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MotoGP is back in action this weekend in France. You saw the headline above, we believe Francesco Bagnaia is one of the bets you should make at the French GP, but he’s also not the only bet you should be making. If you keep reading, we’ll explain our expert betting strategy for the forthcoming race.
- What: French Grand Prix
- When: Sunday, May 14
- Where: Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans, France
2023 French Grand Prix Preview
We’re onto Round 5 into the brand-new MotoGP season — a year that’s been marked by penalties and injuries. We’re in the midst of the European tour with a usual staple, the French Grand Prix, up next. Let’s quickly preview what could lie ahead in France at Le Mans.
First things first, let’s take a gander at how the best MotoGP betting sites are pegging the competition. There are no surprises among the list of riders most favored to win first, but here, have a look at it:
| Rider |  |  |  |
| Francesco Bagnaia | +150 | +150 | +150 |
| Marc Marquez | +300 | +300 | +300 |
| Jorge Martin | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Marco Bezzecchi | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Brad Binder | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Jack Miller | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Marco Bezzecchi | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Fabio Quartararo | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
Notice one name in the favorites that hasn’t been there as of late? Yep, we’re indeed talking about Marquez, Marc — not Alex that is. The six-time MotoGP world champion has not raced since injuring himself in a season-opening crash, but he’s confirmed to be on the grid this weekend. And as you can see in the odds, bookies are rather bullish on Marquez winning. Honestly, we think the odds are a little too rich at this point. We mean, there’s going to be some rust after an almost two-month layoff.
Elsewhere, Ducati will have another new driver on the factory team this week. Since Enea Bastianini injured himself in the season opener, the team has had a revolving door of riders next to Bagnaia. This week, it’ll be the returning Danilo Petrucci, who last raced in October 2022 where he made a one-off appearance for Suzuki in Thailand. Petrucci has two wins in 170 career starts so don’t expect much, but his presence is worth noting.
One more new name in the mix this Sunday is Lorenzo Savadori. He will replace Miguel Oliveira for Aprilia after an injury at last week’s Spain Grand Prix (he crashed against Quartararo). This is the next race this year Oliviera missed with an injury. The other was in Argentina. This was related to the crash with Marquez in the season opener. See? Injuries have been the norm in 2023 so far.
And we hate to say it, but we might get fresh injuries this weekend. That’s because rain showers are expected all three days this weekend. Soggy conditions, unfortunately, lead to racing chaos. Not only does the chance of injuries shoot up, but so does unpredictability. This factor is an influence on our betting picks, which we’ll disclose below.
Best Bets To Win 2023 French Grand Prix
If conditions are indeed back on the track for Sunday’s race (or heck even qualifying the day before), then you must make multiple bets on the French GP winner. You just have to or risk your bet crashing out. Given the plus-money odds across the board right now, making at least two picks makes sense. Here are our favorites:
Checo Bagnaia
You saw the article headline so you knew this was coming. There’s probably really nothing we can say about the reigning world champion that you don’t already know — he’s up to two wins this season after winning in Spain last time out, he leads the standings by 22 points, and he won in Le Mans in 2022. Until further notice, Bagnaia is a must-bet pick for any race cause there’s a clear gap between him and the rest of the field.
Brad Binder
Binder is our favorite alternate pick in the grid. That’s because he and KTM are on the upswing. In Spain, Binder won the sprint race then finished fourth in the race (teammate Jack Miller was runner-up). Binder is now third overall in the title standings. If Bagnaia crashes out — which he’s very prone to doing, whether it’s raining or not — then we could see Binder running away with a win. “Ride the hot hand” and take Binder here.
How To Bet On 2023 French Grand Prix
You want to get in your French Grand Prix bets in sooner rather than later. Sure, the race isn’t until Sunday, but American bettors can forget the race happens in the wee hours cause of the time-zone difference. So if you don’t put money down by Saturday night, you’ll potentially sleep through the race (a given if you’re on the West Coast).
When it comes to locking in wagers, you can hardly go wrong with one of the trusted online sportsbooks listed below. All five you see are rated high in our latest reviews, which are linked in the table. Pouring over those reviews will help you select the best sportsbook to use. Once you have a site, you’ll be able to leverage it for any and every MotoGP bet for the rest of this season.
