F1 FANTASY: How Williams’ tough weekend in Russia hurt players

Mercedes may have jiu-jitsu’d Ferrari in Sochi to take their sixth consecutive Russian Grand Prix win – but how did the points play out in F1 Fantasy land? We round up the best and worst performers from Russia.

There were 15,880,668 valid team combinations ahead of the Russian Grand Prix, with a microscopically small 0.0000063% chance of picking the best team below. In fact, so small was the chance of picking the team below that… none of you did.

So the chapeau stays well and truly on our heads this week – but a shout-out nonetheless to MissionHopeNow, MassaFan1 and Scuderia Focus, with all three teams currently heading up the Official F1 Asia League, with just the Japanese Grand Prix left to run.

Want to win exclusive prizes by playing F1 Fantasy? Sign up to the forthcoming Official F1 Americas League for your chance to win some exclusive Ferrari signed merchandise.

Best Team

Total points: 232
Budget: $99.8 million

Alexander Albon: 44 points (Turbo Driver)
Carlos Sainz: 20 points
Charles Leclerc: 45 points
Valtteri Bottas: 42 points
Kevin Magnussen: 16 points

Constructor: Red Bull – 65 points

Want a decent metric of how well Alex Albon is doing after his switch to Red Bull? Post-Russia, he’s already matched Pierre Gasly’s number of Turbo Driver appearances in the ‘Best Team’ during the Frenchman’s first half of the season at Red Bull, with Albon appearing for the third time in four races.

PIT LANE TO P5: Watch Alex Albon's Russian GP charge

Joining him this week was Carlos Sainz after his sterling drive to sixth, while Kevin Magnussen makes a rare appearance in the top squad after scoring his first points since Germany.

Driver-wise, the team is completed by podium-takers Valtteri Bottas and Charles Leclerc, Bottas now on his ninth ‘Best Team’ appearance of the year, as Red Bull were the team to have, helped by Albon and Max Verstappen’s rise up the order on race day.

Worst Team

Total points: -56
Budget: $65 million

Sebastian Vettel: 1 point
Daniel Ricciardo: -11 points
Romain Grosjean: -8 points
George Russell: -12 points
Robert Kubica: -28 points

Constructor: Williams – 2 points

Despite Williams’ difficult season, the team have managed to take a respectable haul of points in F1 Fantasy so far this year.

But Russia was one of the Grove team’s worst performances of 2019, with both drivers retiring from the race, meaning that George Russell, Robert Kubica and Williams themselves appear in the ‘Worst Team’ – Russell for the second race in a row, having never been included in the squad until Singapore.

READ MORE: Kubica retired in Russia ‘to conserve parts’

Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Romain Grosjean’s retirements from the race also usher them into the least optimal team, Grosjean’s tally for the year now standing at a whopping 10 appearances in 16 Grands Prix.

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