstone. 

The rest of the midfield was relatively predictable. The two Racing Bulls finished where they started in P9 & P10, earning 13 in-game points between them. Audi finished just outside the top ten (again), taking just ten fantasy points, and Alpine were unable to really challenge the points paying positions in P13 & P15. 

Franco Colapinto recovered one place after a poor qualifying for 10 points in F1 Fantasy, but that’s nothing to write home about. All things considered, Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, and Fernando Alonso also did reasonably well with 7 fantasy points each. Arguably that makes them bargains in F1 Fantasy terms. 

But Williams are playing catchup, Ocon’s seat is still under scrutiny, and Alonso must be wondering what he’s done to deserve two F2 engines in one Formula 1 career. He merely inherited his fantasy points, finishing last of Austria’s runners. Hopefully there are better days ahead for Aston. It can’t get much worse! 

With track temperatures soaring to over 50°C in Austria, it was always going to be a test of endurance… for cars and drivers alike. Cadillac seemed to have made progress in qualifying with a raft of updates, but they fell apart completely in the race, with both cars retiring by lap four. A dismal display by the American outfit. 

They were hit with 17-point penalties for their failures, just like Carlos Sainz, who broke down on the pit straight after his Williams started sounding like a lawn mower! This nearly created a VSC opportunity for Antonelli, and it did tempt Hamilton into a disastrous three-stop strategy. For Sainz, it was curtains.

Unsurprisingly, Lance Stroll didn’t finish in the other Aston Martin either. Surely it’s only a matter of time before he and Papa Stroll get bored of F1. He also got -17 fantasy points for his troubles. Ollie Bearman rounds off the rest of the poor scorers with just 1 point for P14 in a very sluggish-looking Haas. 

It’s all change at the top of this week’s GP247 F1 fantasy league. Sammyed F1 Racing has overtaken Clipping on Straights after selecting Isack Hadjar and Mercedes, two of this week’s star performers. Then again, there are just 10 points between them and three races in four weeks. Let’s see if it stays that way. 

Just 17% of all F1 Fantasy players picked Verstappen. Maybe it’s time to get back on the Red Bull hype train! Of the frontrunners, many players (36%) are still backing Antonelli, who has 340 in-game points, 76 more than anyone else. The likes of Colapinto continue to offer great value, alongside consistent point scorers Racing Bulls. 

Heading into this weekend’s British Grand Prix, there’s still time to sign up for the GP247 F1 Fantasy league here. If anything, it helps spice up the action. And there are plenty of prizes available courtesy of F1, so it’s worth taking a look for the final two-thirds of the year.