Eric Uribe
It’s officially crunch time in MotoGP as the sport is down to its second-to-last race of the season with the world championship hanging right in the balance. Don’t you even think about putting money down on the upcoming Malaysian Grand Prix until you read this article through and get our free picks to win. There’s a lot to cover so let’s get right into it!
All the usual suspects are favored to win the race, per the top-used betting sites for MotoGP. Here’s the crop of betting frontrunners to finish first:
| Rider |  |  |
| Francesco Bagnaia | +250 | +250 |
| Jack Miller | +400 | +400 |
| Jorge Martin | +600 | +600 |
| Aleix Espargaro | +600 | +600 |
| Fabio Quartararo | +600 | +600 |
| Marc Marquez | +600 | +600 |
| Aleix Espargaro | +1000 | +1000 |
| Maverick Vinales | +1500 | +1500 |
2022 Malaysian Grand Prix Preview
We can’t preview the 2022 Malaysian Grand Prix without taking a look at the world-title picture. At last, the world champion, Quartararo, has surrendered his lead atop the leaderboard, one that he’s occupied since the Portuguese Grand Prix in late April. Quartararo crashed out at last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, which paved the way for Bagnaia to finally supplant him after months of chasing.
Bagnaia, who was at one point 91 points behind Quartararo around the season’s midway point, holds a 233-219 edge over Quartararo at the moment. There are 50 points left in the last two races, and Bagnaia is in the driver’s seat to claim his first-ever MotoGP world championship. But he has to take care of business in Malaysia and, at all costs, avoid a DNF (he has five already this year). For the first time all year, the pressure is on Bagnaia to fend off the field — which is an entirely different position than being in the come-up.
It should be noted that Espargaro and Bastianini are mathematically still alive in the title race, alongside the top-two riders. Espargaro is 27 points behind Bagnaia, while Bastianini is 42. Bastianini not only needs to win out the rest of the way, but he has to hope for collapses from the top two, so if we’re being honest, his title hopes are long shots. Espargaro has a more realistic shot, but at the same time, he has just one win all season. If he is to overtake the competition, he’ll need to show more of a killer instinct, one that’s been MIA most of 2022.
Something else to note about the recent Philip Island race was the re-emergence of Marc Marquez. He narrowly missed out on the checkered flag and got second place. It’s a reason why his odds to win have jumped so much from previous races. Marquez returns to Sepang Circuit, a course he’s won outright on two occasions (2014 and 2018). Due to the pandemic, Malaysia has been off the MotoGP calendar since 2019, a year in which Vinales took first.
Best Bets For 2022 Malaysian Grand Prix
There are a lot of riders that you could argue are deserving of a Malaysian Grand Prix winner’s bet. However, we can’t possibly bet on every one of them — unless you want to kill your profits. You have to prioritize in betting and that’s what we’ve done. The two riders below are the MOST bet-worthy in our expert opinion:
Francesco Bagnaia
We’re sticking a fork in Quartararo when it comes to this title race. Honestly, we wouldn’t be surprised if Bagnaia seals the championship in Sepang. He remains streaky-hot with back-to-back third-place finishes, while Quartararo is cold as can be. It’s in Bagnaia’s best interest to win comfortably in Malaysia. Even if he has a lead going into the finale, one small crash could end his hopes. That’s why we expect to see Bagnaia go and attain the checkered flag in Malaysia.
Marc Marquez
A healthy Marquez is still one of the world’s best. The thing is Marquez hasn’t been able to stay 100 percent for two years running now. However, Marquez looks closer to full capacity right now than he has since injuries began piling up in 2020. Knowing that, his +600 price sure does look like a steal. The eight-time world champion is worth a backup bet in case Bagnaia fails to secure first.
How To Bet & Watch 2022 Malaysian Grand Prix
MotoGP is back on CBNC for the next race. While they were on NBC for the Australian Grand Prix, the only place to watch the 2022 Malaysian GP will be on CNBC, the usual home of MotoGP inside of the United States. TV coverage begins at 1:30 pm EST sharp for those that want to follow their bets.
Last thing before we let you go: you can drop your Malaysian GP bets at one of the underneath bookmakers. You can take our word for it when we say these trusted online sportsbooks are industry leaders. It’s a competitive marketplace, but these listed sites shine above the rest in more than one way.
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