Strategist Selection – What’s the best line-up for the United States Grand Prix?

Formula 1 touches down in Austin for one of the most dynamic weekends on the calendar. The Circuit of The Americas offers a mix of everything – high-speed sweeps, tight technical sections, and a dramatic uphill run into Turn 1 that always delivers fireworks. So, who’s set to ride high in F1 Fantasy at the United States Grand Prix?

COTA’s flowing nature and wide layout create multiple overtaking opportunities, but tyre degradation and race management are often the deciding factors here. With a passionate crowd and plenty of on-track unpredictability, our F1 Fantasy Strategist returns to help you identify which drivers and teams can handle the heat in Texas.

It’s never too late to join the free-to-play game and compete for the 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.

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

Ahead of every Grand Prix weekend, our F1 Fantasy Strategist evaluates seven in-game assets – five drivers and two teams – that can help you succeed in F1 Fantasy, whether that’s eking out every point or maximising your budget.

Austin’s undulating surface and circuit-specific challenges reward consistency and adaptability, while the long back straight provides the perfect stage for DRS battles and last-gasp overtakes. Race strategy and tyre life management will be crucial as teams navigate a circuit that punishes mistakes but rewards aggression.

Catch up on the Singapore Grand Prix highlights below and keep reading for more tips. Remember to lock in your teams before the Sprint starts on Saturday, October 18 at 1200 local time (1700 UTC).

Max Verstappen ($28.8m)

Max Verstappen is a force to be reckoned with at Circuit of The Americas.

The flying Dutchman has won both Sprints hosted in Austin across 2023 and 2024. He has also finished on the podium in the last six Grands Prix in The Lone Star State.

Verstappen averages 29.9 fantasy points in his last seven race weekends, the most among all drivers, and also has three pole positions to his name – no other driver has more than one in that time.

The momentum for Red Bull’s championship contender continues to build as he closes the gap to Oscar Piastri ($26.9m) and Lando Norris ($30.9m) in the Drivers’ Championship – and there is no better place to do it than at a track he has an excellent record at.

George Russell ($23.0m)

It’s hard to ignore the scintillating form that George Russell is in at the moment.

The Mercedes racer posted his second Grand Prix victory of the season in Singapore, on his way to a seventh fantasy weekend in 2025 of 30+ points, and his future with the Silver Arrows was also confirmed on Wednesday.

Russell has been a bang-for-your-buck asset since Silverstone – he averages 1.06 points per $1 million spent in this window, the best among all drivers currently priced above $15m.

The five-time race winner averages 28 fantasy points across the nine Sprint weekends in 2024 and 2025 to date, and is in a great position to surpass this mark in Austin.

Kimi Antonelli ($15.1m)

Kimi Antonelli continues to generate buzz as a relatively affordable driver in a front-running car – as long as he can avoid DNFs.

The Italian’s struggles throughout the European leg of the F1 calendar were well-documented – four retirements, only one Grand Prix finish of P8 or better, and the second-worst performing F1 Fantasy driver between Imola and Monza, averaging 0.6 fantasy points per race.

However, in all other races this season, the rookie averages 20.4 fantasy points – fourth-best among all drivers, behind his team mate Russell and the McLaren duo of Piastri and Norris.

Keep an eye out for Antonelli in Free Practice and Sprint Qualifying if Mercedes can carry their recent strong pace into the weekend.

Yuki Tsunoda ($9.6m)

It’s been a long-time coming for Yuki Tsunoda to make his first appearance on the Strategist’s watchlist in 2025.

The Japanese driver will be targeting strong results in an improved Red Bull car between COTA and Abu Dhabi, with his future at the team still up in the air.

The 25-year-old has finished in the top-10 in three of his last four visits to Austin and has an average race finishing position of 10.0 between the Dutch and Singapore Grands Prix, including a season-best P6 in Azerbaijan.

Tsunoda averages 16.8 fantasy points in US-based races across 2024 and 2025 and will be well-placed to score similarly with the Sprint offering an additional opportunity for fantasy points.

Carlos Sainz ($6.3m)

Carlos Sainz is very fond of the Circuit of The Americas and his record at this track speaks volumes.

The 227-race veteran has secured points in eight of his nine outings dating back to 2015, which also consists of back-to-back podiums in 2023 and 2024.

He is the third-highest scoring driver between Azerbaijan and Singapore, only surpassed by the two most recent race winners – Verstappen and Russell.

The Williams man only has to score greater than -18 points for a maximum $0.6m price rise and should have no difficulties achieving this with three sessions of F1 Fantasy scoring this weekend.

Other drivers to monitor: Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri

McLaren ($35.4m)

It’s been an uncharacteristic last two race weekends from the team based in Woking.

Although a P3 and P4 in Marina Bay remains a strong result by most standards, McLaren have posted two of their lowest four fantasy scores in 2025 across Azerbaijan (6) and Singapore (64).

In contrast, however, the Andrea Stella-led outfit averages 104 fantasy points on Sprint weekends this season – a remarkable feat considering no other team exceeds more than 61 on these corresponding fixtures.

Avoid McLaren in F1 Fantasy at your own risk on Sprint weekends in 2025 – no other team comes close to them this season.

Mercedes ($26.9m)

Mercedes’ friendly price point relative to their front-running peers makes them an attractive asset to own on a weekend where many players will consider playing the 3X DRS Boost chip on two premium drivers.

The Silver Arrows have strung together one of their best two-race sequences this season, scoring 67 fantasy points apiece in Azerbaijan and Singapore.

Russell and Antonelli have qualified for Q3 in three consecutive race weekends, only matched by McLaren in this time.

The recent form of the Brackley-based outfit, while other top teams are blighted with inconsistencies, suggest they could deliver once more, this time in the Texas heat.

Other constructors to monitor: Red Bull, Williams

Chip Consideration: 3X DRS Boost

3X DRS Boost is an optimal chip to deploy on Sprint weekends. With the deadline at the start of the Sprint on these weekends, this provides an additional session of point-scoring opportunities for your team.

Utilising this chip on two consistent drivers in high-performing teams (i.e., Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, Russell) will ensure you can extract the most value out of it when activated.

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