MotoGP™ Fantasy tips to help you pick the perfect Jerez team

As the 2020 MotoGP™ World Championship kicks off this weekend, so does the MotoGP™ Fantasy season. As always, the big question is who gets into your dream team – do you go all-out with Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez, the most expensive rider in the game at $5.6m, or try and fill your team with some hidden premier class gems? If you’re needing some minute help and advice, hopefully, we can provide it with some key tips and tricks heading into the opening weekend.

First up, if you’re looking for some cheap options to fill your team with then we have a two great choices here for under $2.0m. At just $1.2m, the joint-cheapest rider in the game, Pramac Racing’s Francesco Bagnaia is surely a great shout. The Italian has podium finishes to his name at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto in 2018, 2017 and 2016, plus the former Moto2™ World Champion finished second in Q1 last year before then taking tenth on the grid, a nice five-point Saturday haul. Riders who look like regularly fighting in Q1 aren’t necessarily to be avoided, with 5 points given to the fastest man in Q1 down to one point for the man who’s fifth fastest. Although Bagnaia’s race didn’t go to plan in 2019, his 2020 pre-season form and the fact he’s now riding a full-factory Desmosedici GP20 would make him a sensible choice in 2020.

Another interesting option, and criminally cheap at just $1.8m, is Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Joan Mir. Inside the top six at three of the four 2020 pre-seasons test, including fifth at the Jerez Test in November, Mir looks like being a regular front-runner this season and has the machinery to do it too, with the Suzuki having made great progress over the winter months. Last year, the former Moto3™ World Champion would’ve walked away from Jerez with a big fat zero in his Fantasy points column, but don’t let that put you off. At just, $1.8m, you could argue he’s the best value in the game and don’t be surprised to see his price rocket through the year.

Talking of Suzuki, a must-have for the opening two rounds of the year is Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins. Don’t expect a big Saturday haul from the Spaniard, despite his one-lap pace having improved from last year, but the way in which he carves through the field on a Sunday will have you rubbing your hands together. After qualifying ninth in 2019, the equivalent of two points, Rins then amassed a huge 34 on Sunday alone, a score only beaten across the weekend by the 37 of race winner Marc Marquez. Remember, a rider will earn two points for every position he gains from his grid slot and Rins will certainly be one man taking advantage of that.

Another rider to keep your eye on is Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT). The Frenchman set the fastest-ever lap around the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto at the Test that followed last year’s Grand Prix and would be the early favourite for pole position this Saturday; his seventh premier class pole and second at Jerez. Despite a technical problem in the race, he still collected 15 points from 2019’s event – ten for pole position and five for the fastest lap of the race. If issues can be avoided this time around, he looks set to pick up a mountain of points.

There you go then, two cheap options and two not-so-cheap options for you to consider ahead of the opening MotoGP™ Fantasy weekend. Will anyone be brave enough to apply one of their three Turbo Rider chips, doubling the points of your chosen rider, at the opening weekend? To help you make that choice last year’s top-three point scorers from Jerez were: Marc Marquez (37 points), Alex Rins (36 points) and Maverick Viñales (31 points). Good luck to everyone this weekend and hopefully these tips will make sure you’re sitting at the top of your private league on Sunday evening.