Jorge Martin conquered pole position for the French Grand Prix, despite crashing in the final stages of qualifying at Le Mans. His title rival in MotoGP, Pecco Bagnaia, also crashed shortly after, missing the opportunity to take advantage. These falls marked the end of a dramatic qualifying session, in which Marc Marquez failed to advance from Q1. Martin, riding for Pramac Ducati, set a new lap record early in Q2 and continued to improve his time, becoming the first rider to set a lap under 1m30s. However, both Martin and Bagnaia crashed on their final attempts, allowing Martin to secure pole position. Maverick Vinales and Fabio Di Giannantonio completed the front row of the grid.
Aleix Espargaro crashed in the final minutes of Q2, missing the chance to improve his position. Rookie Pedro Acosta was the fastest KTM rider in seventh place, while Fabio Quartararo managed to secure a spot on the third row despite running out of fuel. Franco Morbidelli and Enea Bastianini completed the top 10. Bastianini had advanced from Q1 with the fastest time, but couldn’t replicate his performance in Q2 due to yellow flags caused by Bagnaia’s crash.
In Q1, Miguel Oliveira secured a spot in Q2 for the first time in 2024, eliminating Marquez from the session. Marquez, riding for Gresini Ducati, struggled throughout the weekend and narrowly avoided a near-crash on his second attempt. Oliveira finished 12th in Q2. Johann Zarco, the fastest Honda rider, extended his streak of being the top Honda qualifier for five races. Brad Binder had a tough weekend, crashing multiple times and qualifying last.
Overall, it was a busy qualifying session at Le Mans, with crashes and unexpected results shaping the starting grid for the French Grand Prix.
