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Mexico City GP F1 Fantasy Tips: Who to Boost, Round 19

Kimi Antonelli won in Austin from pole by 13 seconds. He now needs only a top-nine finish in Mexico City to be champion.

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Based on Austin, Singapore and Sepang results, the official Mexico City schedule and the official F1 Fantasy game rules.

Before Austin we argued that a driver who only needs points tends to drive like one, and backed Max Verstappen for the Boost instead. Antonelli made a one-stop strategy work and took his ninth win of the season. The Austin call is on the record. So the real question this week is whether title nerves are a factor at all.

This is a normal weekend with no Sprint, and one qualifying session sets the grid. Lock-in is Saturday 31 October at 21:00 GMT, before qualifying. UK clocks went back last weekend, so check the app for your local time.

Circuit characteristics that matter for fantasy

Mexico City rates medium for overtaking, and the start is where it shows. It is 830 metres from pole to the Turn 1 braking point, so the cars behind get a long tow at the leader before anyone has to brake. From 2015 to 2024 the pole-sitter won only four of the nine races here. The other five were won from second or third.

The circuit sits at 2,285 metres above sea level, and nobody has seen this year's cars run there. Last season's Mexico form tells you little. If one team looks unusually quick or slow in Friday practice, treat it as real information rather than noise.

One qualifying, one Grand Prix, 71 laps. Plan for dry, and check the forecast on Thursday before you settle your team.

Transfer angle: Russell out, Leclerc in

If you own George Russell, this is the week to move him on. He failed to finish at Sepang with a power unit problem while running third. He finished ninth from 19th on the grid in Singapore, then eighth in Austin after a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage off track on lap one.

With five races left, judge the move on points still to come, not on price. Charles Leclerc has finished second in each of the last two races, and Ferrari topped all three practice sessions in Austin. Check the price gap in the app. If Leclerc does not fit, Lewis Hamilton is the other Ferrari option: sixth in Singapore, fourth in Austin.

One transfer is enough for most teams this week. You get two free transfers per race, and one unused transfer carries over, up to a maximum of three. Each transfer beyond your allowance costs 10 points.

The exception is Franco Colapinto. He failed to finish in Singapore and again in Austin. If he is in your team, use your second free transfer on him.

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Boost consideration: Antonelli, if he is top three in final practice

Antonelli is the Mexico City Boost pick if he finishes final practice in the top three. He won Austin from pole by 13 seconds on one stop while his closest rivals stopped twice. The title was within reach that afternoon too, and it did not slow him down.

Teams lock before qualifying, so the last session you can judge him on is final practice, which ends at 18:30 GMT on Saturday. The condition is there because of that run to Turn 1: winning from second or third is common here, but only for a car with the pace to attack. The Grand Prix pays 25 points for the win plus a possible 10 for Driver of the Day.

Hamilton and Russell both need to win in Mexico City just to keep the title open. Verstappen finished third in Austin but reported gearbox and engine braking problems and lost time at a slow stop. He is one to watch on Friday, not a Boost on current evidence. If Antonelli is fourth or lower in final practice, move the Boost to Leclerc before lock.

Chip flag: 3X Boost if you still have it, otherwise Limitless

Our chips guide named two homes for the 3X Boost: Austin or Mexico City. If you held it through Austin, this is the one left. Play it on Antonelli with the same final practice condition, and move your 2X Boost to another driver, because the two cannot sit on the same driver.

If the 3X Boost is gone, Limitless is the Mexico City chip. It works best at a normal weekend where the result follows car pace. Check how the leading cars run on Friday before you commit, because altitude can change the usual order.

If you hold both, play the 3X Boost here and move Limitless to Abu Dhabi. Only one chip counts per race, and the 3X Boost has fewer good options left.

Keep No Negative for São Paulo and Final Fix in reserve. With five races left including this one, anything unused after Abu Dhabi is lost. Before lock, give every chip you still hold a named race using how to use your remaining chips with six races left.

Confidence

Medium. Austin made the pace order clearer, but nobody has seen this year's cars at 2,285 metres.

Drop to low on the Boost if Antonelli is outside the top three in final practice. The call would then rest on Leclerc's race pace rather than Antonelli's Austin form. Check the final practice times before you lock.

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.

Sources