Fire up those hogs! The 2024 MotoGp World Championship season is just about ready to start. The festivities will officially begin on Sunday, March 10, with the 2024 Qatar Airways Grand Prix. Who will open the season with a victory? That’s what we are here to help figure out.
- What: Qatar Airways Grand Prix
- Date: Sunday, March 10, 2024
- Time: 12:00 p.m. eastern standard time
- Where: Lusail International Circuit in Lusail, Qatar
- Favorite to Win: Francesco Bagnaia (+151)
- Reigning Qatar Grand Prix Winner: Fabio Di Giannantonio
The anticipation approaching the opening round of the MotoGP World Championship has officially reached its fever pitch. Two press conferences are scheduled to preview the season and, specifically, the Qatar Airways Grand Prix ahead of Sunday’s opening bell. And the angst has only increased following pre-race speed testing.
Before we go any further, though, let’s take a look at the latest online MotoGP betting odds:
| To Win Qatar Grand Prix |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francesco Bagnaia | +151 | +160 | +151 | +131 | +151 |
| Marc Marquez | +186 | +190 | +186 | +196 | +186 |
| Jorge Martin | +340 | +340 | +340 | +340 | +240 |
| Enea Bastianini | +710 | +710 | +710 | +710 | +610 |
| Brad Binder | +1500 | +1500 | +1500 | +1500 | +1500 |
| Pedro Acosta | +1725 | +1800 | +4725 | +1825 | +1725 |
| Marco Bezzecchi | +3400 | +3000 | +7400 | +3400 | +3900 |
| Alex Espargaro | +4400 | +5400 | +7400 | +4400 | +4400 |
| Fabio Di Giannantonio | +4500 | +6500 | +8500 | +4500 | +4500 |
| Fabio Quartararo | +5600 | +8600 | +9600 | +5600 | +5600 |
Please remember to double-check these odds to win the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix until you actually submit your wager. Our Qatar Grand Prix betting odds are accurate entering Wednesday, March 6. That gives the best online sportsbooks in the United States plenty of time to make adjustments as the 2024 MotoGP markets continue to develop in advance of the March 10 race.
For Qatar Grand Prix betting lines in particular, we’d strongly recommend staying on top of potential changes. The first race of the season is always subject to swings. There is a level of uncertainty to begin the schedule that doesn’t exist after getting a handful of finishes on the record.
Not surprisingly, this is reflected in the opening MotoGP betting lines. Oddsmakers are apparently jockeying between two potential favorites: Francesco Bagnaia (+151) and Marc Marquez (+186). Is one of them the best bet to win the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix? Or should you have your eye on someone else? Let’s find out!
Should Francesco Bagnaia be the Odds-On Favorite to Win the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix?
Last year’s MotoGP World Champion enters Sunday’s race as the (slight) favorite to take home first place. This is…a complete non-surprise. The 27-year-old Francesco Bagnaia has dominated preseason heats, and the Qatar AirwaysGrand Prix betting lines shifted even further in his favor after it was announced on March 5 that he signed a new deal to remain with the Ducati Lenovo team.
On top of all that, the new bike that the reigning world champ now rides is considered lightyears ahead of last year’s iteration. And indeed, Bagnaia and the rest of the Ducati Lenovo crew have been terrifyingly fast during practice runs.
Furthermore, Bagnaia looked pretty comfortable driving on this course last season. The three-plus mile track has plenty of tight turns, but he navigated them well, on both the inside and out. Bagnaia ended up finishing second in the 2023 Qatar Airways Grand Prix, trailing the winner by fewer than 2.5 seconds.
Simply put: Ducati’s no. 1 star is absolutely a worthwhile favorite to win the Qatar Grand Prix.
Marc Marquez Betting Lines are Sneaking Up on Francesco Bagnaia’s Odds
Of course, just because Bagnaia is a deserving favorite doesn’t mean there isn’t another option. On the contrary, Marc Marquez’s odds to win the 2024 Qatar Airways Grand Prix are on the rise.
Mind you, this wasn’t the case just a couple of weeks ago. Marquez was closer to a 2.5-to-1 option at many sportsbooks. Oddsmakers appeared to fear his iffy test-run results.
However, more thoughtful heads are starting to prevail. Analysts have suggested that Marquez’s spotty test run was more about his gauging the limits of his bike than anything else. The belief is he could have played it safer and churned out more favorable results.
Some have expressed concern that his bike, the Ducati GP23, won’t be able to hold up against the Ducati GP24 that Bagnaia is riding. But a number of experts have come out and said the differences between the two are negligible, despite claims to the opposite.
More than anything, though, we’re not about to question the mettle of an eight-time world champion. Marquez has a winning pedigree. And we’re not at all worried about his 11th place finish at the Qatar Airways Grand Prix in 2023. He was still working his way into his return. This year’s start should go much smoother.
Keep Your Eye on This Driver to Win the 2024 Qatar Airways Grand Prix
While Marquez and Bagnaia are headlining the MotoGP 2024 betting markets, plenty of other viable options are on the table.
Many have essentially written off Fabio Di Giannantonio (+4500), even though he won the Qatar Airways Grand Prix in 2024. And, well, it might be his own fault. He has talked openly about how hard it will be to repeat when rivals will be on Ducati GP24s.
More than a handful of folks have circled Jorge Martin (+340). We get the appeal, given how he’s handled this course in the past. But his driving during test runs left much to be desired.
For our money, we’re tracking Aleix Espargaro (+4400). Repping the Aprilia Racing Team, he had the most impressive Qatar Airways Grand Prix test run of anyone not riding a Ducati.
Our Pick to Win in Qatar Is…
Out of the gate, our first inclination is to roll with Bagnaia and his Ducati GP24. He was scary fast during test runs, handling with the effortless precision necessary to set a track record. Some have even posited he’s about to have a hold over MotoGP the way that Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton have dominated online Formula 1 betting.
We can’t deny Bagnaia’s talent—or his popularity when it comes to betting on MotoGP. But there’s something about Marquez’s return that has us smitten. He may have suffered a crash during test runs, but the aggression he showed is encouraging. It signals that he’ll be looking to take and then maintain earlier leaders.
Picking against Bagnaia is no doubt a risk. But the Qatar Airways Grand Prix is nothing if not the time to roll the dice. It’s a first-race-of-the-season mindset, and we’re going to embrace it.
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