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São Paulo GP F1 Fantasy Tips: Who to Boost in Brazil, Round 20

Kimi Antonelli is the 2026 champion. He finished third in Mexico City behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, and at 20 he is the youngest title winner the sport has had.

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Based on Mexico City and Austin results, Haas driver news, the official São Paulo schedule, Interlagos records and the official F1 Fantasy game rules and prices.

Last week's Boost call is on the record. This week the title maths has gone, and so has the excuse for a driver to settle for points. The real question in Brazil is whether you can separate Antonelli and Verstappen at all, at a circuit where the weather often makes that choice for you.

This is a normal weekend with no Sprint. One qualifying session sets the grid for the only race that counts. Lock-in is Saturday 7 November at 18:00 GMT, the start of qualifying. Check the app for your local time.

Circuit characteristics that matter for fantasy

Interlagos rates high for overtaking. It runs anti-clockwise over 71 laps, and the mix of long straights and slow corners gives drivers out of position a way back. 72 overtakes were completed in the 2024 race.

Pole is worth less here than most people assume. Only 17 of the 41 races held at Interlagos up to 2024 were won from pole, just under half. Verstappen won the 2024 race from 17th on a wet track, the furthest back anyone has won here.

The number that matters most is the Safety Car. Going into the 2025 race, formula1.com put the chance of one at 86%, based on the previous seven races, with a 43% chance of a Virtual Safety Car. Pirelli warns of frequent rain at this time of year. Both can reshuffle a race that would otherwise follow car pace.

Check the São Paulo forecast on Thursday and again before lock. Heavy rain changes the chip call below.

Transfer angle: hold, and bank one for Las Vegas

Most teams should make no transfer 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. Hold both now and you go into Las Vegas with three.

Las Vegas is the round to spend them. It is a Saturday race on a street circuit with long straights, and a team that suits Interlagos may not suit it. Three free moves let you reshape for it without paying 10 points. With four races left, judge every move on points still to come, because a price rise now has almost no time to pay back.

The exception is Esteban Ocon. Haas replaced him for the rest of the Mexico City weekend, and Ryo Hirakawa drove instead. Haas has not named its driver for São Paulo. Rafael Câmara and Jack Doohan have both been reported, and any change needs the stewards' approval.

If Ocon is in your team, sell him. Do not buy the Haas seat until a driver is confirmed, because a driver who does not race scores nothing. Alex Albon at $3.8M finished eleventh in Mexico City and is the cheaper swap. Carlos Sainz at $8.4M, twelfth, is the option if your budget allows it.

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

Antonelli is the São Paulo Boost pick if he finishes final practice in the top three. He has won nine Grands Prix this season, and Mercedes lead Ferrari by 126 points in the constructors' championship, 630 to 504. In Mexico City he needed only ninth, started fourth and finished third.

Verstappen is the reason for the condition. He won Mexico City from fifth on the grid, his third win in four races, and moved up to second in the standings. He costs $28.8M against Antonelli's $27.5M. On current form there is very little between them.

Final practice runs from 14:30 GMT on Saturday, so it is the last session you can judge them on before lock. The Grand Prix pays 25 points for the win plus a possible 10 for Driver of the Day, and at a track this good for overtaking a Boost driver starting fourth can still win.

If Antonelli is fourth or lower in final practice, move the Boost to Verstappen before lock.

Chip flag: Autopilot, or No Negative if heavy rain is forecast

Play Autopilot at São Paulo unless heavy rain is forecast. This is the same call as our run-in chips guide. Autopilot moves your 2X Boost, after the weekend is scored, to whichever of your drivers scored the most. It earns its keep when two top drivers are hard to separate, which is Antonelli against Verstappen at a circuit with an 86% Safety Car record.

It only pays if your team holds more than one driver who could top the weekend. In 2026 it added nothing on the most-picked team in 15 of 18 rounds, according to our 2026 chip data.

If heavy rain is forecast, play No Negative instead. It sets every scoring category that ends negative to zero across your team, which covers a Grand Prix DNF worth up to 20 points per driver. The 2024 race here was wet and qualifying was stopped five times. Autopilot then moves to Las Vegas, as the guide's four-chip plan sets out.

If you still hold the 3X Boost, keep it for Qatar, where the guide places it. Only one chip counts per race, and anything unused after Abu Dhabi is lost. Before lock, check the Saturday forecast: dry or light showers means Autopilot, heavy rain means No Negative.

Confidence

Medium-low. The Boost is a choice between two drivers in form, and both are good options. Interlagos is the problem. An 86% Safety Car record and November rain mean the race can stop following car pace at any moment, and one badly timed Safety Car can undo a Boost on its own.

Move to medium if the forecast is dry and Antonelli is top three in final practice. Drop to low if heavy rain is forecast for qualifying or the race. Check the final practice times and the forecast 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