After two roller-coaster weeks of F1, it’s time to re-strategise and tweak your fantasy teams as F1 returns this week in Melbourne with the Australian Grand Prix

Well, after an unpredictable first week, normalcy seems to have been restored with usual suspect Max Verstappen winning in Jeddah. Lewis Hamilton’s performances have really affected fantasy teams though. Hamilton is a part of most of our fantasy teams but with two back to back underwhelming performances is it time to replace him? What about Charles Leclerc? The most consistent driver of the season, is it worth using a chip on him so early? Which constructor seems to be the safest bet going forward – Ferrari or Mercedes or Red Bull? We have got the answers you’re looking for and we’re back after a break with your weekly dose of F1 Fantasy!

Max Verstappen – DNF – (-10 points)

Sergio Perez – DNF – (-10 points)

Kevin Magnussen – P5 finish

That’s how unpredictable the start was but a P1 finish for Verstappen and a P4 for Perez means we have got some stability going into this weekend.

Either Verstappen or Leclerc is a must in your team. As suggested last week, Kevin Magnussen seems to be the best available budget pick with the Haas driver following up his P5 finish with a P9 in Saudi Arabia. Ferrari definitely is the safest bet when it comes to the single constructor slot with Mercedes clearly struggling and Red Bull has a lot of catch up to do.

Which drivers should you get in this week?

You will get three free substitutions ahead of the Grand Prix. Use them to bring in drivers you feel will do well in Melbourne. If you don’t have Leclerc yet, just get him in! Verstappen or Leclerc is a must in your team and you can build your team around them. If that requires you to remove Lewis Hamilton, we would suggest you go ahead and do that. Carlos Sainz or Sergio Perez is a good cover for your marquee driver and then you can definitely rely on Kevin Magnussen as the budget pick. For this week, our wildcard pick would be Daniel Ricciardo. We would suggest you use one of your three free trades to get him in! Ricciardo has been pretty underwhelming so far, however, we expect the Australian to earn a top 10 finish in his home Grand Prix. Ricciardo could be a very good differential pick.

Sebastian Vettel is returning this week and you can definitely get him in if you have a slot and enough budget! Not many teams would have him and like Ricciardo, Vettel could be a top differential for this week.

Is it time yet to use your powerups or streak? Our answer – No. Save it for the future, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. The most important part is – Remember to save and submit your teams before the deadline which is the qualifying on Saturday evening.

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