Strategist Preview – What you need to know ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix

Formula 1 returns to Albert Park to launch the 2026 season this weekend, ushering in a new regulation cycle that could reset the competitive landscape. With every team starting from a blank sheet of paper, pre-season testing clues were limited and uncertainty is at its peak, making Australia one of the most unpredictable openers in recent memory.

In a campaign where development curves and early upgrades could rapidly reshape the F1 Fantasy hierarchy, this weekend offers players an opportunity to get ahead of the curve with well-timed value picks and decisive strategy calls. The choices made in Melbourne will influence early budget growth, chip planning and overall squad structure, potentially providing a crucial foundation for the races that follow.

Even at this early stage of the season, it’s never too late to join the free-to-play game and compete for great prizes on offer every race week. New players will need to select five drivers and two constructors within the starting cost cap of $100 million.

If you missed anything in pre-season, catch up on all the action from the second test in Bahrain, including the highlights below. Remember to lock in your Fantasy teams before Qualifying begins in Australia at 1600 local time (0500 UTC).

F1 Fantasy Strategist watchlist

Looking ahead, our F1 Fantasy Strategist previews all the drivers and teams to help you get your season off on the right foot, as you challenge for the top step in F1 Fantasy’s global leaderboard.

McLaren ($28.9m)

Lando Norris ($27.2m) and Oscar Piastri ($25.5m)

McLaren arrive in Australia having secured both the Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships in the same season for the first time since 1998.

They were also the team to beat in F1 Fantasy, averaging a season-high average of 72.7 fantasy points per race last campaign.

Defending World Champion Lando Norris recorded his 2025 single-event high of 59 fantasy points in Australia, whilst Oscar Piastri remains a leading candidate for Driver of the Day honours (+10 fantasy points) at his home Grand Prix.

However, the emergence of Mercedes and Ferrari in pre-season indicates that McLaren may not be the set-and-forget fantasy asset we became accustomed to last year, especially at their current price.

Mercedes ($29.3m)

George Russell ($27.4m) and Kimi Antonelli ($23.2m)

Mercedes enjoyed an outstanding pre-season, setting performance benchmarks among the front-runners after topping – or nearly topping – the timing sheets across the Bahrain tests.

Both Mercedes drivers have fond memories of a wet Albert Park in 2025, where George Russell secured a podium finish and team mate Kimi Antonelli impressed on debut by charging from P16 to P4. The team will surely be targeting nothing less than a similar result this time around.

With many setting their expectations high for the Silver Arrows in 2026, Mercedes should be firmly on the radar of all F1 Fantasy managers.

Red Bull ($28.2m)

Max Verstappen ($27.7m) and Isack Hadjar ($15.1m)

Red Bull enter the season priced alongside Mercedes and McLaren, but the key question is whether they can consistently match the output of their nearest rivals to justify the premium price tag.

Max Verstappen arrives as the highest priced driver in F1 Fantasy – he averaged more than 30 fantasy points per race weekend in 2025 for the third consecutive year. However, Isack Hadjar’s elevated starting price from his time with Racing Bulls means he will need to deliver consistent returns immediately to justify the decision of those that select him.

If both drivers can produce consistent fantasy output, these assets will be worth monitoring.

Ferrari ($23.3m)

Charles Leclerc ($22.8m) and Lewis Hamilton ($22.5m)

After a disappointing 2025 campaign by their own standards, Ferrari appear to have rediscovered momentum, regularly featuring near the top of the timing sheets across both Bahrain tests.

Charles Leclerc was actually fastest overall in the second test, and stands out as an appealing early-season 2x Boost candidate given his relatively accessible starting price. Lewis Hamilton, coming in slightly cheaper than his team mate, will be determined to rebound from last year – averaging only 16.3 fantasy points per race weekend – and re-establish himself as a reliable F1 Fantasy contributor once more.

The Scuderia could represent one of the best-value constructor picks in the game if that pre-season pace translates into dependable fantasy production with a championship-contending team.

Williams ($12.0m)

Carlos Sainz ($11.8m) and Alex Albon ($11.6m)

Williams endured a disrupted pre-season after missing the entire Barcelona Shakedown, and early fantasy expectations remain measured given their price may not fully reflect the pace shown in Bahrain.

2025 was a season of two halves for the Williams driver line-up – Alex Albon began the season strongly, notching six double-digit fantasy scores in his first seven races, while Carlos Sainz recorded two podiums in his last eight races to close out the year.

While there were encouraging signs late in Bahrain, Australia may serve as litmus test of reliability before firm fantasy conclusions can be drawn for the Grove team.

Racing Bulls ($6.3m)

Liam Lawson ($6.5m) and Arvid Lindblad ($6.2m)

Racing Bulls enters 2026 as an example of a quintessential budget-enabling F1 Fantasy team at only $6.3m. Most interestingly, the Faenza outfit has routes to various fantasy points beyond the traditional means of overtakes and gaining positions – they averaged 6.6 pit stop points per race and 5.8 qualifying teamwork points per race last season.

However, Liam Lawson averaged just 2.2 fantasy points per race in 2025, but his seven double-digit scores show the ceiling is there. On the other side of the garage, Arvid Lindblad brings rookie potential at a bargain price after finishing sixth in F2 last year. But can he repeat Isack Hadjar’s heroics?

Racing Bulls are definitely one of the best-value budget teams and worth keeping an eye on heading into Friday’s Free Practice sessions.

Haas ($7.4m)

Oliver Bearman ($7.4m) and Esteban Ocon ($7.3m)

After a steady pre-season focused on consistency and mileage that had Haas near the top of the midfield order for all-around pace, all assets present exceptional value for money.

Oliver Bearman continued Haas’ trend of having a driver lead the grid for total overtakes each of the last two seasons (Magnussen – 2024), and is highest-owned asset in the game at the time of writing (57%).

Esteban Ocon offers early cost cap upside, with the Frenchman requiring a mere seven fantasy points to secure a price rise in the first race of the season – he was able to reach that mark on 12 occasions in 2025.

It would seem that Haas have been significantly underpriced based on what the team showed in Bahrain, and all three assets are excellent F1 Fantasy options to start the season.

Aston Martin ($10.3m)

Fernando Alonso ($10.0m) and Lance Stroll ($8.0m)

It’s fair to say that Aston Martin endured a challenging pre-season, arriving late to the Barcelona Shakedown and logging the fewest laps across the Bahrain tests among all teams.

As a result, there are still questions around their outright pace and reliability. Somewhat surprisingly then, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll sport a hefty price tag, even with how little running the AMR26 has had to this point.

With such uncertainty surrounding them, it might be better to wait on selecting any Aston Martin assets until things become clearer.

Audi ($6.6m)

Nico Hulkenberg ($6.8m) and Gabriel Bortoleto ($6.4m)

In their final campaign, Kick Sauber recorded a grid-high nine Grand Prix retirements in 2025 – but that was then, and this is now. While reliability is still a significant factor in F1 Fantasy viability, the entry is now the Audi team – entering their very first F1 season, and with their own power unit.

In 2025, Nico Hulkenberg led all drivers under $20m with five 20+ fantasy point weekends, including a 45-point season-high when he secured his maiden podium at Silverstone.

However, Gabriel Bortoleto – priced $0.4m cheaper – may offer a more affordable route into the Audi line-up after he finished last the season with three double-digit hauls in his final six races.

If the German team can demonstrate reliability early on, both drivers appeal as budget-friendly enabling assets.

Alpine ($12.5m)

Pierre Gasly ($12.0m) and Franco Colapinto ($6.2m)

Alpine were disappointed with how 2025 turned out, finishing 10th in the Teams’ Championship while offering minimal F1 Fantasy relevance. However, there are encouraging signs after a strong pre-season with a Mercedes power unit in the car.

Pierre Gasly will be targeting more competitive pace this year to build on his three Q3 appearances in the last four Qualifying sessions of 2025.

Franco Colapinto has a notably lower price than his team mate, and that discount could evaporate quickly if he can close the performance gap. In fact, the young Argentinian trailed his team mate by a mere 2 fantasy points per race weekend last year.

If the switch to Mercedes power propels the team forward, fantasy output will be markedly higher in 2026.

Cadillac ($6.0m)

Sergio Perez ($6.0m) and Valtteri Bottas ($5.9m)

There is a lot of excitement surrounding Cadillac – Formula 1’s first new team since 2016.

Sergio Perez returns to the grid after a season away and, at an affordable price, chould feature in a lot of teams as an experienced budget-friendly asset. Valtteri Bottas, the cheapest asset in the game, also provides budget flexibility and enters Australia with a five-place grid penalty – increasing the possibility of him gaining additional positions on track.

However, Cadillac may experience growing pains in their debut season, so alternative constructor options may offer more reliable returns in the opening rounds.

The Strategist’s preliminary line-up

Drivers: Leclerc (2x), Antonelli, Bearman, Ocon, Bottas

Teams: Ferrari, Haas

Chip Preview

F1 teams constantly bring upgrades for their cars, and F1 Fantasy chips can help power-up your team too. Here is a quick refresher to get you up to speed on how the six chips can be used:

Limitless: For one race week, you can make unlimited transfers and ignore the budget cap completely. Your team returns to normal the following week (can only use from Round 2).

3x Boost: One driver in your team scores triple points, while a second driver can score double points for that weekend using the regular 2x Boost.

No Negative: Any points your team would lose (e.g. DNFs, positions lost) are instead set to zero for that race week.

Wildcard: Make as many transfers as you want, as long as you stay within your total cost cap (can only use from Round 2).

Final Fix: After the transfer deadline has passed, you can replace one driver from your team before the race start.

Autopilot: The game automatically gives a 2x Boost to the driver in your team that scores the most points.

Strategist Tip – There are six chips available but each one can only be used once during the season, and you can only use one per race, so plan these carefully.

Featured leagues and mini-leagues

Featured fantasy leagues return in 2026, giving you the opportunity to go head-to-head with broadcasters, podcasters, and content creators to put your F1 Fantasy strategy to the test against some of the most recognisable voices in the sport.

Mini-leagues will also be opening later in the F1 Fantasy season too, providing you with even more opportunities to play and win.

As always, be sure to keep a close eye on the earlier sessions of the weekend to help guide your fantasy decisions before the team lock deadline.