Marc Marquez entered the first MotoGP race of the year, the Gran Premio Red Bull de Espana, as the heavy favorite, and for a time it looked like he was going to win yet again. Maverick Vinales took the early lead, roaring out of second position on the grid, and then he decided to push hard, hoping that he could develop a lead thanks to the extra grip of the soft front tire that he had decided to use. Marquez caught up during the third lap, catching and passing Vinales in the Pedrosa corner. However, he lost the front of his bike at Turn 4. He was able to keep upright, though, and rejoined the race in 16th place. Vinales’ soft front tire started to cause problems, and Fabio Quartararo and Jack Miller began to catch up. Quartararo moved into the lead; Marquez had moved back up to tenth and was threatening, moving all the way up to third place with five laps to go. However, in Lap 22, Marquez’s rear let go in Turn 3, and he suffered a terrible crash. Quartararo held on for his first win ever in MotoGP, the first Frenchman to win a race since Regis Laconi won at Valencia in 1999. Vinales finished in second, followed by Andrea Dovizioso. Marquez has been medically cleared for this week’s race, another excursion at Jerez as MotoGP hosts a doubleheader, but he will not race. His brother Alex will race instead, moving up from Moto2. Check out the sports betting MotoGP odds for this week as well as our thoughts for the race ahead.
MotoGP Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucia Preview (July 26)
| Rider Odds | |
|---|---|
| F. Quartararo | -118 |
| M. Vinales | +240 |
| A. Dovizioso | +1100 |
| F. Morbidelli, J. Miller | +1400 |
| P. Espargaro, V. Rossi | +1800 |
| B. Binder | +2500 |
| J. Mir, T. Nakagami | +3300 |
| F. Bagnaia, J. Zarco | +5000 |
| A. Rins, D. Petrucci, M. Oliveira | +8000 |
| C. Crutchlow | +10000 |
| A. Marquez | +30000 |
| FIELD (all unlisted riders) | +10000 |
Fabio Quartararo looked impressive in his own right; it is not beyond the realm of possibility that he would have caught and passed Marquez even if the favorite had not had issues. He pulled away from Vinales down the stretch, showing a great day not just for himself but for the new Yamaha M1, which he is riding this year. Given that Yamaha only has three wins in the last calendar year-plus, they have to be encouraged by the performance of their new machinery.
So can Quartararo pull off the back-to-back, particularly on the same circuit? Having Marquez on the shelf helps. Cal Crutchlow also had a crash, and while he is medically cleared and will race, the likeliness that he will run with caution explains why he is down the odds list; the same goes for Alex Rins.
There are other riders who had disappointing performances as well. Joan Mir crashed in the early going, keeping Suzuki off the board. Johann Zarco looked terrific on Sunday, but his disappointing performance in qualification meant that he had to start well back in the pack. Danilo Petrucci ran at a pedestrian pace, but it is true that he suffered injuries in testing that may have played a role. However, he did not look fast during most of the second half of 2019.
What about Alex Marquez? All of a sudden, someone whom Honda was developing is now up in the big race. Cal Crutchlow, Honda’s other rider, will be the leading contender from the team, but the younger Marquez enters the race with plenty of intrigue. Can he live up to the promise that has been building behind his name? The odds on him are huge — larger than picking the field — but he’s an interesting rider to watch, and a fun dark horse.
Pol Espargaro was pushing hard for a podium in the first race of 2020 but ended up settling for sixth. Rookie Brad Binder, Espargaro’s KTM teammate, looked like he was heading for a top ten finish until he made a blunder and ended up losing ground. Those aren’t mistakes he will repeat — and running again at the same track could reinforce the lesson.
Miguel Oliveira had a disappointing qualifying run but then snuck up to finish in eighth place, his best finish ever in MotoGP. His Tech 3 Racing teammate, Iker Lecuona, also looked like he would crack the top ten but then had to retire from the race.
