MotoGP 2019 championship betting preview & tips

TV: Qatar GP weekend starts BT Sport 2, 12.40pm Friday

Marc Marquez begins his quest for a sixth MotoGP crown as odds-on favourite, but he also begins it recovering from shoulder surgery.

He is also likely to face a challenge from his new teammate Jorge Lorenzo, who has jumped ship from Ducati, meaning Honda now field the winners of the last seven world championships.

Lorenzo is not at peak fitness either. The Spaniard injured his hand in a training accident and had to miss the first of the two pre-season tests.

His move to Honda is bold. Despite Marquez having won the last three world titles, the Honda is not generally considered to be as good a bike as the Ducati on which Lorenzo won three races last season. He is also joining a team which Marquez has made his own.

That said, Lorenzo proved a match for the legendary Valentino Rossi when he entered MotoGP with Yamaha in 2008, so he has reason to be confident.

Late bloomer Andrea Dovizioso has finished second to Marquez in the last two seasons and the Italian is worth a bet to finally get his head in front.

The Ducati has looked smart enough in testing and Dovizioso's new teammate Danilo Petrucci should be good enough to keep him on his toes while still playing a supporting role.

Dovi won four races last year including the season-opener in Qatar, where he looks sure to go well this weekend.

Yamaha ended a long winless run with Maverick Vinales's victory in Australia last season. They will be looking to build on that this season and Rossi, third in the championship last year, could be of each-way interest at 14-1.

Suzuki have gone off the boil since a promising 2016 which saw Vinales win at Silverstone, but Alex Rins has been a real eye-catcher during testing and could be a dark horse for the season.

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