Jorge Martin, Pramac Ducati rider, set a new lap record at Le Mans to secure pole position for the French MotoGP Grand Prix. Despite a late crash, Martin managed to lower the time to 1:29.919s, surpassing championship leader Francesco Bagnaia. The Le Mans circuit proved challenging for many riders, with several pushing their limits in search of speed. Bagnaia was able to keep up with Martin and will start in second place, despite also crashing in his attempt to match the fastest time.
Aprilia had a successful session, with Maverick Vinales securing a spot on the front row and Aleix Espargaro in sixth place, despite a crash. VR46 riders Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio continued their strong performance since Jerez and qualified among the top five, earning starting positions on the second row. Pedro Acosta recovered from a disappointing final practice session and finished in seventh place, while Fabio Quartararo finished in eighth.
Franco Morbidelli’s Pramac team secured ninth place, another impressive result for the Italian rider who is feeling more comfortable with the Ducati. Enea Bastianini survived elimination in Q1, but could only finish in tenth place. Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira completed the top 12 in Q2.
The biggest surprise came from Gresini Ducati, as Marc Marquez failed to advance to Q2 after losing control of his bike at Turn 2. His teammate Alex Marquez also did not progress. Raul Fernandez from Trackhouse, Johann Zarco from LCR Honda, and Alex Rins from Yamaha split the Marquez brothers. Zarco was the only Honda rider to break the 1:30s barrier. Joan Mir, on the factory Honda, finished three positions behind Zarco, in 18th place. Takaaki Nakagami and Augusto Fernandez struggled to keep up with their teammates’ performance, finishing in 19th and 20th place, respectively. Luca Marini had a tough moment on the Honda, but avoided finishing last, as Brad Binder from KTM had the slowest time.
