F1 Fantasy: Kimi Antonelli in a league of his own after Canada win

If the gloves came off between Antonelli and George Russell in the Sprint, they were virtually throwing hands in the race. The pair came close to crashing multiple times, and on lap six Kimi looked destined to run into his teammate, only to swerve off at the very last minute. 

Canada was a fun watch! Even if passing at the front had a ‘yo-yo overtake’ feel to it. Only another unfortunate retirement for Russell put an end to the squabbling. Antonelli went on to win with ease, taking 62 fantasy points to Russell’s 4 points—and widening his championship lead to a whopping 43 points. 

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen also brought their A-game. Promoted up the order by McLaren’s shambolic strategy, the pair dueled just like old times, and both ended up on the podium. Hamilton placed higher in the sprint and grand prix, earning him 42 fantasy points, while Verstappen was awarded 26 points. 

Arguably, the biggest surprise in this week’s F1 Fantasy was Franco Colapinto. The Argentine continued his hot streak to capitalize on the chaos near the front and grab P6, another career-best finish. He gets 25 in-game points and a bit more credit in the bank of Flavio Briatore. 

The Scuderia have dropped a few clangers over the years, but McLaren’s strategy gamble has to go down as one of the worst in recent memory. The track was easily dry enough to race on slicks; even on the formation lap it was obvious. Yet, they kept arguing with Oscar Piastri and ended up "looking like idiots."

In the end, McLaren were forced to pit from intermediates, dropping Piastri into a battle with Alex Albon. They crashed, and Piastri was slapped with a 10-second penalty, ruining his race. Teammate Lando Norris also had to fight hard, and this eventually took its toll on his gearbox, forcing him to retire. 

Between them, they earned just 23 fantasy points across the sprint and grand prix. Albon didn’t do any better either (despite being the innocent party), picking up -8 points for the DNF. 

Other strugglers in Canada included Sergio Perez, who was hit with -11 points after suffering a bizarre front right suspension failure on the pit entry. Fernando Alonso also endured another dismal race. His weekend quickly fell apart after an SQ1 crash and a seat issue forced him to retire for -26 fantasy points. 

Arvid Lindblad can count himself unlucky following an issue on the grid that prevented him from starting in P8. He took a 16-point hit, while Isack Hadjar earned just 6 in-game points for P5. The ‘Petit Prost’ was punished for losing thirteen places in the sprint, but he was still closer to Verstappen pace-wise over the weekend. 

Canada’s first sprint weekend brought more point-scoring opportunities than usual. This benefited Pierre Gasly, who despite putting in a no-show in the sprint, was able to fight back in the grand prix from P14 to P8 for 16 fantasy points (and four real ones).

Following a sub-par start to the season, Williams will be relieved that Carlos Sainz held his nerve in tricky conditions to take P9 (his third ninth place in four races). He gained 11 fantasy points—and weirdly, owing to a quirk in the rules, this is the same amount as Lance Stroll, who inherited places as frontrunners fell. 

Haas pair Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon also recovered from P16 & P17 in qualifying to P10 & P14, for a combined 18 fantasy points. Despite bemoaning the “worst weekend of his career,” Charles Leclerc gained 27 in-game points for P4. Beaten by his teammate, but a decent fightback in the grand prix from P8! 

Liam Lawson, who entered this season with a big question mark hanging over him, had another decent weekend himself in P7. He survived an investigation into a formation lap incident with Nico Hulkenberg to keep the result, earning him 23 fantasy points. 

Once again, in this week’s GP247 F1 Fantasy league, the Sammyed F1 Racing Team is at the top of the pile. They extended their lead thanks to Antonelli and Colapinto—and the “no negative” chip played to prevent any points deductions caused by Norris' DNF. 

Already, Antonelli is proving to be this year's F1 Fantasy star, earning 254 points to Russell’s 157 points. Colapinto’s price has risen to 8.8 million in-game dollars, but he’s quickly turning into a bargain. By contrast, Hadjar and Gasly are becoming worse value, at $12 million each. All Haas and Racing Bulls' finishers scored higher and cost less. 

Overall, it's worth keeping an eye on F1 Fantasy. Not only is F1 offering some decent prizes for the winners, but GP247 are running our own league. If you’d like to take part, it’s still possible to join for the remaining races and spice up the season here.