F1 Fantasy: top picks & predictions for the 2025 Qatar GP
Who will win F1 Fantasy's duel in the desert at the 2025 Qatar GP? Here are our predictions; tips on drivers to avoid; which chips to play and further analysis
Verstappen celebrates another big F1 Fantasy points haul
Red Bull
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Championship pressure building, endless twists and turns, cars kicking up sand in your eyes…
It can only be the penultimate round of the F1 Fantasy title fight, as Max Verstappen hunts down Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
He turned the heat up yet again in Vegas, the Dutchman hammering home his advantage after winning big while both McLarens were disqualified.
What was for some a sickening papaya DSQ was also a simply lovely promotion for Mercedes, the double podium meaning Brackley took home a bucket-load of Fantasy points.
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Now the circus lands in Qatar, the idiosyncratic circuit designed for bike racing, but now home to the penultimate round of the F1 championship.
It’s also a sprint weekend, meaning there’s a chance for sizeable hauls using any chips you have left.
We’re here to guide you through the desert night in F1 Fantasy – read on…
How did Motor Sport’s 2025 Las Vegas GP F1 Fantasy picks do?
Verstappen was on point again in Vegas
Red Bull
Despite the slight hiccup of the double McLaren DSQ, the Motor Sport team still scored 177 Fantasy points, moving us up to 721 out of 31k+ players.
It felt like the momentum would continue with our lead man Max Verstappen ($29.8m) as the championship battle cranks up, and how true it turned out to be in Vegas.
Norris tried to chop the Dutchman at the race start, but then forgot to brake for the first corner, leaving the newly-dubbed Fantasy hero to cruise through and claim the race win – meaning with the DRS boost he took 112 Fantasy points. Sensational!
One of the breakout stars of 2025, Isack Hadjar ($6.3m), netted a handy 16 Fantasy points by finishing sixth after starting eighth, with a few overtake bonuses to boot.
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Carlos Sainz ($7.1m) scored the same after finishing fifth, while budget Fantasy legend Oliver Bearman snared a top 10 finish, meaning he ended with 10 points.
Our only duff pick was Gabriel Bortoleto, who rewarded our decision to give him a stay of execution by skittling several cars at the first corner and being DNF’d – resulting in a -20 Fantasy score. There’ll be repercussions, as you’ll see down below.
Now, let’s get to the difficult part. McLaren ($36m) being booted out of the results meant a painful -34 penalty, but our bacon was saved by putting weight behind Mercedes’ ($28.1m) strong end to the season, particularly with the upturn in form of Kimi Antonelli translating into 77 Fantasy points in Vegas – long may it continue!
The title fight that everyone’s talking about, i.e. the official Motor Sport F1 Fantasy league, sees the Blue Brazil team top with 5257 points.
Bearman continues to impress
Haas
That squad made like all the big scorers in Vegas, i.e. pairing Red Bull ($30.8m) with Mercedes, the Milton Keynes squad taking 85 Fantasy big ones.
Blue Brazil also paired George Russell ($23.6m) with Verstappen, the Brit claiming 30 Fantasy points, with his budget team-mates Sainz, Fernando Alonso ($4.5m), and Pierre Gasly ($5.9m) grabbing (or not grabbing) 16, 2 and -2 respectively.
However, it’s still oh-so-close at the top of our league. ‘Modest Cowboy Racing’ is on 28 Fantasy points behind Blue Brazil, while ‘Don’ Watch It, Will Win’ is a further 11 back.
What drama, stay tuned!
Motor Sport’s 2025 Qatar GP F1 Fantasy choices: More Dutch delight?
Time to load up with Racing Bulls drivers
Racing Bulls
Unless Red Bull looks lost in the desert in FP1, stick with Verstappen. He’s the main man in F1 right now, and should be in your Fantasy team too.
Ollie Bearman, driving an F1 car made of left over Ferrari bits, is a brilliant eighth in terms of most Fantasy points scored this season. He delivered again in Vegas, so keep him in your team.
The same goes for Carlos Sainz, whose second half of the season seems to be going in the opposite direction of his beleaguered Williams chum Alexander Albon. We’ll trust the Smooth Operator in Qatar.
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Isack Hadjar could be announced at Red Bull for 2026 this weekend, and the same should go for your Fantasy team right now. Sign him up if you haven’t!
Unfortunately, it’s the end of the road for Gabriel Bortoleto (in F1 Fantasy terms). He naffed things up again in Vegas. To be fair, so did our replacement Liam Lawson, who smashed into the hapless Oscar Piastri at the start.
However, the Kiwi has shown strong pace, so at $5.3m, he makes it in.
Which F1 chips should I use at the 2025 Qatar GP?
Got any chips left? Now’s the time to deploy them!
The Extra DRS, No Negative and Limitless chips could help you bring in a big Fantasy points haul.
Click here to read what they do.
Motor Sport 2025 F1 Fantasy 2025 Qatar GP line-up
