One of the biggest races of the 2023 MotoGP season is upon us once again as we head to the Circuit of the Americas for the third race of the season.
Last year we had a shock result as Enea Bastianini claimed the win ahead of Eric Rins for the first victory at this track in his career, with the most winning driver of all time Marc Marquez flailing behind them in 6th. Bastianini won't be in the race this year, opening up the victory to the rest of the field.
We'll take a look at the contenders to be victorious and see if we can provide you with our best free MotoGP picks to try and earn you some extra cash for the weekend.
| 2023 MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Francesco Bagnaia | +200 | +200 | +200 |
| Marco Bezzecchi | +350 | +350 | +350 |
| Maverick Vinales | +400 | +400 | +400 |
| Jack Miller | +600 | +600 | +600 |
MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas information
- Sunday April 16th, 2023
- Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas
- 3.426 miles per lap
- 20 laps
MotoGP picks: Grand Prix of the Americas contenders
Francesco Bagnaia - Ducati Lenovo - (+200)
There is still no doubt that Bagnaia is the best rider in the world right now, but the recent rise of Bezzecchi (more on him later) has seen great value appear suddenly for bettors.
To us, Bagnaia is still the man to beat in this sport. He does have a tendency to push a bit too hard at times though and has crashed out regularly in recent seasons, but if he can avoid that then everyone is still trying to catch up to him.
After winning the MotoGP World Championship last year for the first time, Bagnaia has been setting the world on fire with multiple wins since his Grand Prix debut back in 2013. Racing for the Ducati team, the 26-year-old won an amazing seven times last season en route to a world title. In 69 starts in MotoGP he was won 12 races, so winning seven last year shows his incredible improvement.
Bagnaia claimed a win on this track when racing for Moto2 back in 2018, and in more recent times he finished 3rd in 2021 before a 5th placed finish last year. He'd love to get a win as a MotoGP rider this year and show why he is still considered the best in the world.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
Marco Bezzecchi - Mooney VR46 - (+350)
Bezzecchi is the man right now, and many have got him down as an early favorite for the title after a super strong start to the 2023 season.
The Italian claimed a first-place finish in Argentina, while also being able to notch a third-place mark in Portugal in the season-opening race. His points tally for the season so far has him top of the drivers' standings going into this race.
At just 24-years-old there is clearly plenty more to come from this talented rider, but it should be noted that he has never won more than three races in a season at any level. All the hype currently seems to be a bit premature, especially considering the success Bagnaia had just last year.
It would certainly be a surprise to see Bezzecchi claim another win so early in the season at such a tough track, but with his start it cannot be ruled out as a possibility. At +350 he provides good value too and could be worth a flutter if you think the hype is real and justified.
Maverick Vinales - Aprilia - (+400)
Vinales has been around for a while now, and it seems as though the 28-year-old's star is beginning to fade if the last few years are anything to go by.
He hasn't claimed a race win since 2021 and has regressed hugely since the 2019 season when he managed to claim a third-place finish in the overall driver standings for the campaign. But this year he has looked better, finishing as the runner-up in Portugal in the season-opener before struggling in Argentina and finishing 12th last time out.
Maverick has previous at this track though, winning the race back in 2014 while in Moto2 and while he currently sits at 5th place in the overall standings he'll be confident of adding to his points tally.
With Marc Marquez ruled out of the race, it's one less giant to compete with and that could boost his chances too.
Check out our review for MyBookie sports betting here.
Jack Miller - Red Bull KTM - (+600)
Miller is with a new team now, and he'll be very confident of upsetting his former teammate Bagnaia by claiming victory at the Grand Prix of the Americas. At the very least, we think the Australian will be in the hunt like he usually is. This year, he’s placed seventh and sixth so he’s in the top-5 mix and performing consistently with a new bike.
It also can't be ignored that in this race last year it was Miller who put in the best performance of all the riders previously mentioned, finishing in 3rd place and just two seconds off the winner.
He won this race back in 2013 while in Moto3 and has finished third twice before in MotoGP, so there is every chance he pushes that little bit harder this year and gets the victory to shock the world.
