RADIO
Who's ready for some Formula 1 DFS? Since F1 returned to Austria, only two teams have won this race: Mercedes and Red Bull. Driver's Championship leader, Max Verstappen, has won it three times in the last four years. He should be the odds-on favorite to capture a fourth win at the Red Bull Ring this weekend ahead of Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, and teammate Sergio Perez.
In Friday's qualifying, Verstappen pipped the Ferrari duo to claim pole for Saturday's sprint. Q3 was dramatic as both Mercedes drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, hit the wall and caused some red flags. On Saturday, Verstappen cruised to win while the Ferraris battled for the final two spots on the podium. Fernando Alonso didn't start the race to scrap an encouraging morning practice. He was going to be my dark horse stack with Alpine before that unfortunate event.
Below you will find our Formula 1 DraftKings DFS lineup picks for 7/10/22, with the slate locking at 9:00 a.m. ET. If you have any questions or want to talk about Formula 1, you can find me on Twitter at @EuanOrYouOut.
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How Does Formula 1 Fantasy Work?
If you're familiar with using DraftKings for NASCAR, this Formula 1 format is going to feel really, really different from what you're used to. It's a lot closer to the NFL single-game showdown slates than it is to anything on the NASCAR side.
So, here's how the scoring and format work. You'll pick five drivers and a constructor. One of those drivers will be your captain, who earns you 1.5-times the points but also costs 1.5-times as much as they usually cost. For the constructor, you're choosing one of the F1 teams.
So, here's how the scoring works. First, your driver only gets points if they finish in the top 10. Here's a chart for how that breaks down.
| Finishing Spot | DraftKings Points |
|---|---|
| 1 | 25 |
| 2 | 18 |
| 3 | 15 |
| 4 | 12 |
| 5 | 10 |
| 6 | 8 |
| 7 | 6 |
| 8 | 4 |
| 9 | 2 |
| 10 | 1 |
In addition, the driver with the race's fastest lap gets three points. You get 0.1 points per lap led, five points for beating your teammate, one point for being classified at the finish (finished 90% of the race, essentially), and points for place differential. Finish three spots higher than your grid position, and you get two points. Finish five better, and you get three points. Finish 10 better to get five points. You also lose points for negative place differential, starting at three spots.
The constructor points work the same way, with some added points if both cars do well.
It's confusing, but for Formula 1 DFS to work, it probably had to be confusing.
Now that we've gone over that let's talk drivers. And bare with me, as this whole F1 fantasy thing is new to all of us.
Captain/Constructor Stack: Max Verstappen ($18,000), Red Bull ($11,700)
Starts 1st
It's tough to go against Max in Austria. As I said in the intro, he's won three of the previous four races on this track. He won qualifying on Friday and followed it up with a leisurely stroll around the Red Bull Ring on Saturday to take home the Sprint win. A sea of orange buoys the flying Dutchman in Austria and he is the favorite to cross the line first on Sunday.
Championship rival, Charles Leclerc, said that Ferrari is quick, and they can win Sunday. Well, as we've seen many times this season, the car doesn't matter for Ferrari: it's the race strategy. Red Bull is still the team to beat, and I don't see an upset coming on their home track. It's an expensive stack but a must-have in cash games.
Sergio Perez ($9,000)
Starts 5th
A front-wing mishap at Silverstone couldn't stop Perez from claiming second last weekend. Now, Friday's deleted lap times couldn't prevent him from skirting up the starting grid for the Austrian Grand Prix. During Saturday's Sprint race, the Mexican driver climbed from 13th to 5th in 24 laps. A Turn 1 collision up the road helped, but he sliced and diced his way around the Red Bull Ring on Saturday afternoon.
I don't mind flipping Max for Sergio in tournaments to create some variance in your lineups. Plus, an extra $4,500 to spread amongst the rest of your squad is nothing to scoff at. Perez is my favorite driver to get in my lineup outside of Verstappen and Leclerc.
Fernando Alonso ($7,000)
Starts 19th
After qualifying in eighth for Saturday's Sprint, Fernando Alonso didn't start his car. A suspected electrical issue cost the Spaniard a chance at some valuable points as Alpine battles with McLaren for the top of the midfield. It's a shame, as both Alpine drivers put together top-five times in the second practice on Saturday morning.
Still, the two-time World Champion starting on the back row doesn't doom him from a DFS perspective. On the contrary, if the French garage can fix the Spanish driver's car overnight, I still believe they can astonish in Austria. Overtaking points will be there for the taking around this track, and the wily veteran won't go down without a fight. As a result, Alonso is an excellent upside play in the $7,000 price range.
Valtteri Bottas ($6,600)
Starts 20th
Earlier, I mentioned only Red Bull and Mercedes have won on this track since it returned to the F1 calendar in 2013. Well, it's Bottas, not Sir Lewis Hamilton, who has the last two wins for the silver arrows. While the 32-year-old isn't in a Mercedes anymore, he obviously enjoys this track and knows how to get around it. Due to a new power unit in his Alfa Romeo, the Finn will start Sunday's race in 20th. However, that fact didn't stop Bottas from battling on Saturday and achieving a top-10 finish. He tangled with his old teammate, Hamilton, for several laps and nearly caught Mick Schumacher's Haas on the final lap of the 10-turn circuit.
In this price range, many DFS managers will be tempted to roll with Lando Norris in the McLaren due to his previous success on this circuit, but I would caution against that strategy. Norris and teammate Daniel Ricciardo have both complained that the car is scary to drive right now. Neither looked comfortable in the papaya machine on Friday or Saturday, and I believe that will carry over to the final results on Sunday afternoon. Bottas is my preferred play over the McLarens.
Kevin Magnussen ($4,000) OR Mick Schumacher ($3,800)
Start 7th and 9th
- Mick Schumacher went wheel-to-wheel with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in back-to-back races over the last six days.
- The German got the never-scored points chip off his shoulder.
- Last weekend, Schumy and K-Mag combined to give Haas their first double-points finish in over three seasons.
- Vibes
Everything is turning up Haas these days. The fourth of July was on Monday, and it would be unpatriotic to ignore the American team from your DFS lineup on Sunday. But, all jokes aside, this team is rolling right now. Both drivers qualified inside the top six in Canada, then finished top-10 in Silverstone before another double top-seven qualification on Friday. Overtaking points will be hard to come by as they have six Red Bulls, Ferraris, and Mercedes ahead of them on Sunday, but a clean race and some valuable World Championship points will be a great return at their price points.
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