RADIO
Formula 1 heads to Singapore for a big race at Marina Bay. The championship battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris rages on, with Norris needing to be basically perfect going forward while Verstappen just needs to avoid making any big mistakes.
Last season in Singapore, Carlos Sainz drove to the win here. That victory was the only time during an 18-race stretch that someone other than Verstappen won. Don't expect a repeat though as Sainz crashed out of Q3 and is set to start 10th on Sunday.
Below you will find our Formula 1 DraftKings DFS lineup picks for the Singapore Grand Prix on 9/22/24, with the slate locking at 8:00 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: Nico Hulkenberg ($7.2K)
Starts Sixth
Going a little punty at Captain this weekend so we can save up some of our salary spots for other drivers. Singapore has been one of the toughest tracks to pass at which to pass in F1. Take this chart from two years ago that Reddit user dataden put together:
At the time, it ranked as the track with the fifth-lowest overtaking percentile. The addition of a new DRS zone this weekend could change that some, but I'm still betting on the drivers starting up front to stay relatively close to where they start.
That makes Nico Hulkenberg an intriguing value pick at Captain. He starts sixth while his teammate Kevin Magnussen starts back in 14th, and Hulkenberg has been the better Haas car most of the year, earning the defeated teammate points in 12 of the 16 races.
Constructor: Mercedes ($10.3K)
Mercedes found some good speed on Saturday, taking a lockout of the second row. That came after George Russell was second fastest in FP3 while Lewis Hamilton was seventh.
The team did struggle to find speed on Friday, but whatever adjustments they made seemed to work out. As one of just three constructors with both cars starting in the top 10 on Sunday, Mercedes is a strong play, especially with the Ferrari cars starting ninth and 10th, giving Mercedes a good shot to stay above their rivals.
Lando Norris ($13.0K)
Starts First
It's been a strong weekend for Lando Norris. Despite some drama surrounding the design of the McLaren rear wing, Norris has just gone out there and turned fast lap after fast lap.
He was second in FP1 and first in FP2 on Friday, then showed up on Saturday and did it again, topping the charts in FP3 and taking the pole while running quickest in two of the three qualifying rounds.
Only two Red Bull cars in Q3:
Max Verstappen
Yuki Tsunoda— formularacers (@formularacers_) September 21, 2024
Norris is trying to mount a challenge to Verstappen for the F1 title, so he needs everything to go right every race. It's possible the pressure gets to him a bit and causes him to make a mistake, but if that doesn't happen then he should win on Sunday as he clearly has the fastest car.
Lewis Hamilton ($9.6K)
Starts Third
If we're playing Mercedes at Constructor, let's stack that with a Mercedes driver. Honestly, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell feel pretty interchangeable here. Hamilton has more experience here. Russell has a 10-7 advantage this year when it comes to finishing as the top Mercedes. I'll likely mix and match both into various lineups this weekend.
But I had to pick one, so I went with Hamilton, mainly because he's won here four times in the past. He recorded a podium here last year and overall has been on the podium in 50% of his starts here. That number would be higher if not for three DNFs, all of which came in races where he started fifth or better.
Fernando Alonso ($6.0K)
Starts Seventh
Fernando Alonso is another driver whose grid advantage over his teammate looks to be a big DFS advantage this weekend. Lance Stroll had a disaster in qualifying and starts all the way back in 17th, while Alonso starts seventh.
Entering this race, Alonso has defeated Stroll in 12 of the 17 races and has six consecutive finishes of 11th or better. Aston Martin has been off this season, but Alonso seems to be improving at the moment.
Yuki Tsunoda ($3.4K)
Starts Eighth
There are heavy rumors that this weekend is the end of the line for Yuki Tsunoda's VCARB teammate Daniel Ricciardo. Qualifying didn't help Ricciardo keep his seat as he failed to make it out of the first round while Tsunoda starts eighth. Liam Lawson is set to drive Ricciardo's car in 2025, but a change could come as soon as the next race weekend.
Only two Red Bull cars in Q3:
Max Verstappen
Yuki Tsunoda— formularacers (@formularacers_) September 21, 2024
Tsunoda hasn't had the greatest of seasons and has failed to defeat Ricciardo in four consecutive races, but he has a major advantage on the grid. Considering the data I mentioned earlier about passing here, Tsunoda feels like a great value.
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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