Formula 1 is on the final leg of the season as the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will close out the 2022 calendar year in F1. Last weekend in Mexico, Mercedes put it all together as George Russell won the sprint and took home the first checkered flag of his young career.
In 2021, the driver’s championship came down to this final race in Abu Dhabi which led to one of the greatest laps ever witnessed in F1 history.
This year, no doubt that Mercedes wants their revenge on this track. While there is not much to play for at this point with the driver’s championship already decided, along with Red Bull winning the constructors, this race still has a sour taste still in the mouths of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes. Abu Dhabi is an incredible circuit where the race happens at night, so the atmosphere is unmatched.
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Abu Dhabi Grand Prix F1 Fantasy & DFS Racing Preview
Brazil Grand Prix
- Track: Yas Marina Circuit
- Location: Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
- Length: 3.281 miles
- Race Distance: 58 laps
- Laps lead: 5.8 points
- Fastest lap: 3 points
- Past Winner: Max Verstappen (2021)
- Betting Favorite: Max Verstappen (+140)
On Track Schedule (All Times ET)
- Friday, Nov. 18
- 5 a.m.: Free Practice 1
- 8 a.m.: Free Practice 2
- Saturday, Nov. 19
- 5:30 a.m.: Free Practice 3
- 9 a.m.: Qualifying
- Sunday, Nov. 20
- 8 a.m.: Lights Out
F1 Fantasy Preview for Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Red Bull and Max Verstappen saw their prices decrease after their performances in Mexico as Verstappen finished in sixth place and his team mate Sergio Perez finished in seventh. With Mercedes going one-two in Mexico, both of the drivers saw their prices go up, while the Mercedes constructor also went up in price. On the other hand, the Ferrari team stayed pretty much the same price after finishing in third and fourth in Mexico.
Mercedes seems to have finally unlocked their car, unfortunately for them, it is the end of the year. They were able to bring their new front wing upgrade and it clearly helped as they comfortably took first and second in the Grand Prix. This car looks primed to close out the 2022 season with back-to-back wins.
Because the price increases to the Mercedes team, there is still no way of using Hamilton in the captain spot with the Mercedes constructor and Verstappen in the driver spot. It is still possible to use Russell in the captain spot with Mercedes and Verstappen in the driver spot.
If DFS players are looking to go back to the Verstappen – Red Bull stack, the highest priced driver they will be able to use is Fernando Alonso. With that in mind, Ferrari seems to be the more contrarian route once again as the hype is growing for the Mercedes drivers and the Red Bull duo has been in the news lately for their actions.
DraftKings Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2022 F1 DFS Picks
This is one of the first weeks where heading into the weekend, Verstappen is not the clear favorite. He is still +140 to win, but usually we have been seeing his price around -150 / -200 in the second half of the season. Watching last weekend, it does feel like Mercedes has the better car.
There are definitely ways to get away from Verstappen here in Abu Dhabi after his poor showing in Mexico last weekend. The Mercedes duo has seen their prices rise, but using a Mercedes captain – constructor stack with Hamilton leaves an average of $5,525 per driver, while using Russell at the top leaves an average of $5,975 per driver to fill out rosters.
Alex Albon somehow saw his price come down even after his 8 point day in Mexico. The two bigger story lines for the race will revolve around two value drivers: Daniel Ricciardo and Mick Schumacher. Both drivers are currently without a seat and both should have plenty of motivation to show what they are made of in their final drive of the season.
For the most part, finding a way to roster two of the top six drivers and a top-three constructor has been the best way to be profitable this year in F1 DFS. While cash games may force the hand of players, GPPs will be a completely different beast with the price fluctuations.
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