F1 FANTASY: Strategist Preview  – The McLaren Mini-League and what you need to know for China and Japan

Formula 1 heads into a pivotal next two races with the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix – and with them comes the launch of a new McLaren Mini-League in F1 Fantasy. While Shanghai brings the added complexity of a Sprint format for the teams, while Suzuka is a traditional race weekend structure, the pairing is less about circuit specifics and more about managing transfers, chips and cost cap across two contrasting weekends.

China’s additional scoring session increases both opportunity and risk, while Japan may reward patience and stability. Decisions made ahead of Shanghai could carry financial and strategic implications into Suzuka, making forward planning across both rounds increasingly important.

At this early stage of the season, it’s not too late to join F1 Fantasy – the free-to-play game and compete for 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.

Catch up on the Australian Grand Prix highlights below to get up to speed ahead of the Chinese weekend. Remember to lock in your teams before the Sprint in China (1100 local time; 0300 UTC) and again before Qualifying in Japan (1500 local time; 0600 UTC).

Global League update

P1 on the global leaderboard successfully deployed the 3X Boost chip on Max Verstappen and Oliver Bearman in Australia. The team also featured Pierre Gasly, Arvid Lindblad and Gabriel Bortoleto alongside the Mercedes and Haas constructors – delivering a strong opening-week score – while the managers currently in P2 and P3 also used the chip on Verstappen and Bearman — a common theme among top-performing strategists in Round 1.

F1 Fantasy Strategist watchlist

Looking ahead, our F1 Fantasy Strategist evaluates seven in-game assets and reviews all potential chip strategies to help you challenge for the top step in F1 Fantasy’s global leaderboard.

George Russell ($27.7m)

George Russell arrives in China after converting Mercedes’ pre-season promise into a race victory in Australia, scoring 39 fantasy points after starting on pole.

With strong qualifying form, Mercedes demonstrating consistent race pace, and on a streak of 35 races without a retirement, the Briton remains a reliable candidate for the 2X Boost for the upcoming race weekends.

Charles Leclerc ($23.1m)

After taking the lead of the Australian Grand Prix into Turn 1 from P4 on the grid, Charles Leclerc ultimately had to settle for P3 and 29 fantasy points.

The Monegasque is still searching for his first podium in China and has only stood on the Suzuka rostrum once (2022), giving the Ferrari driver added motivation to improve those records in the upcoming rounds.

Oliver Bearman ($8.0m)

Ollie Bearman’s P7 finish in Australia delivered 20 fantasy points and reinforced Haas’ encouraging early-season form, with the Briton gaining nine positions from P12 – an area that proved a reliable source of scoring for him last year.

With the American team showing competitive pace, Bearman continues to represent exceptional value among the midfield options in F1 Fantasy.

Gabriel Bortoleto ($7.0m)

Gabriel Bortoleto built on his strong end to 2025 by scoring 13 fantasy points and securing a top-10 finish in Audi’s first Grand Prix appearance.

The Brazilian has now produced four double-digit returns across his last seven race weekends, highlighting dependable output at a modest price point.

Franco Colapinto ($6.4m)

Franco Colapinto showed sharp reactions off the line in Melbourne, delivering six fantasy points for owners in a tidy opening round.

If the Argentinian can get closer to matching his team mate’s qualifying and race pace, he could offer steady value increases in the subsequent race weekends.

Other drivers to monitor: Kimi Antonelli, Arvid Lindblad

Ferrari ($23.6m)

Ferrari were left to rue a potential missed opportunity for the race win in the season opener, despite strong underlying race pace in Australia.

Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton improved from their starting grid positions at Albert Park and if that continues, the Scuderia should be well-placed to fight for podiums on a regular basis moving forward.

Racing Bulls ($6.9m)

One of the most impressive midfield teams in the season opener was Racing Bulls, with Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson both qualifying inside the top 10 on Saturday in Melbourne to secure valuable qualifying bonus points in F1 Fantasy.

The pair also generated points through other key scoring categories, combining for 15 overtakes and five fast pit stop points across the race weekend, accumulating a total of 35 fantasy points across the weekend. Expect this balanced point-scoring trend to continue in the upcoming rounds.

Other constructors to monitor: Mercedes, Haas

China Chip Strategy – Limitless

Limitless can be an optimal chip to deploy on Sprint weekends, as it provides an unlimited cost cap for one race weekend to build your line-up around the strongest performing teams. With the deadline at the start of the Sprint on these weekends, this provides an additional session of point-scoring opportunities for your team.

Consider building around these drivers and teams in China when constructing a Limitless team.

Drivers: Verstappen, Russell, Antonelli, Leclerc, Hamilton

Teams: Mercedes, Ferrari

Strategist Tip – Your pre-Limitless team (i.e. the one you had in Australia) will be subject to the price changes at the conclusion of the race weekend.

Featured leagues and upcoming mini-leagues

The first of several new F1 Fantasy mini-leagues launches this weekend with the McLaren Mini-League, which will run across the next three races starting with the Chinese Grand Prix.

There are exciting prizes on offer, including a tour of the McLaren Technology Centre for first place, a driver-signed McLaren team cap for second, and a McLaren PUMA kit bag for third.

For participants looking to gain an early advantage, using the Limitless chip in China could be a strong strategic play. The chip will open the door for players to construct a stacked line-up built around some of the strongest fantasy performers on the grid.

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 and, as always, be sure to keep a close eye on earlier sessions to help guide your fantasy decisions before the team lock deadline.