Eric Uribe
The final round of the MotoGP season ends in a familiar place — the Valencia Grand Prix. However, unlike most years in the past, the world championship isn’t already a foregone conclusion. The title implications make the upcoming race on November 6 all the more intriguing. Read this to get our best bet to win the final MotoGP race in Valencia!
Before we go any further, it would pay to know where the current MotoGP odds stand at. We’ve cross-checked the top-used MotoGP betting sites and the following drivers are most favored to take the checkered flag in Spain:
| Rider |  |  |
| Marc Marquez | +250 | +250 |
| Jorge Martin | +400 | +400 |
| Francesco Bagnaia | +400 | +400 |
| Fabio Quartararo | +400 | +400 |
| Jack Miller | +800 | +800 |
| Enea Bastianini | +800 | +800 |
| Alex Rins | +1200 | +1200 |
| Aleix Espargaro | +1800 | +1800 |
Preview Of 2022 Valencian Grand Prix
Any preview of the 2022 Valencia GP has to begin with what’s at stake — the chance to be called the world’s best. Of course, all eyes are on Francesco Bagnaia, who is in the drivers seat to win the world championship. He owns a comfortable 23-point lead over the reigning title-winner Fabio Quartararo — with only 25 points up for grabs in the finale. So long as Bagnaia finishes 14th or better, he will win the title for the first time ever.
Quartararo is mathematically still alive but needs a lot of things to go right in order to make a comeback for the ages. He not only needs Bagnaia to finish P15 or worse, but the Frenchman HAS to finish first. Even a second-place outing would doom Quartararo’s championship hopes. Those winning scenarios influence our pick to win, which we’ll get too soon.
Bagnaia won the 2021 event here. That season, there was nothing on the line as Quartararo had already locked up the world championship. Bagnaia will have much more pressure this time around than back then, that’s for sure.
2022 Valencian Grand Prix Betting Pick
For the past few weeks and even months, we’ve been vouching for Bagnaia every round — effectively making him a must-bet rider. However, in a surprising twist, we are NOT picking Bagnaia as our Valencian Grand Prix betting choice. Hear us out on this before you write us off.
Look, Bagnaia doesn’t need a standout performance in Valencia to lock up the championship. More than anything, he just doesn’t need to beat himself and finish tragically low, or worse, earn a DNF. The latter is the big thing to avoid, especially for an aggressive rider like the Italian.
This season alone, Bagnaia has five DNFs (most among all riders). And he’s done it before in Valencia. His first-ever race in 2020 ended with a crash. Therefore, we expect a conservative Bagnaia on the grid — not one running for first, but one trying not to lose. This is why we’re skipping a bet on him despite having a season-high six victories this year.
We will also not be betting on Quartararo. He’s been in must-win mode for weeks now and it’s done nothing to end his winning drought, so we don’t buy the narrative that he’ll be extra motivated here. Motivation isn’t Quartararo’s problem this back half of the year that’s seen him go winless in the past nine events. He (and his Yamaha bike) simply don’t have it in them to win, certainly not over Bagnaia’s teammates at Ducati.
If not the two title contenders, then who’s the bet to make? How about an old title contender, Marc Marquez? Yep, Marquez is who we’re backing with a bet here! So far we’ve neglected to mention that Valencia is a left-hand track, which suits Marquez perfectly. Moreover, the six-time world champion has a history of success at this track. Marquez has two wins, two runner-ups, and two third-place finishes in seven career races competed here — that’s phenomenal!
Unlike Bagnaia, Marquez should be his aggressive self. More than anything, he’s racing for pride — pride that he’s still one of the world’s best at this sport, even after four different arm surgeries. Bet Marquez to win here and skip out on the two championship contenders.
How To Bet & Watch 2022 Valencian Grand Prix
This is it — your last chance to bet and watch MotoGP for months! If you want to savor what’s left, then ABC has you covered. The network will air the Valencian Grand Prix on TV at 12 pm EST. Coverage will also be streamed on the NBC Sports app for those vehemently opposed to traditional TV.
As for placing bets, you should start with the top online sportsbooks listed below. Any one of these odds will have up-to-date betting lines for the final MotoGP race. We’re confident in our betting pick above (Marquez), but if you disagree, you can vote with your wallet at these bookies.
Or better yet, you could bet for free if you leverage a sign-up bonus. These deals are awarding hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play to new sign-ups, money that you can spend as you wish on MotoGP or another sport. See the table below for details on what deals are currently available.
