Filed on Las Vegas GP It's time to take a look at the drivers who are increasing in value and those who are losing it in Fantasy Football. F1, between surprises and increasingly certainties.
Who's going up after the Las Vegas GP
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Masterful race The Italian's performance in Las Vegas and his value in Fantasy F1 can only rise. Antonelli's level is rising sharply with each passing race. So the mid-season difficulties now seem like a distant memory. Starting from the back of the grid after a poor qualifying session marked by heavy rain, the Mercedes pit crew opted for an immediate stop, fitting the white tyre. From that moment on, Kimi put in a incredible stint which led him to never have to stop again.
While managing his tires, he managed to hold off Piastri and Leclerc, finishing fourth. He even closed in on his teammate, who finished just ahead of him but had started on the second row. The five-second penalty imposed on him for a false start would have relegated him to fifth place, but the McLarens' penalty gave him third place. This earned him his second (or third, if you count the sprint) consecutive podium. After the Las Vegas GP, this is the second weekend in a row where he has secured a podium finish. 30 points to Fanta F1: a real bargain for his fantasy managers.
NEW VALUE: 19 YAW
Max Verstappen
It couldn't have gone any better. Victory and McLaren disqualified: what seemed like an impossible feat now seems a little more possible. Yes, because if at the end of the race the Dutchman was 42 points behind the championship leader, a few hours later that deficit "magically" shrunk to 24 points. A Christmas present ahead of McLaren. Focusing on the race, however, we saw a Red Bull in top form. Excellent strategy, excellent pit stops, and their driver flying with fast laps. It must also be said that Verstappen should once again be subjected to McLaren's strength starting from the next race in Qatar. However, the events in Las Vegas can only have boosted Super Max's morale, and therefore his value in the Fantasy F1 rankings increases.
NEW VALUE: 42 YAW
Franco Colapinto
He is the pilot who costs the least, but this time his value increases. He is rewarded thanks to the 9 points brought to the fantasy managers, also due to the last-place bonus and his current form: in the Fantasy F1 in the last 3 races he has scored more points than Gasly twice. As for the race itself, he was once again close to Gasly in terms of performance. The Alpine is a car that does not allow for great performance and the results of the much more experienced French driver are a clear example, but Colapinto is finding some continuity, which is essential in Fanta F1.
NEW VALUE: 9 YAW
The 3 who instead go down to Fanta F1
Alex Albon
-15 points: that's what the fantasy managers who bet on him had to endure. The Las Vegas GP was a real disaster For Alex Albon, who, between poor communication, pit stops, and collisions, had a chaotic race. Yet the Thai driver's race didn't start badly, managing to avoid collisions at Turn 1 and closing in on the points zone.
After just over 10 laps, however, he collided with Hamilton, damaging his wing, but radio problems prevented him from communicating with the team. Therefore, no wing change was made, forcing him to stop again. In a weekend that had already seen him crash in qualifying, Sunday fared no better, with a retirement on lap 35. Albon hasn't scored a Sunday point in six races, a span during which his teammate Sainz has scored an impressive 31 points. The hierarchy in the Williams household is changing, and so its value in Fanta F1 drops by 1 Yaw.
NEW VALUE: 16 YAW
Lando Norris
He seemed destined to fly towards the drivers' title. But the events in Las Vegas may have created a few more headaches for Norris: his situation is keep an eye on at Fantasy F1. After a race of management and containment, he could have been satisfied with second place, but a serious mistake by McLaren puts him in a truly uncomfortable position. Whether he can erase what happened in Nevada remains to be seen. The penalty he received weighs heavily, given that having him on the team requires spending a lot of Yaw points: his value therefore drops.
NEW VALUE: 39 YAW
Oscar piastri
It seems even the Australian himself has given up on becoming world champion. He's slower not only than his teammate and Verstappen, but also than at least a couple of other drivers every weekend. he hasn't been on the podium in 6 races and now his train seems to have passed. Paradoxically this disqualification helps him, because it brings him closer to Norris, but in a final sprint you need to show the best version of yourself, something that is seen in Norris and Verstappen but not in the young Australian driver. After the consideration at the Las Vegas GP its value in Fantasy F1 drops further.
NEW VALUE: 37 YAW
