MotoGP™ Fantasy: Mir looks the smart choice ahead of Le Mans

After a short break from action, the MotoGP™ World Championship returns for the SHARK Helmets Grand Prix of France at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans.

In what has been a thrilling season to date, it’s Fabio Quartararo who leads the rest of the pack as the Frenchman heads into his home Grand Prix hoping to extend his World Championship lead, but the likes of Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) will have other ideas as the Spaniards are hot on the heels of the Petronas Yamaha SRT rider in the standings.

So, what does it all mean for the official MotoGP™ Fantasy ahead of Round 9 of the World Championship?

Transfers In

Three consecutive podium finishes means Mir is certainly the form rider of the Championship, and that has seen him account for 29.5% of all transfer activity from Fantasy teams since the Catalan GP. Averaging 22.4 points per Grand Prix, the Mallorcan has accumulated 179 points in total and would be a wise choice for a 300v triple boost ahead of Le Mans.

Team Suzuki Ecstar teammate Alex Rins, 9%, also features in the Top 5 transfers in, as his first podium of the season has convinced many that he is worth taking a punt on.

Petronas pair Quartararo, 14.8%, and Franco Morbidelli, 13%, are the next two most transferred in this week following strong recent form. Quartararo’s victory in Catalunya has seen a surge in ownership ahead of his home GP, while in Barcelona Morbidelli looked to have rediscovered the form that saw him earn a first premier class victory in the San Marino GP, before a late charge from both Suzukis saw him drop to fourth and outside the podium places.

Completing the top five is Pramac Racing’s Pecco Bagnaia, 6.2%, with the Italian hoping for better fortunes following the heartbreaking crash at the Emilia Romagna GP and a disappointing Qualifying in Barcelona. However, he did show some good form on race day in the Catalan GP, as he moved from 14th on the grid up 7th and may be one to watch ahead of the weekend’s action.  

Transfers Out

It has been a disappointing few weeks for Ducati Team rider Andrea Dovizioso, as he has failed to crack the top six since a sparkling performance in the Austrian GP. To compound the misery, he lost his slender World Championship lead in the Catalan GP after being taken out by counterpart Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) after the first corner of lap one in Montmelo. As a consequence, he is our most transferred out rider since the last Grand Prix, with Viñales close behind Dovi.

Following a season first victory at the Emilia Romagna GP, many were tipping him for a tilt at the title, however, a terrible start from the front row in Barcelona saw him drop way down the grid and he never recovered.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Pol Espargaro also features in the top five transfers out as he too failed to capture the imagination at his home Grand Prix after registering a DNF after 12 laps. Espargaro’s rookie teammate Brad Binder’s finish outside the top 10 in Catalunya is cause for concern for many managers which makes him the fourth most transferred out rider, while Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller also losing the faith of MotoGP™ Fantasy managers. 

Top 5 most owned

World Championship leader Quartararo is the most owned rider in MotoGP™ Fantasy, with ‘El Diablo’ appearing in more than 41,500 teams. The Frenchman is by far the most popular rider in teams, with 1.65x times more ownership than his closest competitor, Viñales. Despite appearing in the top five transfers out, the Spaniard remains the second most popularly owned rider, and with an average of 19.4 points per Grand Prix, you can see why?

Miller sits third in the top five most owned riders, and has an average return of 18.8 points for each round with Mir in fourth representing good value at 2.9m. He has an average return of 22.4 points as well as three consecutive rostrum finishes which has seen him claim 102 points from the last three Grand Prix, while it is nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) rounding out the top five most owned riders, averaging 15.8 points.

Constructors

It has been three consecutive victories for Yamaha as Quartarao, Viñales, and Morbidelli all claimed the top step of the rostrum recently, and that form has seen the Japanese manufacturer top both the most owned and transferred in numbers ahead of the next round of racing.

In fact, their form is so dominant that they are 3.3x more owned than the second most owned constructor, Ducati. However, with the Italian manufacturer having suffered on the track in recent races, they have seen the most transfers out happen this week.

World Champion Marc Marquez’ (Repsol Honda Team) absence is being felt on the asphalt for Honda as they have yet to register a podium finish this season, but they remain a more popular choice than both KTM and Suzuki despite the latter two constructors seeing nine podium finishes between them.

Yamaha certainly look a wise choice but they haven’t claimed victory at this circuit since 2017, so is there anybody out there who can shake things up at the top of the Constructor standings?

You can check out all the MotoGP™ Fantasy stats and update your team by heading on over to the Fantasy Homepage.