The F1 fantasy arrives in Austin for the United States Grand Prix. Six races to go in a championship that has recently become more lively than in the first half of the season. McLaren remains, as always, the car to beat, but in certain conditions, Verstappen and Mercedes appear to be able to fight for the win as well. Ferrari, however, is far behind. While we await the performance benchmarks that tomorrow's free practice sessions will provide, let's take a look at the five drivers to avoid this American weekend.
Who should you avoid from the back of the grid in Austin?
Let's start from the back, and therefore from the drivers in the lower ranks. As we always explain, very often at Fanta F1 The opponents fight with careful choices starting from the drivers at the back of the grid. Even a performance that yields five or fewer points can make the difference against teams that, instead, find themselves conceding zero or even negative scores. Let's start with the first driver: Pierre Gasley. Just like Herbert Ballerina in Affari Tuoi on Rai 1, French is also becoming a regular guest on this column. It's a real shame, because at the beginning of the year, despite a terrible car, he had managed to achieve some significant results. However, Alpine has completely thrown in its oars, at least for 2026. Furthermore, as if that were not enough, In the last few races, Gasly has often found himself behind Colap toointo.
The United States GP will then be the home race for Haas, as well as Miami and Las Vegas. In Florida, neither car managed to finish the race in the top ten. Furthermore, in Formula 1, very often Running on your home track can be a double-edged sword: On the one hand, the desire to do well, on the other, the pressure that increases even more. Leaving aside superstition, Austin will be a sprint weekend: Haas, which usually takes a long time to find the best setup for the race, he might find himself in trouble, since there will be only one free practice session. Furthermore, Ocon has been struggling lately compared to his younger teammate: Oliver Bearman. Better, therefore, not to rely on French.
Time is running out for Tsunoda
The other low-end driver to stay away from at Fanta F1 for the US GP is Yuki tsunoda. The Japanese has practically spent all of 2025 chasing Verstappen and to get used to a car that remains completely foreign to him even now. Nothing can be done, for a driver who found himself having to recalibrate himself during the championship. Its price in Yaw remains too high: 15 credits is still a lot for a driver who is unable to consistently score points, even when driving a Red Bull.
The Formula 1 world has become very fond of Yuki Tsunoda over the years. In return, the Japanese driver has managed to show glimpses of his talent, albeit inconsistently. After some difficult seasons, last year he managed to conclude a season with satisfactory results. But without the push from Honda, he would hardly have survived Helmut Marko's court for so long. Time that, for number 22, seems to have ended. Probably, in fact, Isaac Hadjar could take his place for the 2026. Also for this umpteenth element of pressure, we avoid choosing Tsunoda over Fanta F1 for the United States GP.
Who among the top drivers to avoid?
Let's move on to the first- and second-tier pilots. We'll proceed in ascending order: let's avoid it for now, Charles Leclerc. Ferrari is completely out of control, with the drivers forced to resort to the extreme technique of lift and coast. This is evidence of how the team is forced to resort to conservative methods to get the two cars to the finish line, thus avoiding any breakdowns or technical penalties. Leclerc always gives it his all, but this year he seems to be helpless against a car that has never shown itself capable of fighting for victory. So let's avoid spending a lot on the Monegasque, when among the second-tier pilots there is a certain George Russell fresh from renewal.
Among the top-tier pilots, however, we are not betting on Oscar Piastri. The Australian seems to be in a bit of trouble. It's true that he only needs to do the bare minimum to become world champion. but 26 points behind his teammate isn't that many. From the Canadian GP, the last serious mistake by Lando Norris, Piastri was almost always behind the English driver, with the exception of the races in Belgium and Holland, where perhaps Piastri's best performance of the season was seen. Furthermore, without the accident in Canada and the engine failure at Zandvoort, Norris would be top of the league today. Of course, history is not written with ifs and buts, but the fact remains that Piastri appears to be slightly declining. Among the top-tier pilots, therefore, it is better to look at Verstappen or to Norris himself.
