The final round of the MotoGP™ season is upon as the grid heads to Portimao for the first time courtesy of the MEO Grand Prix of Portugal. Following the Valencia double, Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) cemented his place in the annals of history as he became the first Suzuki rider in 20 years to become the World Champion.
However, there is still plenty to play for in the final round of action, with the Construtor Championship still on the line and the runner up spots to be decided also, all of which will have an effect in MotoGP™ Fantasy.
With prizes still on offer, there is plenty to play for and this is your guide to the weekend’s mover and shakers.
Transfers In
Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) found himself back among the podium places at the Valencia GP following a thrilling last lap and he tops the transfers in this week. His second place finish puts an end to a turbulent few rounds from the Aussie, with a series of unfortunate incidents disrupting any attempts to build form through the season. If you are looking for omens, his previous two podium finishes in 2020 were done consecutively and many MotoGP™ Fantasy managers will be hoping he can repeat the trick this weekend.
Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was the man who beat Miller to the line in Valencia as he earned a third win of the season and a second in three races. While his Yamaha colleagues have struggled recently the Italian has been a figure of consistency which has helped move him into second in the Championship standings. He has collected 83 fantasy points from his previous three races, a tally only bettered by the two Suzuki riders, and that form has helped him become the second most transferred in rider this week.
He has stood on the rostrum five times already this season but that elusive first premier class victory still evades Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). However, following consecutive third place finishes, MotoGP™ Fantasy managers have faith that a maiden race win is still on the cards in Portimao.
One man who does have a MotoGP™ race win to his name is Miguel Oliveira with the Red Bull KTM Tech 3 rider’s victory in Styria still fresh in the mind. He hasn’t quite hit those heights since but three consecutive Top 6 finishes and five in the last seven with an average return of 17.5 points per GP hasn’t gone unnoticed as he is the fourth most transferred in rider this round.
Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) completes the Top 5 most transferred in riders with the Japanese rider still hunting for a premier class podium finish. He has looked closer than ever to getting it in recent weeks, with some excellent Qualifying form just not yet paying dividends on the track. With an average of 18.8 points per GP, he sits fourth overall in the fantasy standings and could prove to be the differential managers are searching for ahead of the final round of 2020.
Transfers Out
Following victory in the Catalan GP, an alarming dip in form from Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) has cost him his chance at the 2020 title and his place in a lot of MotoGP™ Fantasy teams with the Frenchman the most transferred out rider this week. He is joined at the top by Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), with the rookie rider suffering the consequences from a disappointing previous three rounds which included two DNFs.
Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) also finds himself on the unwanted list of riders with the Spaniard’s failure to break into the Top 6 on a regular basis seeing him lose his place in teams, while Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso similar struggles makes him the fourth most transferred out rider.
Despite featuring in the Top 5 transferred in riders, even more managers have transferred out Taka Nakagami with the Honda rider’s inability to convert his promising pre-race form into on track success seeing him lose his place in teams.
Factory Favourites
Yamaha remain the most popularly owned manufacturer but KTM and Ducati are the constructors who have seen the largest increase in ownership this week. The rise of KTM continues thanks to the likes of Pol Espargaro and Miguel Oliveira while a return to form from Pramac Racing pair Miller and Francesco Bagnaia help boost the Italian outfit’s numbers. However, Suzuki remain the leaders of both the Constructor Championship and in MotoGP™ Fantasy stats, thanks to some excellent on track performances from Joan Mir and Alex Rins.