F1 FANTASY: Strategist Preview – What you need to know for the Austrian and British Grands Prix

Formula 1 enters another double header with the Austrian and British Grands Prix. F1 Fantasy players who plan across both weekends combined rather than one at a time will find themselves at a significant advantage.

With the championship narrative intensifying and several midfield assets building impressive form, the decisions made ahead of the Austrian deadline could have meaningful carry-through implications into the British Grand Prix the following weekend. Choosing assets with strong track records at these circuits and building enough cost cap flexibility to adapt if practice sessions throw up any surprises will separate the strongest F1 Fantasy line-ups from the rest.

It is never too late to join the free-to-play game and compete for great prizes on offer every race week. New players simply need to select five drivers and two constructors within the starting cost cap of $100 million.

If you need a reminder of all the action from last time out in Barcelona-Catalunya to help you choose, watch the highlights below. Remember to lock in your teams in before Qualifying begins in Austria at 1600 local time (1400 UTC) and again in Silverstone at 1600 local time (1500 UTC).

Global League update

P1 on the global leaderboard has continued to build a lead through smart line-up management, keeping Mercedes and Ferrari as their constructor backbone while making a well-timed driver switch ahead of Barcelona, selling Kimi Antonelli following his Monaco win and rotating in team mate George Russell, who rewarded that call with a P2 finish last time out.

The teams in P2 and P3 also have Mercedes and Ferrari as their foundations, but the decisive call came in driver selection – both nominated differential 2x Boost drivers in Lando Norris and George Russell respectively.

The common thread across the top of the global leaderboard remains consistent: Mercedes and Ferrari as the constructor core, with active 2x Boost management around the premium driver tier making the difference week to week.

F1 Fantasy Strategist watchlist

Our F1 Fantasy Strategist evaluates seven in-game assets below and reviews all potential chip strategies to help you challenge for the top step in F1 Fantasy’s global leaderboard.

Lewis Hamilton ($24.2m)

Lewis Hamilton is the undisputed king of Silverstone. The Briton has nine wins from 21 starts at his home circuit, with a podium in 12 of his last 13 visits.

Back-to-back podiums, notching fantasy scores of 27 and 56, confirm that he has hit his stride with Ferrari this season, with the Barcelona haul representing the third-highest individual driver score in 2026.

With the home crowd behind him and a circuit that plays to Ferrari's strength in high-speed corners, Hamilton is one of the most compelling 2x Boost candidates heading into Silverstone in particular - and the Red Bull Ring offers further upside for a driver increasingly comfortable in his car.

Isack Hadjar ($12.1m)

Isack Hadjar posted his season-high of 22 fantasy points in Barcelona and has scored top-six Grand Prix finishes in three consecutive races, suggesting a driver growing in confidence. The second-year driver represented the third-best value on the grid across Monaco and Spain, averaging 1.74 points per $1 million spent.

At circuits offering medium-to-high overtaking opportunities like the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone, Hadjar's ability to gain positions and Q3 appearances make him a strong hold across both rounds of this double header.

Liam Lawson ($8.7m)

Nine or more fantasy points in five of his last six race weekends is a statistic that quietly tells the story of Liam Lawson's 2026 season – steady, reliable fantasy returns.

The Racing Bulls driver is third on the grid for total value gained this season ($2.2m up from his season’s starting price) and is set to rise again, requiring only two fantasy points in Austria to climb in value.

Arvid Lindblad ($5.6m)

Arvid Lindblad has delivered back-to-back fantasy scores of 18 and 10, underlining a rookie who is finding his feet in Formula 1 and building momentum at exactly the right point of the season.

His Racing Bulls car is capable of delivering points at both the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone, two circuits that reward decisive drivers with strong race craft – he leads all drivers for total overtakes (10) across the last two race weekends.

As the best value driver in Monaco and Barcelona, averaging 2.27 points per million in that period, the British racer is an excellent option for this next slate of races.

Nico Hulkenberg ($3.0m)

Nico Hulkenberg's pedigree at the upcoming tracks speaks volumes for his appeal. The journeyman driver has top-10 finishes at the Red Bull Ring in the last two visits there. He also secured his maiden podium at Silverstone in 2025, driving all the way from P19 in wet weather.

Now at the $3.0m price floor with zero downside risk on losing value, Hulkenberg is the ultimate budget enabler for managers looking to free up cost cap for premium assets elsewhere.

Other drivers to monitor: Kimi Antonelli, Sergio Perez

McLaren ($29.8m)

After a difficult run to start the year, McLaren emphatically rediscovered their best in Barcelona, a 67-point fantasy haul – the highest of any constructor that weekend – built on 15 pit stop points and both drivers capitalising on retirements elsewhere to maximise their race positions.

Lando Norris won at both the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone in 2025 and, after Spain's showing, the evidence points to a team that has turned a corner with reliability and form - though monitoring Free Practice across both weekends before committing remains advisable.

Ferrari ($25.4m)

Ferrari's mixed 2026 form has been well-documented, but their underlying scoring mechanisms remain dependable – the team averages 10 qualifying teamwork points and 5.3 pit stop points per race weekend in 2026, providing a reliable points floor.

With Hamilton P2 in the Drivers’ Championship and looking increasingly settled, there are multiple routes to a competitive double header haul.

Other constructors to monitor: Mercedes, Red Bull

Silverstone chip strategy – No Negative

The No Negative chip resets any negative scoring categories (DNFs, positions lost and other penalty points, excluding extra transfers) to zero for the weekend it is activated.

Silverstone has a history of changeable weather, and the 2025 British Grand Prix is a reminder of what that can mean in F1 Fantasy – five retirements across last year’s race weekend created significant scoring swings that the No Negative chip would have neutralised. Throw in an extra session of racing this year with the fourth Sprint of the season and this poses even more retirement risk.

If the forecast turns in the lead-up to the Silverstone Sprint deadline, this chip becomes one of the most valuable insurance policies remaining in your arsenal as protecting against an untimely DNF could be the difference between a strong result and a damaging one.

Featured leagues and upcoming mini-leagues

Keep your eyes peeled for exciting mini-leagues opening later in the F1 Fantasy season, providing you with even more opportunities to play and win.

As always, be sure to keep a close eye on the earlier sessions to help guide your decisions for drivers and teams in the lead up to the team lock deadline.