MotoGP: Spanish Grand Prix Preview 

The fourth round of the MotoGP season takes place in Jerez, Spain this weekend. Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia has won the last two Spanish GP. The reigning world champion is currently in fifth place in the standings with Pramac’s Jorge Martin in first place.  

Enea Bastianini occupies second place and is 21 points adrift of Martin. 

The riders returned to Europe after racing at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas just over a week ago. 

Over the years the Spanish GP has mesmerised fans with tons of overtaking and close racing that keeps the fans on the edge of their seats. 

Some trivia before we get into the nitty-gritty: the circuit was renamed Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto in 2018 after Spain’s most successful motorcycle rider. Nieto, who died in 2017, holds the record for the most wins on track (11) and is Spain’s most successful rider of all time with thirteen championship titles. 

Expect over 200,000 spectators over the weekend as Jerez becomes a hive of excitement to see the Spanish riders on home soil. 

The Track

The Spanish GP has been held at the Circuito de Jerez since 1989 and is also the circuit used by the organisers for winter testing. 

It features 10 corners with a long straight from Sito Pons to Curva Dry Sack. We can expect lots of overtaking as usually takes place in MotoGP, but at Jerez the wide left-handers and right-handers allow riders to take an inside line and gain an advantage.  

As an ode to Spanish MotoGP riders, there are corners named after four-time champion Jorge Lorenzo. In 2019 it was decided that Curva Dry Sack was renamed to honor the career of Spanish great Dani Pedrosa.

Who Are The Favourites?

The 26-year-old Martin starts as the favourite with him having an electric start to the season so far. However, we feel the likes of Bagnaia, Bastianini, Pedro Acosta and Maverick Viñales have a shot too. 

South African Brad Binder hasn’t been at the top of his game so far this season, but the KTM factory rider is always in with a sniff. 

Don’t forget other Spanish riders like Aleix Espargaro and former world champion Marc Marquez will be aiming for glory in Jerez. It promises to be an exciting race in the fourth round of the MotoGP championship. 

Predictions

Winner: Jorge Martin

Podium: Martin, Vinales, Binder 

Winning Margin: Less than 5 seconds 

Fastest lap: Bastianini

Pole position: Martin

Sean Parker

Sean Parker is a motorsport journalist and sports content creator at The South African. He has worked for the country's premier motoring publications, and is a Formula 1 contributor to Bet.co.za, the Bet Central podcast, and Vision View Sports radio.