MotoGP™ is back for the first and only triple header of the 2022 campaign, with the Animoca Brands Grand Prix of Aragon kicking it off this weekend. It’s the busiest period on the calendar, and the next three weeks are set to play a pivotal role in deciding the fate of the Championship, and it will also be crucial to gamers MotoGP™ Fantasy hopes.
Ahead of the fun at MotorLand, we’ll predict where the value lies and whether the returning Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), but before we look ahead, let’s review what happened last time out in Misano.
Who made the San Marino GP Dream Team?
A three-place grid penalty wasn’t enough to stop Francesco Bagnaia from creating history by becoming the first Ducati rider to win four MotoGP™ races in a row. Launching from P5 and taking the maximum 25 points for victory, the Italian earned 42 points for players who had him in their teams.
Gresini Racing’s Enea Bastianini was only three hundredths off of Bagnaia in a thrilling finale, and despite missing out on the win, he still claimed a fourth podium of the year with P2. He also collected a tidy sum of 33 points in MotoGP™ Fantasy.
Raul Fernandez may not have been among the race frontrunners, but the Tech3 rookie is on the Dream Team from Misano after going from the back of the grid to claim some more Championship points with a P13 finish. He brought in a respectable 13.5 points as a Silver Rider. As did Luca Marini, who claimed successive P4 finishes with an excellent outing on the Adriatic coast.
Who was the top constructor?
With it being a Ducati one-two, it’s no surprise to see the Bologna bullets top this week’s totals with 37.5. KTM were second with 25 and Aprilia third with 21. The San Marino Dream Team cost 16.9M and collected 181.5 points.
What should I look out for in MotorLand?
Well, there’s only one place to start and that’s with the eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez. Fully fit and ready to compete, the Honda star will participate in his first race in over 100 days, and many feel he will be involved in business side of things.
Marquez has taken six victories in Aragon, five of which have been in the premier class, while he was on the podium last season following a sensational battle with Bagnaia for the win. Priced at 3.2M, he is an affordable option with the potential do much more as he finds form over the next few weeks.
Then there is of course Pecco. The number 63 is on a roll as he returns to the scene of his very first MotoGP™ victory. Bagnaia has stood on the top step 10 times on the last 20 GPs, and he is a good bet to do so again. If you haven’t already got him, it may be worth forking out the 5M he would cost.
The game’s second most expensive player and World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo has had a difficult history in Aragon, with P5 in his rookie MotoGP™ season his best-ever result at the circuit. Costing 4.5M, it may be a wise decision to secure his services.
MotorLand seems a circuit suited to Aprilia’s RS-GP, and we expect both their men to go well this weekend. Aleix Espargaro has hit something of a slump of late, consecutive P6 finishes seeing him drop to third in the Championship standings but the Spaniard has predicted a turnaround of form at one his favoured circuits. He’s available for 3.7M.
On the other side of the Noale factory box is Maverick Viñales, who has struck a rich vein of form with three podiums in four outings. Top Gun has won here before, back in 2014 during his Moto2™ days, and at 3.3M represents good value for money.
If you’re looking for something a little bit different and cheaper, then Alex Rins might be the rider for you. Priced a 2.9M, the Suzuki ace has a habit of pulling out big results at MotorLand, taking victory and a podium there during the 2020 double, in addition to Moto3™ and Moto2™ successes.
As always, there are plenty of options to choose from, with the likes of Luca Marini, Joan Mir and Jorge Martin all carrying podium potential as well. If you need a little bit more help in deciding who to pick, then make sure you join Raul Fernandez at the MotoGP™ Fantasy Live broadcast on Thursday at 14:00 CET!