Fanta F1 returns this weekend for the Brazilian Grand Prix. The Formula 1 world championship will finally take place at Interagos, one of the championship's most beautiful tracks, always ready to surprise its fans. Furthermore, as one of the final rounds, it almost every year coincides with the races that have proved decisive in deciding the drivers' or constructors' championships. While the latter has already been awarded to McLaren, the former still has three contenders. So, in this context, let's see which drivers are best left out at Interlagos.
Let's start from the back of the grid: let's avoid an Alpine and a Sauber
In almost every episode of this column throughout 2025 he made an appearance one of the two Alpines. In the beginning was Doohan, put under pressure by the team and limited by the pressure that weighed on him. Then, in crisis from the very beginning he seemed Franco Colapinto, the Australian's replacement. In the last few Grands Prix, however, the Argentine seems to have found his rhythm, even if, unfortunately for him, he hasn't yet scored his first points with the French team. Said this, the victim of the disastrous Alpine season now seems to be Pierre Gasly. If in qualifying thanks to his skills he seems to still be able to give himself at least Q2, in terms of race pace he was forced to succumb to his opponents. Furthermore, the performance advantage seems to have vanished which he boasted about his teammate. For these reasons, then, it would be better not to field poor Gasly.
We now move on to the Sauber garage. We advise against betting on the host: Gabriel Bortoleto. If there's one thing we've learned with the rookies this year, it's who suffer a lot from the pressure and numerous commitments that their home Grand Prix imposes on them. An example was Antonelli at Imola and Monza, as was Silverstone for Bearman. Probably due to the high expectations of the local fans, or simply, of a Circus that too often risks putting sporting issues on the back burner for commercial ones. Bortoleto could therefore be affected by the atmosphere of his home Grand Prix. Choosing him could be risky, unless you want to aim for the opposite effect, one that can exalt the driver a bit like what happened at Felipe Massa when he tried his hand at the curves of Interlagos.
A big battle in the center of the group: watch out for Albon
It is becoming increasingly complicated to choose third-tier drivers in Fantasy F1 who could bring more points to their fantasy managers than their direct rivals. Over the course of the year we have become accustomed to occasional great performances from various drivers. Let's think about the podiums of Sainz and Hulkenberg, as well as fourth place Bearman. Consequently, it can be useful to follow the trend of recent races, as well as look back at previous Grands Prix to understand, more or less, how the different teams performed on tracks similar to the one they will race on Sunday.
Finally, there is one last thing we learned at Fanta F1 this year. Twenty-four races is a truly huge number. It's therefore difficult for drivers and teams to maintain the same level throughout the season. A rule that applies to everyone, except Max Verstappen, who, as we all know, is from another planet. In light of what has been said, at Fanta F1 for the Brazilian GP. better not to bet on Alexander Albon. The Thai-born driver is experiencing a slight decline, despite having been crucial to his team for almost the entire 2025 season. Its price is becoming high given the performance shown on the track in the last grand prix. Furthermore, Carlos Sainz's return is starting to suffer, who seems more comfortable with the new team. Furthermore, Williams often finds itself competitive on low-downforce circuits, while Interlagos requires a medium-downforce set-up given the many lean corners. We are therefore not banking on Alexander Albon, but are directing the available credits towards drivers who are in their best form.
Between world championships and comebacks: we're not counting on Antonelli and Norris.
Let's start with the returns: the first is Norris's, who had not been leading the world championship since the Chinese Grand Prix. The second, however, is that of Kimi Antonelli. After a truly complicated summer, also due to Mercedes' poor development decisions, the Italian driver has returned to performance levels similar to those of the top six or seven drivers on the grid (a fluctuation that depends on Hamilton's weekly mood). This means fantasy managers should start considering him again as a player capable of positioning himself between the third and second tier. The fact remains, however, that Interlagos could prove to be a rather challenging track and his direct rivals, Russell and the two Ferraris, could start with an advantage. So let's leave Antonelli on the bench, at least for the Brazilian GP.
Among the top-tier pilots, who we remember to be Piastri, Norris and Verstappen, It's easy enough to recognize that you're in great difficulty. Oscar Piastri has given up the lead in the standings to his teammate, Lando NorrisBrazil, however, is a track where the cards are often shuffled wildly, and perhaps those chasing the lead in the championship could take advantage of this characteristic. Last year Norris lost the world championship in the pouring rain of Interlagos, after a great sprint on Saturday. The wet conditions smiled on Verstappen, who was able to earn just enough points to secure his fourth title. Norris, as we know, often struggles to handle pressure, especially when he's leading. This last aspect and the track conditions could put him in difficulty. It will be up to the Englishman to prove to the fans that he has finally changed and that he is capable of conquering the world championship.However, we at Fanta F1 for the Brazilian GP are not at risk of being among the top three in the standings: so it's better not to bet on the English McLaren driver.
