Eric Uribe
We have ourselves a massive — and we mean massive — MotoGP race this weekend in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. The competition goes down on Sunday, April 30 and you want to read this before putting a dollar down on it. We’re about to share with your our expert betting advice on the 2023 Spanish GP, including who wins.
2023 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix Preview
This race marks round four of the young 2023 MotoGP season. This is the first of three competitions in Spain — where Moto is based out of. There’s some major news coming out of the sport as we preview the Spanish Grand Prix involving a rider native to the country.
We’re talking about Marc Marquez, who has been ruled OUT of action for Sunday’s race. The six-time MotoGP world champion had targeted this event as his return from injury. However, he announced early this week that his hand remains an issue and he’s a no-go. Instead, he’ll earmark the French Grand Prix (the race right after Spain) as his return date.
That’s a devastating blow for all parties involved. For local fans, they’re robbed of the chance of seeing the legendary rider once again. For Marquez, he keeps falling behind in the world title standings. Marquez has a meager seven points from the first race but nothing else since he’s been out of action. In his absence, Marco Bezzecchi and Checo Bagnaia have dominated the sport. Each is one and two, respectively, in the standings. Spanish rider Alex Rins is third.
With no Marquez, his seat at Honda will be replaced by Iker Lecuona. This is a change from the prior Grand Prix of Americas, where Stefan Bradl filled in. Lecuona is a 23-year-old youngster with five previous visits to the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto during his time in Moto2 and MotoGP. He’s never had a big outing but it’s not lack he’s not familiar with the iconic track either.
There is still no word on whether or not Ducati’s Enea Bastianini will be on the grid come Sunday. An injury has cut his season too, but he’s been practicing at Misano already this week. The hope is he’ll return for the Spanish Grand Prix but it’s not been 100 percent confirmed yet.
Betting odds for the Spanish Grand Prix are now available. However, we expect the top-used betting sites for MotoGP to update them regularly — certainly before the race begins. Still, you can expect all the usual suspects to be betting favorites to win:
| Rider |  |  |  |
| Francesco Bagnaia | -125 | -125 | -125 |
| Fabio Quartararo | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Maverick Vinales | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Jorge Martin | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Marco Bezzecchi | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Aleix Espargaro | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
Best Bets To Win 2023 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix
We’re not wavering on our usual MotoGP strategy — diversity your bets. This sport, with a crash always being at risk, demands this approach. With that said, here are the two rider bets we’re making for the 2023 MotoGP Spanish GP winner:
Francesco Bagnaia
Is this the race that the reigning world champion finally breaks out of his slump? We’re betting that it is, albeit acknowledging the risks. He’s crashed out in two straight weeks after winning the season opener. If not for big showings at sprint races, Bagnaia could’ve been way, way further in the standings than second. But still, when he’s not shooting himself in the foot — career DNF rate sits at 28.6% — Bagnaia and his machine are second to none on the grid. Our money says Bagnaia gets back on track in Jerez.
Alex Rins
You almost have to wager with one Spain-native rider, don’t you? Among the group, Rins is the obvious choice. He’s fresh off a big win at COTA earlier this month and there are already rumors flying that Honda wants to swap Joan Mir for Rins instead. We won’t delve into that, but the point remains that Rins is making noise in the sport right now. If Bagnaia makes another error like he did at the prior race, we could see Rins taking advantage once more.
How To Watch And Bet On 2023 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix
If you’ve ever bet on MotoGP before whilst in the United States, you know the deal: races are almost always on tape delay when aired on TV. This weekend is par for the course. CNBC will air the Spanish Grand Prix at 2 pm EST Sunday — well after the race already happened across the ocean. Just something to be aware of if you want to avoid spoilers.
As for where you can actually make your Moto bets at — whether it’s this race or any other in 2023 — start with one of the recommended online sportsbooks below. These are the industry leaders, especially when it comes to motorsports. Every single MotoGP race this season will have lines readily available at these sites. After Spain, there are 16 more races on the calendar (the inaugural Kazakhstan Grand Prix was just canceled) so opportunities to make money are plenty.
When you’re selecting the top sportsbook to bet on, you might want to consider what promotions that site has going on. In the table that follows, we’ve listed the current sign-up bonuses available. As you can see, deals range from $500 to $2500 dollars in free play. Just imagine how much MotoGP action you can chase with that type of money!
