Fantasy Formula 1 2011

5 World Champions.

1 new one, two recent ones, a very old one and that other guy with the monobrow.

It would be reasonable to suggest, therefore, that 2011 should be pretty exciting. So I will. 2011 should be pretty exciting. See? I did warn you.

KERS comes back this year, bigger and cleverer than before, we have movable rear wings (legally, this time), a new tyre supplier, another bunch of fresh-faced (and let’s face it, well-sponsored) drivers, 20 races and a passage to India.

Can Vettel and Red Bull do it again? Can Webber make it through a whole season without falling off a bike? Will Alonso stop sulking long enough to drive well? Button or Hamilton? Schumacher, even? Or... someone new?!

So here is grumpyf1's Fantasy Formula 1 2011 - welcome. This is the 16th year of FF1, but it's first time on the blog. You read the rules, pick your team, then sit back whilst your stunning combo romps to victory. That’s the idea anyway. Fancy your chances?

Here’s what to do…

Tweet me at http://twitter.com/grumpyf1 by the end of Friday the 4th of March with your two cars and two drivers. If someone else has entered the same team before you, you’ll have to change yours!

Rules and everything else you need to know follow. Jolly good luck. You’re going to need it...

Rules & Regs

Your team budget is £30 million to buy two cars and two drivers from the list. Spend less and you’ll get 5 bonus points for every 1 million under-spent. Spend more and you’ll start the season in the red with 5 penalty points for each £1 million you overspend up to £5 million over. If your budget is MORE than £5 million over, for every million above the £5 million spent it’s 6 points off. If you spend more than £10 million over, its 7, More than £15 million its 8. And so on! For example, you could pair Vettel and Hamilton with a Red Bull and a Ferrari, but you’ll start the season with a whopping minus 452 points! Or you could gamble on D’Ambrosio and di Resta with a Lotus and a Hispania, and start the season with 100 bonus points.

However, you can’t pick two identical cars, they have to be from different teams. You also can’t pick the same driver twice!

Your driver scores only when he is racing, and cars and drivers MUST be classified by the FIA as a finisher to score points. Substitute drivers do not count. If your driver loses his seat, he’s out of the championship: however, the rest of your team can still score. Likewise, if one of the teams decides they’ve bitten off more than they can chew and packs up and goes home, your drivers and your other car can still score. Car scores are based on the highest finishing machine of your chosen make. There is also a bonus point for pole position. Here’s how it works (all points apply to drivers and cars):

The Points

Win 25 points

2nd 18 points

3rd 15 points

4th 12 points

5th 10 points

6th 8 points

7th 6 points

8th 4 points

9th 2 points

10th 1 point

Improvement Points

2 points for every place made up from start position. So if grid position 13 finishes in seventh, you get 18 points.

Qualifying Bonus Point

Pole position 1 point

In the case of a tie, the winner will be the person with the highest individual race score. In the case of any dispute about the rules, an FIA decision, or in fact anything really, my decision is final. It’s my game after all.

And in case you're still not sure who drives for who....

Well go on. What are you waiting for....?

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