Motorsports Betting News This Week | Three Surprise Leaders, NASCAR, MotoGP Odds & Market Trends | May, 2026

Tony Reyesby Tony Reyes
Updated: May 13, 2026

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Motorsports betting has been an absolute roller coaster through April and into May. Three different series, three different surprise leaders. Let’s break it all down.

Kimi Antonelli has now won three Grand Prix races in a row. He sits on 100 points and leads George Russell by 20. The Mercedes rookie is the real F1 story this year. Tyler Reddick has five NASCAR Cup wins and a massive 105-point lead. And the MotoGP title is now a two-rider Aprilia battle with Bezzecchi and Martin separated by just one point.

Marc Marquez? Still in fifth place. Still hurt. He’ll miss the French and Catalan Grands Prix. If you took the defending champ at his preseason price, that ticket is in trouble.

This page breaks down the updated futures, where the value sits, what’s overpriced, and where sharp money is heading.

Check out the full F1 guide to discover every race market and prop imaginable.

The biggest motorsports betting storylines this month

Antonelli winning Miami was the loudest result of the week. He became the first driver in history to win his first three Grand Prix wins from pole. That’s the kind of stat that makes you stop and reread it. Not even Lewis Hamilton has accomplished this.

The Mercedes rookie also became the first driver to hit the 100-point mark this season. He held off Lando Norris in a tense Miami finish. Russell could only manage fourth. That’s how Antonelli’s lead grew from seven points to twenty in a single weekend.

Other stories moving the board:

  • Reddick won at Kansas to push his 2026 win total to five. He’s now 105 points clear of Denny Hamlin. His title odds have dropped from +1400 to +275 in two months. The market is treating this like his championship to lose.
  • Bezzecchi and Martin are now separated by just one point in MotoGP. The Aprilia teammates have dominated the season. Martin’s been on a sprint tear. Bezzecchi keeps grinding out Sunday points. Both bites look like the class of the field.
  • Marc Marquez crashed hard in the French GP sprint. He’s out for the French and Catalan rounds. He’s now 71 points behind Bezzecchi. That deficit is brutal for a defending champion in May.
  • McLaren is starting to find pace. Norris finished second in Miami. He’s passed Hamilton in the standings. The reigning constructors’ champ is closing the gap to Ferrari for second place. That development race is real.

Futures Odds and Championship Movement This Week

Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship

Antonelli has flipped the market on its head. He opened the season as a +1200 longshot. He’s now the title favorite at around +175. Russell has drifted from a +250 favorite to a +275 in second. The Mercedes pair are pulling away from everyone.

Verstappen is out at +1800. Red Bull’s power unit isn’t there yet. Norris cut to +1400 after the Miami podium. Leclerc is +2500 and falling. Hamilton at +5000 looks done for a title push.

The current driver standings: Antonelli leads with 100 points. Russell sits second at 80. Leclerc is third at 59. Norris and Hamilton are fourth and fifth, around 51 each. The Mercedes gap is massive this early.

Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship

Mercedes at -250 is essentially a done deal. They lead Ferrari by 68 points after just four races. The constructors’ fight is now between Ferrari and McLaren for second. Ferrari at 110 points holds a narrow 16-point edge over McLaren at 94.

Red Bull is way back. They’ve scored just 30 points across both drivers. That’s a tough look for the team that dominated the previous regulation cycle. McLaren’s Miami surge proves that the team that wins the title fight will keep developing.

NASCAR Cup Series Championship

Reddick is the new favorite. His Cup odds went from +1400 to +275. Five wins through 12 races have helped him build a huge lead in the standings. He’s comfortably clear of Denny Hamlin in second, with Chase Elliott third and Ryan Blaney fourth. Chris Buescher rounds out the top five, while Ty Gibbs sits just outside that group and Larson is still searching for a breakthrough win.

Remember, the playoff format changed this year. The old win-and-you’re-in rule is gone. NASCAR brought back the points-based Chase, with the top 16 drivers on points after 26 races advancing. That makes Reddick’s hot start even more valuable.

MotoGP World Championship

This is a two-Aprilia fight now. Bezzecchi leads with 128 points. Martin is just one point back at 127 after his French GP weekend. The teammates are pulling away from everyone else.

Di Giannantonio sits third at 84 points. Acosta is fourth at 83. Both are 44 points behind the leader. Marquez has dropped to seventh at 57 points. His injury issues have officially crippled the title defense.

You can track Bezzecchi’s title odds and more on our MotoGP betting page.

Futures market check: where we see the value

Here’s where I’d be looking if I’m shopping futures right now.

F1: Russell at +275 is the value play right now. He’s in the best car and only 20 points behind his teammate. Antonelli could regress as the season wears on. 20 points is nothing across the remaining 18 rounds. Mercedes might decide late in the year to break the more experienced driver. Similar to how McLaren acted last season. That’s a real possibility and worth pricing in.

NASCAR: Reddick is the obvious play, but the price is short. The longshot value sits with Ty Gibbs. He won at Bristol, sits fourth in points, and JGR historically improves through the summer. His title odds are still long enough to offer real upside.

MotoGP: Martin at slightly longer odds than Bezzecchi is interesting. He’s only one point behind. He’s been winning sprints consistently. Acosta at +1500 or longer is the best longshot. He’s on a KTM and still inside the top four. Marquez at any price feels like a trap. The injuries keep coming, and the bike is no longer the best on the grid.

Betting trends we’re watching this month

The Mercedes situation is the big F1 storyline for prop bettors. Both drivers have podium potential every weekend. Antonelli has won the last three. Russell has the experience advantage. Look at the head-to-head matchup props every week. Those markets are often softer than the outrights.

NASCAR heads back to Kansas, Charlotte, and Nashville this month. All three tracks favor different driving styles. Reddick has been good everywhere, but specifically in Charlotte. If you want to fade him for a top-five prop, that’s the spot. Hamlin owns Charlotte.

MotoGP is now an Aprilia show. Their RS-GP has the best launch and best top-end on the grid. Until Ducati or KTM finds a real answer, the outright market will keep tilting toward Aprilia riders. That’s a big shift from recent years.

What could move motorsports odds before next month

F1 heads to Imola and Monaco in the next two weeks. Monaco, especially, is a separator. Antonelli has never raced there in F1. If Russell wins or even outperforms him, the title market resets fast. Verstappen has won Monaco multiple times. That’s his best shot at a result.

NASCAR rolls through Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600 on May 24. That’s the longest race on the schedule. It often produces a different kind of winner. Reddick is the favorite, but Hamlin and Larson have multiple wins there. A new face in Victory Lane would shift the futures market.

MotoGP returns at the Catalan GP on May 22-24. Marquez is out again. That’s another weekend where Bezzecchi and Martin can extend their lead. If either rider sweeps the weekend, the title race effectively becomes a duel. The Italian GP at Mugello comes a week later.

Previous motorsports betting news updates

  • [May 12, 2026]: Antonelli wins Miami GP. Reddick takes Kansas. Bezzecchi-Martin within 1 point after Le Mans. Marquez out for French and Catalan.
  • [April 2026]: Antonelli wins Japan by 13 seconds. Reddick reaches four Cup wins. Bezzecchi extends MotoGP win streak to five.
  • [March 2026]: MotoGP kicks off in Thailand. Bezzecchi starts his win streak. Marquez misses the podium.
  • [March 2026]: Reddick takes the first two NASCAR Cup races. Odds cut from +1400 to +1000 in a week.
  • [March 2026]: F1 opens in Melbourne. Russell wins from pole. Antonelli podiums in debut.

For a deeper look at race-by-race F1 odds and props, visit our Formula 1 betting hub.