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Pearce Dietrich explains the rules for the new F1 Fantasy Racing contests at DraftKings for the 2022 Season.
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F1 has arrived at DraftKings. The game is simple to learn but requires skill to master. Lifelong F1 fans will have an advantage, but the practical scoring system makes these contests accessible and fun for the DFS players lining up to the starting grid for the first time.
The Fantasy F1 scoring system at DraftKings combines the Showdown format from other sports with a variation on the Fantasy NASCAR scoring system. DFS players will select five drivers and one constructor (team) while staying under the $50,000 salary cap. Similar to Showdown Contests, one of the five drivers selected will be designated as the Captain’s Pick. This driver will earn 1.5x the standard fantasy point value for each statistic, but the Captain’s Pick will cost 1.5x their regular salary.
Set your DraftKings Fantasy F1 lineups here: F1 $150K Lights Out Special [$50K to 1st]
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Drivers will earn points based on their finishing position. First place is worth 25 DKFP (DraftKings Fantasy Points) and second place is worth 18 DKFP. The points decrease throughout the top 10 and align with F1’s scoring system. Drivers finishing outside of the Top 10 will not earn finishing position points
This is another self explanatory category. If a driver leads a lap, then that driver earns 0.1 DKFP. The beauty of this scoring method is that it is very easy to follow the laps led scores during the race. If a driver leads 25 laps, then the driver scores 2.5 laps led points. If a driver has 2.1 laps led points, then the driver led 21 laps.
There are many reasons for the rivalries among teammates in F1. This isn’t a stick and ball sport where team success is mutual. Teammates do not share wins or podiums. Just watch a couple minutes of the hit series “Formula 1: Drive To Survive” on Netflix, and the significance of this category becomes crystal clear. Outracing a teammate is a big deal in Formula 1 and it’s a big deal at DraftKings. The difference between winning and losing a DraftKings F1 contest can be decided by the “vs.” category. For example, Valtteri Bottas finished third in the 2021 standings, but his Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton, finished better than Bottas in 18 of 22 races. The five points that Hamilton collected in nearly every race were huge, given that the average top F1 fantasy score was 35.8 DKFP last season.
A classified finish is defined as 90%+ of the race completed, as measured by laps completed/total laps. Basically, a driver that runs almost all of the laps and avoids a mechanical failure or an accident. While this may seem like one measly point, it could be the deciding factor between which backmarker is in the winning lineup and which is not. Nikita Mazepin only earned this point in 76% of the races last season.
This is similar to place differential scoring in Fantasy NASCAR. If a driver gains spots, then they are rewarded. If a driver finishes worse than where they started, then they lose points. The Spots vs. Grid (SVG) scoring system categorizes the positional gains into seven scoring blocks (+10, +5, +3, 0, -3, -5 and -10). If a driver gains 10 spots or more, then that driver receives 5 DKFP. A +5 gain is worth 3 DKFP and a +3 gain is worth 2 DKFP. If a driver finishes worse than their starting grid position, then they will lose points: -10 SVG (-5 DKFP), -5 SVG (-3 DKFP) and -3 SVG (-2 DKFP).
Spots vs. Grid Position points do not stack. If a driver starts 20th and finishes sixth (+14 SVG spots gained). That driver earns 5 DKFP for the +10 SVG scoring block. The driver does not earn SVG Position points for both the +10 SVG scoring block (+5 DKFP) and +3 SVG scoring block (+2 DKFP). The driver’s +14 SVG position spots gained fits into the +10 SVG scoring block, so the driver receives 5 DKFP for this category. No other points will be added.
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The constructors are the teams in Formula 1. Each fantasy F1 lineup will select one constructor. The constructors will accumulate fantasy points similarly to the drivers, but with a few differences. For example, the top driver score at Abu Dhabi was 35.1 DKFP (Max Verstappen) and the top constructor score was 38.1 (Mercedes — Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas). For the most part, this roster position could be considered another driver.
Driver scoring and Constructor scoring for finishing position points are the same, but with one difference. The constructor earns finishing position points for both drivers on the team. At Abu Dhabi last season, Yuki Tsunoda finished fourth (12 DKFP) and his teammate, Pierre Gasly, finished fifth (10 DKFP). The constructor, Alpha Tauri, earned the combination of both finishes for 22 DKFP in the finishing position points scoring category.
Constructors and drivers score laps led points at the same rate (0.1 DFKP for each lap led). The only difference is that a constructor will earn laps led points for both of their drivers.
This is an all-or-nothing category. Drivers receive 1 DKFP for a classified finish. If both of the constructor’s drivers earn a classified finish, then the constructor will receive 2 DKFP. If one driver retires early or fails to reach the 90% threshold, then the constructor will not receive points.
This is similar to the classified scoring category, but it’s ratcheted up a notch. If both of the constructor’s drivers finish inside the Top 10, then the constructor pick earns 5 DKFP.
In addition to the top-10 points, constructors can score 3 DKFP if both of their drivers earn a spot on the podium (top-3 finish).
F1 fantasy lineups cannot include two drivers from the same team along with their constructor.
Set your DraftKings Fantasy F1 lineups here: F1 $150K Lights Out Special [$50K to 1st]
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