F1 Fantasy: Emilia Romagna GP tips, picks and predictions

F1 heads to Imola this weekend for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and the Tifosi are expectant of a home win following Ferrari’s strong start to 2022.

Charles Leclerc already holds a sizeable advantage over the rest of the field in the drivers’ championship but who can help you do the same for your F1 Fantasy leagues?

Ferrari assets look to be a safe bet but where are the differentials going to come from this weekend?

Mercedes has been off the pace but able to maximise points so far, Alpine has been up and down but in the top 10 all year while McLaren may be set for a step forward in performance sooner rather than later.

And don’t forget, this weekend is the first sprint race of the season so there are extra points on offer.

Here are the top picks and predictions for this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

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Price changes

Risers

There are plenty of price risers this week following the Australian GP almost a fortnight ago. Lando Norris has leapt up a massive 0.5m in value to 15.9m ahead of this weekend’s race. Haas has also rocketed up by 0.5m to now sit at 6.7m.

Zhou Guanyu and George Russell have both gone up by 0.3m in value since last weekend. Daniel Ricciardo, Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez and Alpine have each risen by 0.2m while championship leader Charles Leclerc is now 0.1m more than he was last time out, valued at 18.8m.

Fallers

Alex Albon, Mick Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull are the biggest price fallers ahead of the weekend, each dropping by 0.2m in value since Australia.

Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Mercedes, McLaren, Valtteri Bottas, Pierre Gasly and Max Verstappen have all fallen by 0.1m.

AlphaTauri, Sebastian Vettel, Yuki Tsunoda, Lance Stroll, Nicholas Latifi and Williams have also dipped by 0.1m, but look set to dip by another 0.1 before the action starts on Friday, each teetering on the edge of another price drop.

Must-haves

Get your Ferrari assets in now before any more rises in price. The team itself and driver Carlos Sainz are both the same price as last time but Leclerc’s charge is worth jumping on board with as soon as possible. A home win at Imola is on the cards.

Likewise, a cheaper asset from Haas is worth the punt whether that be team or driver(s). Kevin Magnussen had the better start to the season but the team slipped back in Australia. Free practice should indicate whether that was a blip or something to be more concerned about moving forward.

Otherwise a risk versus reward pick in Norris could be worth taking a chance on. He scored a podium last year at Imola though that too took ill fortune for a few ahead to come to fruition. If McLaren is on the up, he will be the driver to pick moving forward.

Ones to avoid

Mercedes might have scored an unlikely podium at Albert Park but the porpoising problem persists. It is still some 0.7sec on average off of the leading pace and for the prices of all three potential assets, not a likely top scorer. Imola may suit the W13 more than recent races but is surely isn’t enough to warrant a 23m+ spend when other cheaper picks are on offer.

Williams, Aston Martin and AlphaTauri all seem to be struggling to get to grips with the new regulations and each team’s respective slow start to the season appears no closer to ending this weekend at Imola.

Sprint race

The first sprint race of the season presents another chance to score extra points so picking better qualifiers this weekend is advisable.

Points in the race are awarded down to eighth now rather than third so the lower reaches of the top 10 will be rewarded for their finishing positions on Saturday.

Top % picks

66% of players have world championship leader Charles Leclerc in their teams while Ferrari remains the most selected constructor with 54% of players opting for the Scuderia.

Kevin Magnussen is next best with 53% picking the Dane for this weekend while Carlos Sainz and Valtteri Bottas are the only other drivers with a share over 40%, with 48 and 46% of players picking the duo respectively.

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix picks

Drivers:

Charles Leclerc (18.8m)

Carlos Sainz (17.3m)

Sergio Perez (18m)

Fernando Alonso (12.5m)

Kevin Magnussen (6m)

Team:

Ferrari (25.9m)