The second half of the 2026 season kicks off in The Netherlands, where Zandvoort hosts its final Grand Prix weekend. Upgrades and reliability issues shuffled the podium finishers in the final races before the summer break. This week's Fantasy Preview explores a highly-anticipated lineup shift, a driver who always delivers at Zandvoort, and an unexpected forecast for the weekend.
The 4A Pivot Starts Now
Zandvoort marks the fifth Sprint weekend of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The four top scoring races to date are all Sprint weekends, which makes sense considering there are three scoring events for F1 Fantasy. With more points on the table, teams with at least $120M will begin to shift to 4A lineups (four assets that cost more than $18.5M each).
With five different winners over the last five races, the top of the grid has become more crowded than ever. Here are the top drivers to anchor your 4A lineups for the Dutch Grand Prix:
1. Kimi Antonelli
Reliability issues at Silverstone and a grid penalty in Hungary slowed Antonelli down in recent weeks, but the Mercedes sophomore still posted the third highest fantasy total over that stretch. He leads all drivers in fantasy scoring, points per million, podiums, and Fastest Lap awards while betting lines predict he'll win on Sunday.
Select Antonelli with confidence this weekend as a top choice for the 2X Boost. 80% of the Global League Top 500 selected Antonelli in Hungary, a trend that is expected to continue at Zandvoort.
2. Lando Norris
After claiming his maiden victory of the season in Hungary, Norris enters the weekend with the most momentum. He scored 35 or more fantasy points in each of the last three races and betting lines slot him right after Antonelli for a P2 finish.
Players with at least $124M can run both Antonelli and Norris as a powerful 1-2 punch at the top of their lineups. This combination is ideal for the 3X Boost and Autopilot chips, which are most effective when running two elite drivers.
3. Charles Leclerc
The Monegasque veteran leads all drivers in scoring since Silverstone and emerged as one of the most consistent drivers in F1 Fantasy. At $23.9M, Leclerc is the cheapest driver of this group and was selected by 12.5% of the Global League Top 500 for Hungary. Leclerc's price and recent form suggest he'll be the most popular pivot for teams moving into a 4A lineup.
4. Max Verstappen
The hometown favorite returned to the podium in Hungary after an impressive drive that included a last minute defense against Kimi Antonelli. Verstappen leads all drivers with four Driver of the Day awards, and in his final race at Zandvoort, he could extend that lead this weekend.
The most expensive driver of this group at $27.6M, Verstappen stands out as a top differential for high-budget teams.
Fantasy Forecast: Hadjar and Stroll
As we enter the second half of the season, a top budget-building driver faces an uphill battle to gain value after this weekend. Isack Hadjar needs just -1 point or more for a maximum price rise at Zandvoort, but his 38-point performance at Spa falls off his three-race average ahead of the Italian Grand Prix. If Hadjar scores 15 points this weekend, his target to gain $0.6M rises to 25 points for Monza — a tall order on a non-Sprint weekend. Barring a huge performance this weekend, Hadjar's selection rate should decrease in the coming weeks.
At the bottom of the grid, Lance Stroll's budget building potential should increase dramatically for Monza. His -19 point score from Spa falls off his three race average and he tallied 15 points in Hungary. Even if he scores 0 points this weekend, Stroll can achieve a maximum price gain at Monza with -4 points.
For teams looking to build their budgets coming out of the summer break, a short stint with Stroll and Fernando Alonso has the potential to gain value while freeing up enough cost cap to afford a second premium driver for a 4A lineup.
Zandvoort History
No driver holds a better record at Zandvoort than hometown favorite, Max Verstappen. The Dutch Lion finished P1 or P2 in all five appearances at Zandvoort and enters the weekend on back-to-back podiums in Belgium and Hungary. Consider Max a boom-or-bust differential option for 4A lineups this weekend.
Across the Red Bull garage, Isack Hadjar claimed his first Formula 1 podium at this race last season with Racing Bulls. He currently rides a streak of seven consecutive top-6 finishes and remains the top option in Tier B.
Charles Leclerc retired due to front end damage from an incident with Kimi Antonelli last season, which led to a penalty for the current WDC leader. Prior to his 2025 DNF, Leclerc finished P3 twice around this circuit (2022 and 2024). Leclerc stands out as an affordable option for 4A lineups who stood on the podium in two of the last three races.
As Aston Martin continue to introduce new upgrades, Fernando Alonso should become a popular budget option for F1 Fantasy players. The two-time champion finished P8 last season, the fifth time he finished in the top 10 at Zandvoort. In a chaotic wet weather race back in 2023, Alonso posted an all-time F1 Fantasy result. His 62 points included 15 overtakes and winning both the Fastest Lap and Driver of the Day awards. A repeat seems unlikely for Alonso, but after tying a season high with 8 overtakes in Hungary, he has the most upside of any driver under $7M.
Weather Outlook
Initial forecasts predict a cloudy afternoon with a slight chance of rain on Friday while dry and cloudy conditions are expected for Sprint Saturday. Clear skies and moderate temperatures on Sunday offer ideal conditions for the Grand Prix — an uncommon occurrence at Zandvoort. In 2023, a record 240 overtakes were completed as teams attempted a wide range of tire strategies in mixed conditions while last season's Grand Prix included scattered showers in the opening laps.
The Fantasy Formula is back to answer all of your questions ahead of the lineup lock deadline. The action begins one hour before the start of the Sprint race, this Saturday at 5AM EST/10AM in the UK, only on theofficial FanAmp YouTube channel. See you there!