When there is a Will, there is a Way
JT · 2 July 2026
After an eventful Austrian Grand Prix which saw George Russell break a six-race dry spell without a win, there were fine performances from constructors in the OG League paddock. It was the winner of the inaugural edition of the Big Points Fantasy game that took home the race win.
With a grand score of 43 points, Will stole the show with five correct predictions, including Big Points for 9th and 10th. The decision to switch the Racing Bulls at the second pit stop was a point of contention for constructors up and down the virtual paddock with four teams losing Big Points of their own due to Lawson’s engineered undercut of Lindblad.
But for the race winner, and runner up in the second edition of the game, the points tally was only just enough to pip Dom (40) to the top step of the podium. In the end, Hadjar’s 6th place finish trumped the correct call by Dom to back Antonelli to bag the fastest lap to secure a win that propelled Will up 4 places into 3rd in the standings.
The 2022 champion had the following to say in the Big Points media pit:
In the immortal words of George Russell earlier in the weekend, I ‘just had to keep on believing’ that I still have what it takes to win a race. I’d like to thank my family, friends… but mainly the Racing Bulls coming in P9 and P10 and earning me a heap of points.
After a series of disappointing races in Barcelona, Monaco, and Canada, the one-time champion will hope this inspires a run of results up until the summer break. And it was Tyler (36) who saw off a challenge from Mark to close out the podium.
With the top three finishing within 2 seconds of each other on the track, Antonelli’s failure to catch and overtake Verstappen proved pivotal for Tyler to secure his first career podium in the game.
Ferrari Failure
Up and down the virtual paddock, there was an impressive spread of predictions. However, 8th position alluded everyone. Nobody foresaw how far the Ferrari could fall. Charles Leclerc’s in this case, with the Monegasque driver dropping from P2 to an alarming P8.
And with his teammate Lewis Hamilton finishing two places down from his qualifying slot in 5th, it was a miserable weekend for Ferrari, who failed to build on Hamilton’s maiden Scuderia win in Barcelona.
Despite 8th place pain, there was 9th place gain, with 38% of the grid revelling in Racing Bulls’ “strategy” call. But it was the Prancing Horses that mixed up the final classification, with Joel being the only constructor to profit from Hamilton’s questionable three-stop strategy.
Further up the grid, Max Verstappen split the Mercedes drivers, but it was his teammate, Isack Hadjar, who drove a decent race to finish ahead of reigning world champion, Lando Norris, and the ailing Leclerc to bring home a good haul of points for Richard, as well as race winner, Will.
Trophy Talk
With much of the post-race conversation dominated by the mixed performances of teams across the grid, constructors were busy taking home a total of eight different trophies. From Pirelli’s Choice to Double Duty, and Constructor Synergy, JT (3), Dom (2), and Will (2) had their hands full when they walked out of the trophy room.
With his five correct predictions, Will became the first Oracle of the virtual paddock, while Dom showed midfield mastery to pick three correct calls between 6th and 10th. On a busy leaderboard, there is a five-way tie in the trophy scavenger hunt with Dom, JT, Mark, Ross, and Will all level on seven.
Brits to Shine at Silverstone?
The circus rolls onto the fast straights of Silverstone, where the strong contingent of British drivers on the grid will be looking to fill the top ten on Sunday. For Big Points followers, eyes will be squarely on the lower order prize to see who can head the midfield battle.
Assuming the top teams lock out the first eight places, the battle for 9th and 10th could be a keenly contested battle with Arvid Lindblad and Oliver Bearman looking to score points on home soil. Lindblad has been in good form in recent races registering 10th, 9th, and 7th position finishes in Spielberg, Barcelona, and Monaco, respectively.
Unfortunately for Ferrari fans, it could be a weekend of more pain on a power sensitive circuit where over 70% of the track is foot to the floor. Drivers will also have to deal with the additional challenge of energy management and deployment due to the lack of braking zones. However, Silverstone brings out the best in Hamilton and if home crowds do add a couple of tenths per lap, Ferrari’s flaws might be masked, at least for car number 44.
Lewis will be hoping to be mixing it at the front with Russell and Norris, with the former looking to change his fortunes around the track. In eight starts at Silverstone for Williams and Mercedes, Russell has collected a miserly 11 points with a 5th place finish in 2023 representing his highest finish. Norris on the other hand emerged victorious in his title winning campaign last year, although the McLaren is a shadow of its former self in the era of new regulations.
We are back to the track again on the quest for Big Points at a circuit that usually produces drama. Can Red Bull continue their positive development momentum to upset Mercedes? Can Antonelli bounce back to the top step of the podium? And further down the grid, could the Audis finally make the breakthrough to the top ten? Strap yourselves in for a speedy (perhaps sunny) Silverstone ride with the added jeopardy of another Sprint race.
For more chat, check out the Big Points Podcast Silverstone preview with Tom and Sam >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H-WwCiq1S8