Formula 1 is in Asia this weekend for a nighttime race at the Singapore Grand Prix. Speaking of nighttime, it was a nightmare qualifying session for the two Red Bull drivers, as they were both eliminated in Q2 and will be starting in the bottom half of the grid on Sunday. Their poor form is crucial to understand when making your F1 DFS picks at DraftKings.
This weekend’s qualifying sessions were eventful. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll crashed his car out on the final lap of Q1, which severely messed up drivers such as Guanyu Zhou, Logan Sargeant, Oscar Piastri and Valtteri Bottas who were all forced to abandon their final lap because of the red flag.
In Q2, we saw some similar issues, as Sergio Perez turned his car around as he failed to put up a quick enough time to advance, while his teammate Max Verstappen simply could not find the pace with his car as he missed out on Q3 by 0.007 seconds. AlphaTauri’s Liam Lawson pulled out a slightly faster final lap at the buzzer.
The major thing to note here is that Red Bull did not just underwhelm in qualifying, but they have lacked pace all weekend in Singapore. While Free Practice sessions are not the greatest indicator of performance, it is still interesting to see that neither Red Bull car was able to have top two times in any of the three sessions this weekend. The fastest times this weekend were owned by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. in all three sessions. He’ll start Sunday’s race from the pole.
F1 DFS Picks: Singapore Grand Prix Picks for DraftKings
Constructor: Ferrari ($7,600 at DraftKings)
Ferrari has been dominating the fastest times this weekend in Singapore. It looks like they will be battling for a double podium on Sunday. They should be the highest-owned constructor this weekend with their projections and starting positions of first and third. Both Ferrari drivers have a chance at taking the checkered flag here, but will we see Ferrari’s pit crew and strategy team fail them on Sunday?
Constructor: Mercedes ($9,300 DraftKings)
The Mercedes duo is sitting in the weeds just behind Ferrari as the top play. They are $1,700 more expensive, making them a strong pay-up contrarian play off Ferrari. Mercedes is starting in second and fifth on Sunday and has the second-best chance at hitting a double podium here if the Ferraris were to falter at all. Mercedes is best suited for GPPs while Ferrari is the stronger cash game play.
Constructor: HAAS ($3,000 DraftKings)
If you’re looking to go completely off the rails here, look no further than this HAAS team. Every now and then, a track just fits this car’s specifications. It looks like we might have found that here in Singapore with both HAAS drivers qualifying in the top 10 as they look for their first double points finish since May 2019. They are strictly a GPP play to vary lineup construction in large-field tournaments.
Driver: Carlos Sainz Jr. ($7,400 DraftKings; P1) or Charles Leclerc ($7,600 DraftKings; P3)
Carlos Sainz Jr. is the preferred play in cash and GPPs. He is the favorite to win the Singapore Grand Prix with his odds sitting at +195. His teammate, Charles Leclerc, is sitting at +700 to win. Sainz has been the dominant driver this weekend in all three free practice sessions and looks to have a solid grip on this circuit. Sainz is the preferred cash game captain and will be heavily owned throughout all contests. Leclerc is always a good contrarian pivot as Ferrari is known to blunder their tactics and pit stops.
Driver: George Russell ($8,200 DraftKings; P2)
Surprisingly enough, George Russell has nearly identical odds as Sainz to win the Singapore Grand Prix. Russell has been trying to keep up with the Ferraris all weekend, but he just seems a couple of tenths off of their pace. Anything can happen in a race, and it would be fitting for a Mercedes driver to win this weekend, which would put an end to Red Bull’s lengthy winning streak.
Driver: Lando Norris ($9,000 DraftKings; P3)
With Max Verstappen starting so far back and lacking speed here in Singapore, it will be easier than usual to fit three top drivers and a higher-priced constructor in lineups. Lando Norris has multiple things benefiting him here this weekend, highlighted by his fourth-place starting position. That means all the more in F1 DFS because his teammate will start 17th, making Norris a top F1 DFS pick for Singapore. Norris should be able to stay in the top five here and pay off his salary.
Driver: Max Verstappen ($15,800 DraftKings; P11)
We can’t not discuss Max Verstappen. Verstappen and the Red Bull cars have looked miserable here in Singapore. While many may think this is a great opportunity for Verstappen to come from behind, rack up a bunch of overtaking points and drive away with another checkered flag, the streak ends here. The betting market agrees as he is only sitting at a +600 to win this race, compared to his usual line of around -250 to -300 to win. If you think he is going to come back and win this race, just bet on him at that price without investing in him in F1 DFS. The reigning champion will presumably come in with higher ownership than he should for the current conditions.
Driver: Nico Hulkenberg ($3,600 DraftKings; P9) or Kevin Magnussen ($3,200 DraftKings; P6)
Who would have guessed that both HAAS drivers would be starting in the top half of the grid, out-qualifying both Red Bull cars? Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen made the most of their opportunity here and showed that their car is well-suited for this tight circuit. Passing isn’t the easiest here with cement walls lining the track, so if HAAS are able to push their shoulders out, they may have their first double points since 2019. Magnussen is the preferred play of the two drivers as he simply seems to be a more talented driver than Hulkenberg and is starting in front of him as well.
Driver: Liam Lawson ($4,000 DraftKings; P10)
Liam Lawson continues to impress in the AlphaTauri car. Lawson managed to out-qualify both Red Bull cars, actually knocking Verstappen out of Q3 with his final lap. He is starting five places ahead of his teammate Yuki Tsunoda and could even contend for points here if the HAAS cars in front of him struggle to keep pace. Lawson is one of the top-ranked value plays by Stokastic’s model as well.
Final F1 DFS Picks & Summary
Cash game lineups will consist of Ferraris and Mercedes drivers with a sprinkle of a HAAS driver. Sainz makes the most sense at captain with his projections and pole position, while Russell projects higher than his teammate Lewis Hamilton. Using any part of the Red Bull team in cash games makes for a dicey option with their lack of performance on the track.
GPP lineups will get interesting. Many lineups will be heavily focused on a mix-and-match set of Ferrari and Mercedes drivers. The biggest question marks are the Red Bulls. They tend to be higher-owned in most contests, no matter the starting position, simply because of their dominance on the grid this year. Things look very different here in Singapore.
Fading Verstappen is always a scary proposition, but fortune may favor the bold here as it looks like their streak of wins will come to an end here on Sunday. For more F1 DFS picks and data, you can get more from our Fantasy Cruncher.
