F1 FANTASY: Strategist Preview – What you need to know for the Dutch Grand Prix

Formula 1 is back from its summer break, and what better place to reignite the title fight than the banked corners and roaring Orange Army of Zandvoort. With a Sprint thrown into the mix, F1 Fantasy managers have an extra session of points – and an extra chance for fortunes to swing.

The tight, undulating layout places a real premium on grid position, making that a useful edge over the course of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend. Keep an eye on the forecast too, with rain a genuine threat over the coast this weekend.

Targeting assets that can score well regardless of where they start, and that carry a high enough ceiling to make the most of the extra Sprint session, will position the best F1 Fantasy line-ups for a strong return to racing.

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

If you need a reminder of all the action from last time out in Hungary to help you choose, watch the highlights below. Remember to lock in your teams before the Sprint begins in Zandvoort at 1200 local time (1000 UTC) on Saturday 22 August.

Global League update

P1 on the global leaderboard rolled the dice in Hungary, deploying the Final Fix chip to swap Kimi Antonelli for Lando Norris on their 2x Boost after Qualifying – a bold, proactive call, though the switch ultimately returned only 12 extra fantasy points for the effort.

P2 and P3 took the safer route, holding firm with Antonelli despite his three-place grid penalty, and were rewarded for their patience as he recovered through the field on Sunday to close the fantasy gap to Norris.

Tellingly, all three teams continue to lean on the same Mercedes and Ferrari constructor backbone, propped up by a rotating midfield core of Racing Bulls and Audi drivers that are delivering points while keeping the car on track each week.

Expect Mercedes and Ferrari to remain cornerstone teams among the strongest line-ups on the global leaderboard heading into Zandvoort, unless we see another of the front-running teams break this wide open.

F1 Fantasy Strategist watchlist

Our F1 Fantasy Strategist evaluates seven in-game assets below and reviews potential chip strategies to help you challenge for the top step in F1 Fantasy’s global leaderboard.

Lando Norris ($26.1m)

Lando Norris arrives at Zandvoort fresh off his first win of the season and 37 fantasy points in Hungary, and averages 38.3 fantasy points across his last three race weekends – the second-most of any driver in that span.

The Briton also won the Dutch Grand Prix in 2024, and with the Sprint offering an additional scoring session, he is one of the most intriguing 2x Boost candidates on the grid this weekend.

Recent form suggests Norris will have the top step of the rostrum in his sights once more.

Kimi Antonelli ($25.7m)

Kimi Antonelli emerges from the summer break as the form driver in F1 Fantasy this season, averaging the most points of any driver on the grid at 39.0 per race.

Crucially for a Sprint weekend, he has scored more than 40 fantasy points in three of the four Sprints this season and, at a friendlier price than Norris, continues to be an excellent 2x Boost alternative, as well as a popular candidate for those exploring the use of the 3x Boost chip.

Gabriel Bortoleto ($7.8m)

Gabriel Bortoleto has rewarded his F1 Fantasy owners lately in an improving Audi, and is on a run of nine consecutive race finishes – exceptional reliability from a team that struggled to see the finish line early in the season.

He requires just 10 fantasy points for a maximum price rise this weekend, a benchmark comfortably within reach given that he has averaged more than 11 fantasy points across his last three Grands Prix, resulting in three consecutive $0.6m price jumps, with double-digit scores in two of them.

Lance Stroll ($3.0m)

Lance Stroll has endured a challenging 2026 campaign, but notched 15 fantasy points in Hungary and has posted double-digit fantasy scores in three of the four races he has reached the chequered flag.

Following a long-awaited car upgrade at the Hungaroring, Honda will also be bringing a power unit update to the Netherlands.

The lingering concern is reliability, though both cars crossed the line in Hungary – only the second time all season, the other being Miami – and at the $3m price floor, he cannot fall any lower in value.

Nico Hulkenberg ($3.0m)

The Strategist is weighing up two price-floor drivers this week to enable premium assets elsewhere, and Nico Hulkenberg is one of them.

Like his team mate, the veteran racer wrestled with reliability early on, but has recently turned a corner with 13 fantasy points accrued over the last two race weekends, delivering the best value among all drivers on the grid at 2.17 points per $1m spent. As a result, he now needs to reach at least -2 fantasy points for a maximum $0.6m price rise in Zandvoort.

Other drivers to monitor: Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso

Mercedes ($32.6m)

Mercedes remain the dominant F1 Fantasy force in 2026, having scored 70 or more fantasy points in nine of the 11 races this season.

The Silver Arrows also lead the way in the pit box, averaging 7.9 fast pit stop points per race including five weekends of 10 or more pit stop points, and both drivers have reached Q3 in all 11 races so far – a relentless source of Qualifying teamwork points that makes them a must-own, set-and-forget asset.

Ferrari ($26.6m)

Ferrari arrive off back-to-back 71-point hauls in fantasy and are the only team with both drivers inside the top five in each of the last three Grands Prix before the break, dropping below 55 fantasy points just once all season.

At a circuit where consistency and grid position count for so much, they make a natural second constructor alongside Mercedes for players looking to pair two front-running teams with two drivers contending for podiums.

Other constructors to monitor: McLaren, Racing Bulls

Zandvoort chip strategy – 3x Boost

The Sprint format makes Zandvoort an ideal weekend to deploy the 3x Boost chip, with the extra scoring session amplifying every point on offer.

If you are running two drivers in top teams – Norris and Antonelli, for example, or Max Verstappen – who has finished inside the top two in the last five Grands Prix at his home circuit – the additional Sprint session makes this a weekend where the chip can pay off handsomely.

Featured leagues and upcoming mini-leagues

The F1 Fantasy Legends League gives you a fresh start for the second half of the season, with all players beginning from zero. Formula 1 World Champions have created their own teams, so take on the legends, climb the leaderboard, and prove you’ve got what it takes.

Keep your eyes peeled for exciting mini-leagues opening later in the F1 Fantasy season, providing you with even more opportunities to play and win.

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