Will experience prove crucial in wide open British GP?
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Will experience prove crucial in wide open British GP?
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A number of race contenders mean MotoGP™ Fantasy gamers have tough decisions to make, but to help you through it, here's our weekend preview

A two-year absence from the Championship calendar comes to an end this weekend as Silverstone circuit prepares to host the Monster Energy British Grand Prix. It’s an eagerly anticipated fixture, given the unpredictability of the iconic track and the fact that only a select few of the current grid have experienced victory there. With six different winners in six races, it looks like this is anybody’s race, and we’re here to guide you through how it could all unfold in MotoGP™ Fantasy.

Who should I pick in my team?

Only a select few riders from the current grid have experienced joy at Silverstone. Two years ago, when we last came for the British GP, Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) denied Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) his second ever win at the circuit on the line. Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) is the only other race winner among the current riders, while Danilo Petrucci (Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing) and Cal Crutchlow (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) have both had podium joy in the past, but none of them have really threatened the top table in 2021 for different reasons.

All in all, it is highly likely we see new name take the top step at the British GP, and the frontrunner must be Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). The Championship leader came through the Red Bull Ring, a perceived weakness for Yamahas, with a podium and Championship lead still in tact. El Diablo has been in a class of his own this season with 10 front row starts translating into seven podium finishes, five of which are victories. If you do not have the $4.4 million priced Quartararo in your team, you simply have to change that asap, and having had a slight price drop since last time out, now may represent your best opportunity to do so.

Another strong candidate for your MotoGP™ Fantasy team is Joan Mir. The Team Suzuki Ecstar rider has collected an impressive 138 points from his previous five outings, a total only bettered by Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). With the new ride height device, the GSX-RR looks a different machine to the one we saw in the earlier stages of the season and capable of picking up plenty of podiums and all-important fantasy points this weekend and beyond. However, he won’t come cheap as he joins Quartararo as the most expensive player in the game at $4.4 million.

The aforementioned Binder also represents an obvious choice for your team, with the South African a regular in the weekly MotoGP™ Fantasy Dream Teams. Victorious in the Austrian GP, which saw him collect a whopping 44 points, his value continues to rise, with the KTM rider now priced at $3.8 million.

I haven’t got the budget for another top rider, what should I do?
If you can’t afford to have all three of the above in your team, then there are plenty of differential options which could reap rewards for you. Marc Marquez hasn’t been the same rider since his comeback as he focuses on finding form and fitness this season, though in Austria he looked closer than ever to being the Marquez of old. Bustling his way through the pack and fighting for the lead, the eight-time Champion was a frontrunner for victory until the heavens opened and chaos ensued. Priced at $3.1 million, he offers a more budget friendly option.

Cheaper still is the British GP’s last race winner Alex Rins, whose price has dropped to $2.2 million. It has been a less than ideal season to date for the number 42, but with a new ride height device and race-winning experience at Silverstone, can he get himself back among the podium places?

You haven’t mentioned the Ducatis, what about them?

As for the Bologna bullets, if history is anything to go by, we expect them to encounter some difficulties at this circuit. Andrea Dovizioso is the only rider on a Desmosedici to ever place on the podium at Silverstone, in 2015 and 2017. If you were insistent on taking a punt on one of the Ducatis, Jore Martin (Pramac Racing) is in the form of his life after back-to-back poles and a victory and podium at the Red Bull Ring. The rookie Spaniard, valued at just $2 million, may be the wildcard on your team you are looking for.

Who should be my constructors choice?

Silverstone is a circuit that favours Yamaha and Suzuki on paper, and between those two, we would have to plump for Suzuki as your constructors choice this weekend. The points earned here are based on a combination of the two best riders from your manufacturer, and while Quartararo should place strongly, we feel that his fellow M1s won’t be joining him near the top. Both Mir and Rins represent race contenders, and as a result, look most likely to bring in the biggest points haul.

With six winners in the past six visits to Britain, will we see a new name yet again on the top step of the podium at Silverstone? The weekend’s action gets underway on Friday morning with Free Practice, make sure you tune in then.



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26-08-2021, 10:49 AM
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