F1 Pundits Compete for Glory in the F1 Live Fantasy League Ahead Of Dutch Grand Prix

Adam Medeiros | Aug 23, 2024

Jun 7, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (NED) in the pit lane during the practice session at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

This season F1 Fantasy introduced Featured Leagues to showcase its top brand and content creator partners. These leagues include Planet F1, Topps, Motorsport, and The Fantasy Formula Podcast. The biggest attraction of these Featured Leagues is F1 Live, a private league for F1TV personalities that allows fans to track their progress throughout the year.

Competitors in the F1 Live league include presenters Will Buxton, Laura Winter, Lawrence Barretto, and last year’s champion, Jolyon Palmer. The league also features Tech Talk host Sam Collins, F1 Explains host Katie Osborne, and the Formula 3 commentary duo of Alex Brundle and Chris McCarthy. These pundits discuss their fantasy strategy in the Weekend Warmup and Free Practice pre-shows on F1TV to encourage fans to play F1 Fantasy themselves.

Laura Winter rose to the top of the F1 Live league by selecting Sergio Perez, Red Bull, and Ferrari to mount an early lead. /

Looking to complete a worst-to-first turnaround from 2023, Laura Winter snatched the lead in Australia and never looked back. In an interview with The Fantasy Formula, she shared the approach she takes to setting the lineup for her team, Winter Wonderland. Laura also discussed the behind-the-scenes fantasy smack talk that unfolds on the F1TV set, but admits that “…at the moment I’m on top of the pile so most of the bad chat is coming from me”. 

The F1 Live lead features tight battles for P1 and P4 entering the second half /

Just 10 points separate perennial contender, Lawrence Barretto, and fantasy newcomer, Chris McCarthy. Lawrence vaulted into P2 after masterfully selecting Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri at Spa, while Chris selected George Russell and suffered the devastating penalty the game assigns to a disqualification. As the F3 broadcaster looks to mount a comeback in the second half, he remains the only top-3 player yet to use the Limitless chip, which grants players unlimited budget and transfers for a single week. 

Speaking to The Fantasy Formula, Chris revealed his secrets to fantasy success. He named his team Calling for Support because he sets his lineup for each race after consulting with his father. When describing his game strategy he shared that, “I’ve got three teams going and I use the others as a bit of a way to test things out”.

Lawrence Barretto (aka “Bazman”) selected the top 2 finishers of the Belgian Grand Prix to claim P2. /

With seven different teams posting the top score at some point this season, the parody of the F1 Live League is starting the resemble the action on track. Do you want to join in the excitement of F1 Fantasy? F1 just launched a second-half Mini League called Zandvoort to Abu Dhabi that gives fans a second chance to win great prizes, including three day passes to a race weekend in 2025. Be sure to keep up with all the latest F1 Fantasy news and advice at FanAmp.com to dominate your mini-leagues.