F1 FANTASY: Strategist Selection – What’s the best line-up for the Singapore Grand Prix?

Following the drama of Baku, F1 heads into the heat and humidity of Singapore for one of the most physically demanding races of the season. The Marina Bay Street Circuit sets the stage for an iconic night race that pushes both drivers and machines to the limit, as the narrow streets and constant corners leave no room for error.

With high chance of Safety Car and strategy shake-ups, Singapore often delivers surprises that can make or break your F1 Fantasy weekend. Our Strategist is here to guide you through the unique challenges of racing under the lights and what that means for your line-up choices.

It’s never too late to join the free-to-play game and compete for the great prizes on offer every race week! New players will need to select five drivers and two constructors within the starting cost cap of $100 million.

And don’t forget that the Street Showdown two-race mini league remains open until the team lock deadline for the Singapore Grand Prix. There are exciting new prizes on offer, including an Red Bull replica driver racesuit! Keep your eyes peeled for exciting mini leagues opening later in the F1 Fantasy season too, providing you with even more opportunities to play and win.

Ahead of every Grand Prix weekend, our F1 Fantasy Strategist evaluates seven in-game assets – five drivers and two teams – that can help you succeed in F1 Fantasy, whether that’s eking out every point or maximising your budget.

The tight street layout that snakes around Marina Bay demands precision and stamina, with more corners than most other circuits on the calendar and little room for error under the floodlights. Safety Cars are also likely, meaning strategy and reliability are often just as valuable as outright pace.

Catch up on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix highlights below and keep reading for more tips. Remember to lock in your teams before the Qualifying starts on Saturday, September 20 at 2100 local time (1300 UTC).

Max Verstappen ($28.5m)

Max Verstappen’s track record in Singapore is not his strongest – it remains the only circuit on the current Formula 1 calendar he is yet to taste victory at.

However, his recent victories at Monza and Baku, and upgrades to the RB21 suggest that the Dutchman could be in the mix for the race win this weekend.

The four-time World Drivers’ Champion has turned in championship-worthy drives recently that have netted him back-to-back scores of 45 or more points in F1 Fantasy.

The metronomic Verstappen will naturally want to go one better than his circuit-best P2 in Singapore, which he achieved in 2024, as the pressure ramps up on other drivers at the top of the standings.

George Russell ($22.7m)

George Russell continues to deliver as one of the most underrated F1 Fantasy gems this season.

Consistency is the name of the game for the Briton. He has completed 29 consecutive Grand Prix races (the longest current streak among all drivers on the grid) and has double-digit fantasy scores in 25 of his last 27 outings.

The Mercedes racer also has the third-highest average race finishing position (4.4) on the grid this season.

Russell finished P4 in Marina Bay in 2024 and was on track for third place in 2023 until he retired on the final lap of the race – he’ll be aiming for nothing less than a podium in Singapore this weekend.

Liam Lawson ($5.9m)

Liam Lawson is having a resurgence with Racing Bulls following a tricky start to his 2025 campaign.

The New Zealander has four Q3 appearances in his last five Qualifying sessions, on top of averaging 8.4 F1 Fantasy points between Belgium and Azerbaijan.

During that period of time, Lawson has also increased $1.4m in value – the second-highest value change among all drivers (Alexander Albon is first with $1.8m).

In his solitary Formula 1 outing around Marina Bay in 2023, the Racing Bulls driver finished P9 and should be well-placed to improve on this mark based on his recent results and performance of the car.

Gabriel Bortoleto ($5.9m)

Gabriel Bortoleto has been a cash cow in F1 Fantasy recently.

Since the summer break, the Brazilian has increased $1.4m in value whilst scoring 20 points over that three-race span.

His recent good form ensures he only requires at least 2 points in F1 Fantasy for the maximum $0.6m price rise in Singapore.

If the Kick Sauber racer can deliver another Q3 appearance around Marina Bay – he’s qualified in the top-10 in three of the last five race weekends – it will set him up nicely to score well and rise in price once more.

Carlos Sainz ($5.7m)

Carlos Sainz secured his breakthrough podium with Williams in Baku to record his best F1 Fantasy score this season (33).

The Spaniard has outqualified his team mate Alex Albon ($13.0m) in each of the last four race weekends and looks to be much more at ease now after a slow start to his 2025 campaign.

Sainz needs to score greater than -15 fantasy points to rise $0.6m in value in Singapore, which makes him an affordable option to increase your team budget this weekend.

Winning at this circuit in 2023 should provide an additional confidence boost to the Williams racer as he aims to close the gap to his team mate in the Drivers’ Championship.

Other drivers to monitor: Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc

Ferrari ($30.3m)

Although McLaren may still be the favourites to score highest among all teams in F1 Fantasy this weekend, an underwhelming outing in Azerbaijan brings two other outfits into our thinking.

Ferrari have secured pole position in Marina Bay in three of the last four seasons – Charles Leclerc has been responsible for two of these. The Monegasque’s single lap pace is not to be discounted, with his most recent pole position coming in Hungary.

The Scuderia are also able to lean on fantasy advantages in other ways – they lead all teams with 10.3 pit stop points per race weekend in 2025 and are second best for Qualifying teamwork (8.4 points per race).

At a narrow street circuit that can catch many drivers off-guard, the experienced pairing of Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton should be a vote of confidence for F1 Fantasy managers.

Red Bull ($29.3m)

Since the appointment of Laurent Mekies as Team Principal, Red Bull have averaged 56.4 fantasy points per race weekend – 17 points more on average across the first 12 races of 2025.

A season-high 84 fantasy points in Azerbaijan was aided by Verstappen’s race victory and Yuki Tsunoda’s P6 result – his best result since joining the team earlier this year.

The Milton Keynes team also recorded the fastest pit stop for the third time in the last six races and lead all teams with an average of 12.8 pit stop points per race in that time.

If Verstappen and Tsunoda can continue to maximise the capabilities of the RB21, which seems to have turned a corner in performance recently, the team should be able to push for another solid haul of points this weekend.

Other constructors to monitor: McLaren, Mercedes

As always, be sure to keep a close eye on the earlier sessions to help guide your decisions for drivers and teams in the lead up to the team lock deadline.