F1 Fantasy Autopilot Chip: What It Does and When to Use It

Updated October 2026. Based on the official F1 Fantasy game rules for 2026 and 2025 Global League Top 500 chip usage.

Autopilot is the chip people play when they can't decide. That is also the right reason to play it, as long as the indecision is real.

The F1 Fantasy Autopilot chip moves your 2X Boost to whichever driver on your team scored the most, after the weekend has been scored. You pick a Boost as normal. If someone else in your team outscores them, the game moves the Boost to that driver for you.

It cannot create points. It only puts the multiplier where it would have done the most good.

What the Autopilot chip does

Every race you put the 2X Boost on one driver. It doubles that driver's Grand Prix score. It does not apply to Sprint or Qualifying sessions, and it never affects constructor points.

With Autopilot active, the game checks your drivers once scoring is done. If your Boosted driver was not your top scorer, the Boost moves to the one who was. If they were, the Boost stays where it is, and you have still played your one Autopilot for the season.

That is the catch. Every chip can be played once a season, only one per race weekend, and once used the decision is final. Play Autopilot on a weekend where your original pick comes good and it has done nothing for you.

It is available from Race 1, so there is nothing to unlock.

When to use Autopilot in F1 Fantasy

The best time to use Autopilot is a weekend where you own two elite drivers and genuinely can't say which will score more. Three situations tend to create that:

• A wet weekend, where conditions scramble the order
• A top driver starting from the back of the grid
• A weekend with real crash risk, where an incident could take out your Boost pick

The 2025 numbers fit that pattern. 21.8% of the Global League Top 500 played Autopilot at the Dutch GP, 19.4% in Brazil and 18.6% at Austin.

When not to use it

At a dry circuit with a clear favourite, Autopilot is wasted. Put the Boost on the favourite yourself and keep the chip.

It also needs two drivers worth choosing between. If you only own one front-runner, your midfield drivers will rarely outscore him and the Boost will stay where you put it.

Think of it as a hedge against uncertainty, not a points maximiser. Its value is avoiding the weekend where the Boost sat on the wrong driver, not adding a big score on top.

Autopilot vs No Negative on a wet weekend

Both chips have a case when rain is forecast, and you can only play one.

No Negative sets any scoring category that ends negative to zero across your whole team, which covers DNFs and positions lost. Autopilot only fixes where your Boost lands. If your main worry is a non-classification wrecking the weekend, No Negative is the better chip. If your worry is backing the wrong one of two elite drivers, Autopilot is.

Where Autopilot fits in the rest of 2026

Every 2026 Sprint weekend has gone, so the chaotic Sprint uses are off the table. Brazil is the clearest remaining candidate: high overtaking, frequent afternoon thunderstorms and an elevated Safety Car rate that can reshuffle the order. Austin and Mexico only make a case if the forecast or the grid turns unusual.

Any chip still unused after Abu Dhabi is lost. If Autopilot is still in your hand at the final race, play it there rather than let it expire. We go through every remaining chip in where each chip goes with six races left.

Frequently asked questions

Is the chip used up if my Boost pick was already the top scorer? Yes. Once you play Autopilot, it counts as your one use for the season, whether or not the Boost moves.

Does Autopilot double Sprint or Qualifying points? No. Autopilot moves the 2X Boost, and the 2X Boost only doubles a driver's Grand Prix score.

Can I use Autopilot and the 3X Boost on the same weekend? No. Only one chip can be played per race weekend.

Can Autopilot move the Boost to a constructor? No. The Boost only applies to drivers and does not affect constructor points.

When is the Autopilot chip available? From Race 1. Unlike Wildcard, Limitless and Final Fix, it doesn't need a completed race weekend to unlock.

For the full picture on all six chips, see what each F1 Fantasy chip does and when to use it. For the weekly Boost decision itself, see the Boost strategy guide. And if you are weighing up a transfer reset instead, read about the Wildcard chip.

Gridside sends one email before every race weekend with the exact call for your team: which transfer to make, who to Boost and whether to play a chip. £4.99 for the rest of the 2026 season at gridside.app.