RADIO
Formula 1 heads to Azerbaijan for a big race at Baku. This weekend was supposed to be about Lando Norris chasing Max Verstappen for the title, but some issues in qualifying led to Norris getting out in Q1. He needs a perfect race on Sunday to stay in the hunt for the WDC.
Last season at Baku, Red Bull's Sergio Perez dominated, leading 42 of the 51 laps to finish 2.137 seconds ahead of teammate Max Verstappen. Perez has struggled relative to his teammate in 2024, but Baku is a track that really suits him.
Below you will find our Formula 1 DraftKings DFS lineup picks for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on 9/15/24, with the slate locking at 7:00 a.m. EDT. If you have any questions or want to talk about Formula 1, you can find me on Twitter at @juscarts.
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Captain: Charles Leclerc ($16.2K)
Starts First
After a strategy call gave Charles Leclerc the win at Monza, the Ferrari star comes to Baku with a car that's more than capable of winning this race on speed. Qualifying proved it, as Leclerc wound up claiming the pole during Saturday's session.
I've been watching F1 for 25 years. It's genuinely hard to think of a sector in qualifying at any track where someone is as good as Charles Leclerc is in Sector 2 in Baku.
It's absolutely ridiculous how quick he is around here. But that sector especially is mind-blowing.
— James (@JOC__1991) September 14, 2024
With Verstappen's car just not looking as fast as it has in the past and Baku not being one of his best tracks plus the fact that Norris starts in the back, it's easy to see the path to a dominant Leclerc victory on Sunday.
Constructor: Ferrari ($10.7K)
Not only does Ferrari have Leclerc on the pole, but the constructor also has Carlos Sainz Jr. starting third. A double podium is definitely a possibility here, something that hasn't happened for the team since Monaco.
Entering this race, Ferrari has 27 or more fantasy points in four consecutive races. The team scored 46 points last time out at Monza. The 31.6 fantasy points per race from Ferrari is just a tiny bit back of Red Bull and McLaren despite the fact it had a little rough stretch over the summer where it failed to record double points in three of four races.
George Russell ($9.6K)
Starts Fifth
George Russell's luck just hasn't been here lately. After he was disqualified from the Belgian Grand Prix, losing his victory in the process, he's posted consecutive finishes of seventh. Which is fine, but it's not quite where Mercedes wants Russell to be.
So why recommend him this weekend? Really, it's because if you do a Captain/Constructor stack with Ferrari, you're priced out of the McLarens and Verstappen, and Russell feels like the best call in this tier. Although, this could be a sneaky good Sergio Perez weekend.
Fernando Alonso ($5.6K)
Starts Eighth
The Aston Martin cars have dipped in speed a bit, but Fernando Alonso has finished 11th or better in five consecutive races and has finished ahead of teammate Lance Stroll in three consecutive starts. He might be a midfield driver right now, but he's tough to pass and has a shot to maintain a spot in the top 10 on Sunday. It also helps that Stroll starts 15th, a pretty far drop off from Alonso.
Pierre Gasly ($3.8K)
Starts 13th
Pierre Gasley has taken a step back from teammate Esteban Ocon lately, finishing as the top Alpine driver in just one of the last four races. But Gasly starts 13th in Azerbaijan this weekend while Ocon had an issue in qualifying and will start last on Sunday. That's a sizable gap to make up in this race, which is why I have Gasly as a solid play here.
RED FLAG 🔴
Esteban Ocon has stopped his car on track just after T17 with a problem to the car.#F1 // #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/rgmhv76IPk
— Motorsport_Live (@luca79020294) September 14, 2024
I doubt he finishes in the points, but he can maintain his spot and get you five points for defeating Ocon. That's a win at just $3.8K.
Franco Colapinto ($3.2K)
Starts Ninth
Maybe the story of the day on Saturday (aside from the Norris situation) was that both Williams cars made it to the final round of qualifying. That was the first time this season that happened, as Logan Sargeant made zero trips to Q3 before he was replaced by Franco Colapinto.
Argentina's first top-ten qualifying result since Brazil 1982!! 🇦🇷
Franco Colapinto, some driver! 👏#F1 #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/5O7eZuGBXP
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 14, 2024
Last race in his F1 debut at Monza, Colapinto had a solid showing, starting 18th and finishing 12th. Alexander Albon finished ahead of him and likely will again this week, but it's hard to resist playing a $3.2K driver who starts in the top 10, one spot ahead of his teammate.
How Does Formula 1 Fantasy Work?
Here's how the scoring and format work for F1 DFS on DraftKings. You'll pick five drivers and a constructor. One of those drivers will be your captain, who earns you 1.5 times the points but also costs 1.5 times as much as they usually cost. For the constructor, you're choosing one of the F1 teams.
So here's how the scoring works. Your driver only gets points if they finish in the top 10. Here's a chart for how that breaks down:
| Finishing Spot | DraftKings Points |
|---|---|
| 1 | 25 |
| 2 | 18 |
| 3 | 15 |
| 4 | 12 |
| 5 | 10 |
| 6 | 8 |
| 7 | 6 |
| 8 | 4 |
| 9 | 2 |
| 10 | 1 |
In addition, the driver with the fastest lap of the race gets three points. You get 0.1 points per lap led, five points for beating your teammate, one point for being classified at the finish (finished 90% of the race, essentially), and points for place differential.
Finish three spots higher than your grid position and you get two points. Finish five better and you get three points. Finish 10 better to get five points. You also lose points for a negative place differential, starting at three spots.
The constructor points work the same way, with some added points if both cars do well. It's confusing, but for Formula 1 DFS to work, it probably had to be confusing, considering the huge gaps in speed between various teams and the small driver pool.
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