F1 Fantasy: Lewis Hamilton flips the script with first Ferrari win in Barcelona

At long last, Hamilton is a winner in red. The seven-time world champ has had his critics (and the VSC definitely helped him out on Sunday), but his drive was absolutely flawless. Seconds per lap faster than Mercedes in the middle stint, he was chasing the win well before the safety car intervened.

With 56 in-game points, Hamilton doubles Russell’s total of 28 points, making him the standout winner from a fantasy POV. For Kimi Antonelli, the tables finally turned in Spain, as bad luck deprived him of a well-earned second place. He even overtook his lacklustre teammate on track, only to break down four laps from the end.

Antonelli was hit with -4 fantasy points for his electrical failure and lost even more ground in the real title race. Hamilton is now just 41 points behind; Russell is 9 points further back in third. Luck swings back and forth in Formula 1. It’ll be interesting to see how Antonelli resets in Austria next time out. 

norris piastri barcelona gp

Pirelli’s decision to shift to a softer tyre compound on the high-wear Catalunya circuit made for an exciting grand prix up front. Different strategies made the Ferrari-Mercedes fight intriguing until the end, as McLaren and Red Bull looked like they might get involved further back.

Though Lando Norris couldn’t quite get close enough to pass Antonelli, he drove a solid race and eventually inherited a podium for 23 fantasy points. Oscar Piastri also grabbed 19 in-game points despite an uninspiring grand prix, where he finished fifth, 35 seconds behind his teammate.

Both Red Bulls scored 22 fantasy points, albeit in very different circumstances. Max Verstappen drove his own race, maximizing with P4, as Isack Hadjar fought his way back to sixth after bogging down at the start and losing nine places. Impressive stuff from “Le Petit Prost” on a strong weekend. 

Alpine also made a shocking start to the Spanish Grand Prix. They looked all at sea with the setup and qualified down in P13 & P14. However, Pierre Gasly recovered well to finish an excellent P7, earning him 17 fantasy points. Other strong performances include Arvid Lindblad, who gained from Franco Colapinto's post-race penalty to take P9 for 10 in-game points. 

Racing Bulls have been reliable in F1 Fantasy all season long; Liam Lawson added another 9 points to his tally for P8. Haas pair Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon delivered 15 points between them; Checo Perez continues to score regularly from the back of the grid, earning 8 points this time out. 

You have to feel sorry for Fernando Alonso. Potentially his last showing at Catalunya ruined by an uncompetitive Aston Martin. Earning -17 fantasy points adds further salt to the wounds of the 7% of players who continue to select the Spaniard despite his team’s ongoing issues. 

Charles Leclerc also had another weekend to forget. This time, P6 was snatched from his hands late on by a power steering failure. With his teammate winning, you’d expect to see him return to the front before long. This week, he gets nothing in F1 Fantasy, zero points. 

Reliability issues struck at Cadillac too, where Valtteri Bottas followed up a brake failure in practice with a mid-race retirement, earning him an 18-point fantasy penalty. Alex Albon suffered a mechanical failure after starting in P18 for -16 points, while Nico Hulkenberg retired due to a freak incident involving his car’s killswitch for -15 points. 

Clipping on Straights remain at the top of the GP247 F1 Fantasy league, despite having Kimi Antonelli on their team. Second-placed Sammyed F1 Racing suffered the same stroke of bad luck, so our top point scorers stay the same after a topsy-turvy result. 

Looking ahead to the next race in Austria, Racing Bulls continue to offer the best value for money in F1 Fantasy. They’re joined as reliable point scorers by Haas and the Alpine of Pierre Gasly, who has returned to form in recent grand prix. Perez is also worth considering, as he keeps inheriting places, earning 52 fantasy points this season.

Antonelli lost out this weekend, after the F1 gods evened out some of the good luck he enjoyed in the opening rounds. Despite this, he is by far the biggest F1 Fantasy points scorer with 305 points. The youngster also retains a sizable lead in the real championship, so it’s not a complete disaster for him. 

What matters now is that Antonelli bounces back with a similarly strong showing at the Red Bull Ring. Russell has already allowed his run of bad luck to get into his head. Now, Antonelli needs to avoid a similar fate if he’s going to fend off a resurgent Hamilton in an increasingly competitive Ferrari. 

There’s still time to join the GP247 F1 Fantasy league. It’s free to access and adds a little extra spice to each race. You can sign up here.