Picking your drivers and cars for your team in Fantasy GP is a bit tricky. Naturally, you want to win – beat your friends and maybe win a prize or two. And to win you need the best drivers and the best cars. That you can afford.

And that’s the tricky bit. You’ve got $75million Fantasy GP Dollars to spend on 3 drivers and 3 cars, so who do you pick? Remember, while top cars and drivers are likely to get the big race points, just like the real thing, in Fantasy GP there are bonus points for improving position, beating your team mate and more (see the full game guide here).

Lewis Hamilton is the most costly driver, 6 titles and the current champion – plus you know that given a sniff of an opportunity he’ll find his way to the top step of the podium. Surely you need him in your team – but whoah, that’s a chunk of budget gone – is it well spent?

Maybe Bottas is a better choice? The Finn may lack Lewis’ records of wins and titles but on his day he can take it to Lewis and he’s driving an identical car, so you if your budget doesn’t allow for the champ, the champ’s team mate could be a good shout.

Remember you can effectively have both drivers if you have the Mercedes car in your team, but you’ll miss out in the potentially lucrative bonus points. Instead, you could win big if they get 1-2 result around Albert Park, or not if the cars have issues. Hmm.

Then there’s the red cars. Who knows if they’re fast or not, they should be. Vettel could be a bargain, so could Leclerc. Or they could crash into each other. Vettel is currently cheaper than his team mate after a disappointing 2019 campaign – a bargain for a 4 times champion, if he can get some of that form back.

Red Bull are tipped to take the fight to the front for 2020 and are the cheapest of the big 3 teams. Seems like a no brainer. As for drivers, Albon is potentially a huge bargain, but he’s yet to win so maybe it’s better to spend a little more to get one of the most exciting drivers in your team – Max Verstappen. That said, you have to hope his front wing is still in one piece after turn 1.

If budget is a little tight, you can boost it by an extra $5million by opting for PRO Elite Membership – you’ll get an ad-free site, live scoring, prizes to be won, more free team changes and a heck of a lot more too, don’t delay – Go PRO today!

Beyond the top 3, it gets even trickier to pick your team. The prices of the cars are calculated based on their 2019 results, so Williams and Haas are both crazy cheap and could prove to be a shrewd addition to your team with bonus points a plenty if they start towards the back and finish while others fail. Or perhaps not. Another reason to choose cheaper cars and drivers is to free up some budget to spend on the other slots in your team.

The midfield – it’s a minefield

And so, the midfield – it’s a minefield of choices. Can McLaren deliver on the promise of continuing their rise back to the front? Will Renault deliver on some of that rapid pace in testing? Can Racing Point’s “Pink Mercedes” emulate the 2019 silver arrows’ superiority?

And what about AlphaTauri, they got podiums last year, will they do it again with a refreshed Pierre Gasly and a hungry Kyvat? Then there’s the curious case of Alfa Romeo – they’ve got a champion driver racing in his “hobby years” (his words, not ours) and a feisty young promising talent in the form of Giovinazzi. Sometimes they’re crazy quick, others they’re nowhere to be seen, but you can you afford to not include them?

Ok, so this “How to pick your F1 Fantasy Team” may not give you the answers, but it should provide some help around planning your cars and drivers and figuring out who’s going to give you the most bang for your bucks.

Play around with the team builder and see what you can come up with and check in with the practice sessions on Friday and Saturday before qualifying to see how your cars and drivers are looking. You have until qualifying for Australia before the game locks for the first race of the season. Good luck!