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

Formula 1 closes out the European leg of the season with back-to-back rounds, beginning at the Temple of Speed in Monza this weekend before heading to Madrid and a brand new circuit.

Monza rewards straight-line speed, slipstreaming, and late braking, while the all-new Madring presents the entire grid with a new challenge and an unfamiliar street layout.

Planning your F1 Fantasy approach across both weekends together, rather than one at a time, will give players a real edge. Targeting assets that can score from anywhere on the grid, while retaining enough cost-cap flexibility to react to any surprises, will position the best line-ups for this next sequence of races.

It is never too late to join the free-to-play game and compete for the 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 Zandvoort to help you choose, watch the highlights below. Remember to lock in your teams before Qualifying begins in Monza at 1600 local time (1400 UTC) and again in Madrid at 1600 local time (1400 UTC).

Global League update

P1 on the global leaderboard has held the top spot for several weeks now, and both they and P2 have continued to place their trust in Kimi Antonelli as their 2x Boost driver.

The standout mover is a new team in P3, which surged up the standings with a well-timed 2x Boost on Lando Norris and the addition of Charles Leclerc – a combination that banked a huge 345 fantasy points in Zandvoort, some 88 more than P1 and P2 managed in a single weekend.

The theme at the top of the leaderboard remains familiar: active 2x Boost management around the premium driver tier, paired with the strongest constructors heading into the Qualifying deadline, continues to make the difference from week to week.

F1 Fantasy Strategist watchlist

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

Kimi Antonelli ($26.0m)

Kimi Antonelli will take a grid penalty at Monza, with Toto Wolff confirming the team will take the "full thing". That is no reason to overlook him – starting further back at a circuit with so much point-scoring on offer through overtakes, gaining positions and even the Driver of the Day (worth +10 points in F1 Fantasy), gives the Italian a path to a significant fantasy haul.

There is reason for optimism, too: Max Verstappen's charge from deep in the field at Interlagos two seasons ago returned more than 70 fantasy points in the Grand Prix alone. If the stars align, Antonelli has the ceiling to reach similar heights and remains a leading 2x Boost candidate in Monza.

Charles Leclerc ($24.2m)

Monza is Ferrari's home race, and Charles Leclerc arrives with the Scuderia hoping for a statement result in front of the Tifosi.

His record at the Temple of Speed is exceptional – two wins and a top-four finish in every Monza race in which he has seen the chequered flag as a Ferrari driver.

Form backs up the history – Leclerc averages 40.8 fantasy points across his last four race weekends, the second most of any driver in that span. With the Ferrari home crowd behind him, he is one of the most compelling 2x Boost options for the Italian weekend.

Fernando Alonso ($6.8m)

Since Aston Martin introduced upgrades in Hungary, Fernando Alonso has averaged 17 fantasy points per race, and the consistency has been there for some time – the Spaniard has been the best value-for-money driver on the grid from the Austrian Grand Prix onwards at 1.84 points per $1 million spent.

Needing just -9 fantasy points for a maximum price rise in Monza, Alonso is a natural pick across this slate of races, with the added motivation of a home crowd in Madrid to come. He remains a dependable budget option in an improving race car.

Nico Hulkenberg ($3.6m)

Nico Hulkenberg might not win you the week on his own, but reliable, steady production at a bargain-basement price is exactly what a budget enabler is for – scores of four, nine and five fantasy points in his last three weekends tell that story.

Needing only -1 point in Monza for a maximum $0.6m price rise, he is an ideal enabler for managers loading up on multiple premium assets elsewhere in their line-up.

Sergio Perez ($3.2m)

The biggest question mark for Cadillac remains reliability, with the team having suffered 11 retirements in 12 race weekends this season. Even so, Sergio Perez can point to a strong record at Monza, with two podiums to his name at the Temple of Speed.

Perez is expected to shed $0.2m in value at Monza, but he has averaged 9.8 fantasy points across the eight races in which he has reached the chequered flag this year. Owned by just 18% of managers – fewer than many of his peers – he is a tempting differential for those willing to accept the reliability risk.

Other drivers to monitor: Lando Norris, Lance Stroll

McLaren ($31.3m)

McLaren have found their groove, banking 70 or more fantasy points in three of the last four weekends, capped by back-to-back Lando Norris wins in Hungary and the Netherlands.

Their Monza history adds to the appeal – 97 fantasy points there in 2025 and 83 in 2024. On current form, McLaren look a strong constructor pick to open this run of races and the team continue to build on their impressive recent momentum – though Monza is a very different circuit to the Hungaroring and Zandvoort.

Ferrari ($26.9m)

Ferrari head into their home race in strong shape, with both drivers having finished inside the top five in each of the last four Grands Prix.

Their fantasy production has been excellent at 2.82 points per $1 million this season, and the raw speed is there too – Ferrari have set the fastest lap in the last two Grands Prix. For managers pairing a Ferrari driver with the constructor, this could be a formidable combination at a discount to their front-running rivals.

Other constructors to monitor: Mercedes, Red Bull

Italy and Spain chip strategy – Wildcard

The Wildcard chip grants unlimited transfers for a single deadline without spending your free transfers, making it the ideal tool for a full restructure of your line-up.

Where budget permits, this stretch is a chance to move into a top-heavy team – doubling up on Mercedes through both the constructor and Kimi Antonelli, potentially adding a Ferrari driver at their home race, and pairing two front-running constructors (McLaren with Ferrari, Mercedes with McLaren, or Mercedes with Ferrari) to squeeze the most from these premium assets.

Three full practice sessions at each round hand you plenty of information before the deadline, and the Wildcard lets you react to that practice pace and act on all of it without any transfer cost.

Featured leagues and upcoming mini-leagues

The F1 Fantasy Legends League is open until the end of the season and gives you a fresh start for the remaining races in 2026, with all players beginning from zero. Former F1 World Champions have created their own teams, so take on the legends, climb the leaderboard and prove you’ve got what it takes.

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 on drivers and teams in the lead-up to the team-lock deadline.