Saudi Arabia delivered none of the drama we saw unfold in its first two years on the calendar. With only two retirements due to reliability, and the win never really in doubt for Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, Round 2 of the 2023 season simply solidified much of what we knew after the first two weeks in Bahrain.

Red Bull continues to be the class of the field, finishing 1-2 and capturing pole, fastest lap, and even the 3rd fastest pitstop. There are certainly rumblings about possible reliability issues and intra-team squabbles at Red Bull, but they remain the surest bet of any constructor on the grid and only received a $0.1M raise this week.

Max Verstappen also saw just a $0.1M raise, despite the fact that he has scored a total of 96 fantasy points on the year, 32 more than 2nd place Sergio Perez. In fact, Verstappen has scored more points than the 13 lowest scoring drivers on the grid combined, a list that includes both Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.

Verstappen is not only worthy of a roster spot, but also of a weekly DRS Boost. Whether he starts on pole as in Bahrain and cruises to victory, or starts 15th as in Saudi Arabia and works his way through the field, Verstappen has the speed to put up big points from any position on the grid at any circuit on the calendar.

His teammate and seemingly biggest rival in 2023, Sergio Perez, also is deserving of a weekly roster spot. Perez has qualified and finished in the top 2 in each of the first two races, and looks more determined to take the fight to Verstappen this year than in any of the years past.

The upcoming race at Albert Park is a street circuit and Perez has thrived on street circuits throughout his career. Last year, Perez came in 2nd to Charles Leclerc in Australia and looks poised to make another podium appearance next weekend.

Fernando Alonso continues to deliver the best value of any driver in 2023, receiving just a $0.2M raise this week. Alonso has scored the 3rd most fantasy points in F1 this year, despite being only the 8th highest paid driver. His 3rd place qualifying and podium finish in Saudi Arabia was good for 23 points, returning the highest points-per-million (PPM) of any driver for a second straight round.

Alonso is delivering an astounding 3.7 PPM on the year. For perspective, if Charles Leclerc were scoring 3.7 PPM, he would have a total of 157 points on the season instead of the 16 he currently has. That would be just 3 points fewer than Verstappen and Perez combined.

Alonso’s performance thus far has helped to make Aston Martin the best value of any constructor on the grid. Aston Martin did not receive a raise this week, meaning you can secure them for next weekend’s grand prix in Australia for only $6.8M.

Aston Martin is less expensive than Alpine and McLaren, despite having scored more than both of them combined. Even with Lance Stroll’s DNF due to engine problems, Aston Martin delivered the highest PPM (2.79) of any constructor in Saudi Arabia other than Red Bull (3.48).

If you decide to lock in Verstappen, Perez, Alonso, Red Bull, and Aston Martin this week, then you will be left with two open roster spots and $12.4M to spend. That means you will not be able to afford Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, or Esteban Ocon. You will have to round out your roster with two of the 11 drivers below:

Pierre Gasly has scored the most fantasy points of any of the 11 drivers above and is in the 5th fastest car on the grid. He has been my sleeper pick for the year and has thus far delivered, scoring the 6th most points in F1 Fantasy and outscoring his teammate, Esteban Ocon, by 36 points on the year. Gasly finished in the points at the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, and remains a good option at $8.2M.

On the other end of the spectrum, Oscar Piastri has totaled -14 points, the fewest of any driver in F1. He did receive a decrease of $0.1M, but at $6.8M continues to be a bad value. McLaren is one of only two teams on the grid (along with Alpha Tauri) yet to score a championship point, and their issues look set to continue for at least another few weeks. If their upgrade in Round 4 at Baku delivers them performance (and reliability), then Piastri can once again be considered. Until that time though, Piastri, his teammate, Lando Norris, and McLaren should all continue to be avoided.

Lance Stroll is in the fastest car of any of the 11 above, qualified 6th in Saudi Arabia, and was as high as 4th in the race before an engine failure led to his early retirement. He is a popular pick for many, but selecting him means having 6 of your 7 roster spots filled from just two teams, which doesn’t spread out your risk. Many people are fine with this strategy, and have even found success with it, but many more want to hedge their bets and look elsewhere.

If we reorder the 11 drivers above by points-per-million, we get a better look at their values:

Zhou Guanyu is delivering terrific value at 4.29 PPM, thanks in large part to Overtake Bonuses. He has had 8 overtakes in each of the first two races and continues to be one of the best fantasy options under $5.0M. He just missed out on a points finish at Australia in 2022, and could be in line for another good week if his Alfa Romeo can avoid reliability issues for a third straight race.

Yuki Tsunoda is a name that has gone relatively unmentioned in F1 Fantasy this year, in part because of the performance deficit of his Alpha Tauri, but Tsunoda is delivering value on a consistent basis so far. He scored 8 fantasy points in Bahrain and 9 in Saudi Arabia, both fueled by overtakes and positions gained. He costs only $4.8M this week and is a decent option for one of those backend spots on your roster.

Logan Sargeant received a decrease of $0.1M and is currently the only driver on the grid under $4.0M. His selection allows you to choose any of the other 10 drivers on the list for your team. However, the bulk of Sargeant’s points on the year (11 of his 13) came in the opening round in Bahrain. Albert Park in Melbourne is more akin to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia than it is to the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, so Sargeant could struggle to put up meaningful points next weekend in Australia.

If you’re looking to apply a Chip next weekend, one thing you could consider is using the Extra DRS Chip (3x) on Verstappen. Verstappen seemed genuinely angry after the race in Saudi Arabia, declaring, “I am not here to be second.” He will likely be more motivated than ever to regain his position on the top step. In fact, every time Sergio Perez has won a race in F1, Verstappen has come back in the next round to take the victory. If you want to use a Chip in Australia, Extra DRS on Verstappen is not a bad bet.