More from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:
Victory and podium for Aprilia Racing in Le Mans sprint. Jorge Martin wins unchallenged. Marco Bezzecchi finishes third to complete an Aprilia double podium. Trackhouse MotoGP Team’s Ai Ogura seventh.
The sprint race at the Circuit Bugatti in Le Mans ended with victory for Jorge Martín and Aprilia Racing. Starting from eighth on the grid, the Spanish rider made an excellent getaway, moving straight into the lead and holding it all the way to the chequered flag. After today’s victory, Martín is now the rider with the most sprint wins in the history of the format (18).
Marco Bezzecchi also finished on the podium: starting from the front row, the Italian rider crossed the line in third place after a solid race. It was Bezzecchi’s first sprint podium of the season.
It was also a strong Saturday for Ai Ogura: the Trackhouse MotoGP Team rider finished the sprint in seventh place.
Jorge Martin: “I made a great start and had a good opening lap, which certainly helped me win the race. I am delighted. I feel increasingly comfortable with the RS-GP26, and that is important. Now we need to keep working so that we are ready for the race.”
Marco Bezzecchi: “I am pleased. I had a good qualifying session, which is very important because it also counts towards tomorrow, and then finally an excellent sprint, which we really needed. Now we need to stay focused ahead of the race: we will look at the data and try to figure out how we can improve further.”
Fabiano Sterlacchini: “It was a positive day, especially considering how it evolved. Jorge started from the back, but he recovered brilliantly with an incredible start. There are still some details we can work on ahead of the race, but overall, we are satisfied.”
More from a press release issued by Ducati Lenovo:
Francesco Bagnaia and the Ducati Lenovo Team take second place in the Le Mans Sprint. Marc Márquez suffers injury following a crash.
The Ducati Lenovo Team scored a second-place finish in the fifth Sprint of the season at Le Mans courtesy of Francesco Bagnaia. Marc Márquez was forced out of contention on the penultimate lap due to a crash, which brought his French weekend to an early end.
Bagnaia – from pole position – found himself in third place at the exit of the first chicane. After moving up to second position on lap three, he continued to lap at an excellent pace but was unable to make up for the ground lost in the early stages. Márquez, second on the grid, struggled in the opening laps and lost five positions. On lap twelve, Marc suffered a highside at turn 14 which resulted in a fracture to the fifth metatarsal in his right foot.
The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action tomorrow morning at 10:40 local time (GMT +2) for the warm up, which will be followed by the 27-lap Grand Prix of France, getting underway at 14:00.
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 2nd: “We’re happy because we made a clear step forward compared to the previous race. I lost a little bit of the initial drive off the line as the front lifted, but I was able to make up one position at turn one. My pace was similar to Jorge’s (Martín), and because of this I wasn’t able to catch him. We still lack something under acceleration and we’ll focus on it ahead of tomorrow. We already tested the pace over race distance and we’re among the quickest, even though it looks like tomorrow’s conditions will be very different.”
Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – DNF: “Today’s injury is a fracture to the fifth metatarsal in my right foot and I’ll need surgery. I hadn’t announced it before, but I already had surgery scheduled for my right shoulder after the Catalan Grand Prix because after Jerez I realised something wasn’t right. Following further medical checks, it was found that — due to the crash in Indonesia — one screw is broken while another is bent in an unusual way. The latter ends up touching the radial nerve, which is very important for the arm, and this explains the recent issues and crashes. Now we need to take it easy, as it’s going to be a long surgery, remain positive and see how the situation evolves.”
More from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
Fabio Quartararo Secures P5 Sprint Result in Front of Home Crowd as Álex Rins Recovers to P13.
A perfectly sunny Le Mans Bugatti Circuit on the Grand Prix of France Saturday promised an exciting 13-lap Sprint battle. Fabio Quartararo impressed his home fans by staunchly defending P5 all the way to the chequered flag. Álex Rins lost ground in the opening lap, falling back to P20, but through some on-track battles as well as the misfortunes of rivals, he was back up to P13 when he crossed the finish line.
Today Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo delighted his home fans by showing some strong race craft around the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit to take P5 in the Grand Prix of France Sprint. Álex Rins had his work cut out for him after a tough opening lap, but he showed perseverance and wrapped up the 13-lap dash in P13.
Quartararo launched from P6 and quickly moved up to fourth. El Diablo was able to keep Marc Marquez at bay but came under pressure from Pedro Acosta on lap 4 and was relegated one position. Later on, a charging Joan Mir fancied his chances, but the number 20 kept the door firmly shut. Quartararo finished in fifth place, 4.402s from first.
Rins commenced the Sprint from P12 but fell back to P20 on the opening lap because of an issue with the clutch, though he was soon in P17 due to misfortunes of others. The number 42 then overtook the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP teammates to take P15 on lap 8. With an over 1.2s gap to bridge to the rider ahead of him at that time, he concentrated on defending his position. Due to two late crashers, he crossed the finish line in 13th place, 15.413s from the winner.
Today’s results see Quartararo in 16th place in the championship standings with 16 points. Rins is in 19th with 3 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are in 10th position in the team classifications with 19 points, and Yamaha is fifth in the constructor rankings with 19 points.
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team will be back in action on Sunday for Warm Up, held from 09:40-09:50 (GMT+2), and the 27-lap Race, which starts at 14:00.
Fabio Quartararo: “I tried my best on every single lap. We knew that our pace was pretty strong because this morning I felt good, but we also know that during the race it’s always a bit different than in a free practice session, with more bikes close together. I made a great first lap in the Sprint, and we achieved a great result, and I’m super happy with how we turned our situation around from Friday to Saturday. I had the same great feeling that I had at the Jerez Test. We need to keep going like this.”
Alex Rins: “Overall, it was quite a bad day for me. I struggled a lot in quali with the rear tyre. For me, riding with the soft in the Sprint was the right choice, but the tricky thing was the start. When I released the clutch, the engagement was rough, and this caused a wheelie. Then the RPM dropped, and I fell back to last position. Later I was able to fight a bit with Jack and Toprak. Tomorrow we have a new opportunity. It looks like we will have to deal with really bad weather, so let’s see what we will be able to do.”
Massimo Meregalli – Team Director: “Overall, today has been pretty positive for us, especially for Fabio. He was fastest in FP2 and managed to get through Q1 to take P6 in Q2. In the Race he did well too: a good start and defensive riding later on earned him P5, which is not only a boost for our team but also greatly appreciated by his passionate fans here in Le Mans. On the other hand, Álex didn’t quite have the same feeling he had yesterday during qualifying – which is a shame – and had a less than perfect opening lap in the Sprint due to an issue with the clutch. This relegated him towards the back of the pack. Ultimately, he recovered to P13, but we know he is keen for a do-over tomorrow. As the weather forecast isn’t looking particularly favourable for tomorrow’s race, anything will be possible.”
More from a press release issued by Honda HRC:
Merciless Mir pushes until the end after early fall for Marini.
Another strong day for Joan Mir who led Honda HRC Castrol’s charge in both Qualifying and the Sprint at the French GP, capturing a well-earned sixth place in the 13-lap dash. Luca Marini victim of a peculiar fall.
The French fans continued to flood the grandstands of Le Mans, eager to witness what the fifth round of the MotoGP World Championship had waiting. Dramatic Q1 and Q2 sessions would be a welcome taster before the exciting Sprint entrée was served, Joan Mir featuring heavily in a race-long battle with his fellow World Champions.
Capitalising on his Friday speed to enter Q2 directly, Mir was able to put his Honda RC213V machine at the head of the third row in seventh position. Just 0.203s shy of pole position continued the closest MotoGP weekend of the year and this would be no different when the lights went on the Sprint. Gaining ground early, the 2020 MotoGP World Champion immediately locked horns with reigning World Champion Marc Marquez – a battle which would rage until the end of the race. Keeping Marquez behind, Mir spent much of the race looking for a way past Fabio Quartararo and eventually crossed the line in sixth place.
Saturday proved to be a complicated day for Luca Marini, qualifying in 15th on the grid as he battled it out in the most tightly contested Q1 of the season. His French GP Sprint would last just two laps as he lost the front, escaping unharmed in the fall. With rain on the horizon, the Italian remains confident that he can end his weekend on a positive and continue his point-scoring run.
The 27-lap French Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 14:00 Local Time on Sunday, May 10. Already expected to be a record-breaking crowd, the fans will be waiting eagerly for their main course, rain, hail or shine.
Joan Mir: “We put together a solid Saturday, a hard race after a good lap in Qualifying. I enjoyed the race a lot and with Marc, Fabio and Pedro around you couldn’t make a mistake because they would attack. Of course, you always want more, but I earned that sixth place and we should be proud of it today with our package. What we need to do is replicate this performance, to be there and take advantage of a situation that could help us to be inside that top three. More things to improve, so no rest tonight to try and do the same tomorrow.”
Luca Marini: “A really strange crash, I touched the gas and lost the front straight away. Not our best day today, we weren’t as strong as we wanted to be and couldn’t make the step to challenge for the transfer spots. Maybe if there’s rain tomorrow, we can have an opportunity to do something. Everyone is so close in this track, it’s less than tenths splitting us so when you miss something even mall it impacts you a lot. We keep working, looking to improve the grip and make more progress. Sunday is a new day.”
More from a press release issued by Gresini Team:
French Sprint: Fermin recovers but it’s not enough, Alex scores points.
- SPRINT RACE
ALEX MARQUEZ 8º
FERMIN ALDEGUER 11º
- STANDINGS
ALEX MARQUEZ 6º (55 points)
FERMIN ALDEGUER 15º (20 points)
ALEX MARQUEZ #73: “Saturday was made more difficult by an important mistake I made in qualifying. My fast lap wasn’t bad, but on a circuit like Le Mans every hundredth counts, and with just a few tenths’ delay I ended up on the fourth row. The race was difficult, and when riding in the slipstream it’s easy to make line mistakes, especially there. We did the maximum, picked up a couple of points, and if tomorrow we can make a small step forward in the warm-up, we can aim for a good result — weather permitting.”
FERMIN ALDEGUER #54: “This morning with the used tyre things didn’t go badly at all; I was close to Alex’s lap times. But with the new tyre I’m struggling this year. In the race, partly thanks to our own work and partly because of a few crashes ahead, we managed a good comeback. The important thing is that we found the feeling and pace again, and tomorrow we hope for dry conditions, which would be very important to continue the work we’ve been doing this weekend.”
More from a press release issued by Pro Honda LCR:
Pro Honda LCR rider Diogo Moreira finished 9th in Saturday’s Sprint at French Grand Prix.
- After a tough qualifying session, the Brazilian rider had to start the Sprint from 18th on the grid.
- Moreira made a strong start and immediately gained positions, battling with rivals and pulling off strong overtakes.
- In the end, he crossed the line in 9th place, completing a solid comeback and scoring Sprint points for the first time.
More from a press release issued by Castrol Honda LCR:
Castrol Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco finished 10th in Saturday’s Sprint at French Grand Prix.
- After a difficult qualifying session following a crash at the end of FP2, Zarco qualified 11th and started from the fourth row of the grid.
- The Frenchman made a strong start, immediately gaining positions while trying to establish his rhythm in the battle for the top spots.
- However, a lack of feeling with the bike prevented him from pushing to his full potential. Despite his efforts, he was unable to finish in the points.
- Zarco and his crew are now analyzing the Sprint race in order to make improvements ahead of Sunday’s race, which will provide another opportunity to fight for a strong result.
More from a press release issued by Prima Pramac Yamaha:
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Shows Signs of Progress Despite Difficult Sprint Race in Le Mans.
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP continued its development work during Saturday‘s Sprint Race at Le Mans, with both riders showing improved pace despite finishing towards the back of the field.
Saturday at Le Mans brought another challenging Sprint Race for Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP, with Toprak Razgatlıoğlu and Jack Miller once again battling in the second half of the field despite further signs of progress with the Yamaha YZR-M1 package.
While the final positions did not reflect the work carried out by the team in recent weeks, both riders were able to maintain a pace closer to the midfield group compared to previous races. The team continued evaluating the solutions introduced after the Jerez test, with several positive indications emerging over race distance. Although there is still work to do the overall feeling within the garage is that the gap to the midfield is gradually closing.
Another positive sign came from the overall competitiveness of the Yamaha package at Le Mans, further confirming the progress being made on the new-generation YZR-M1. The team now hopes that Sunday‘s forecasted rain could create conditions more suited to the characteristics shown by the bike so far this season, as Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP has consistently proven more competitive in mixed and wet conditions.
The French Grand Prix, scheduled over 27 laps, will start on Sunday at 2:00 PM local time.
Jack Miller: “Today I pushed at the maximum from beginning to end, but unfortunately it still wasn‘t enough. During the race I struggled to get the rear of the bike to respond the way I wanted, especially when trying to maximise the drive out of the corners.
At one point in Turn 9 I got blocked by the rider in front of me and had to cut across the chicane to avoid contact, which cost me around a second. Small things like that make a big difference when the whole group is so close.
We‘re still missing a bit compared to the others. On used tyres we were lapping in the high 1‘31s, low 1‘32s, and we know we need to improve that area. Of course I‘m not happy with the position, but at the same time we have to remember this bike is still extremely new. The project is only a few months old, so we‘re not even refining a solid base yet — we‘re still building that foundation step by step.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu: “Overall, my weekend has been positive because I improved in every session. Even this morning we tried a different setup and I immediately felt better again in qualifying. From the first session of the weekend I improved by almost one second per lap, so this is definitely something positive — but of course I still need much more.
In the race I still felt some of the same problems, but I think it‘s a combination of both myself still needing to improve and the bike still needing more work. I understand that I‘m not yet 100% confident when entering the corners, and when you are struggling a little on corner entry and stopping the bike properly, then you also cannot fully take advantage of the acceleration on corner exit.
So of course I‘m not happy with the position, but at the same time I‘m happy with how much I‘m learning and how much we are understanding about the bike every weekend.
If it stays dry tomorrow there are still a few things we would like to try during warm-up. If it rains, then the focus will simply be on preparing as best as possible for a wet race.”
Gino Borsoi: “Obviously these are not the positions we want to be fighting for, nor the ones we believe reflect the effort being put into this project. Still, I am convinced that after the Jerez test we found some positive directions, and in the second half of today‘s race our pace was actually not far from the midfield group, which realistically is where we should be aiming to fight at the moment.
We are slowly closing the gap, even if the final result still looks disappointing. The important thing right now is continuing to reduce the distance to the middle of the pack and building from there.
One positive aspect today was Quartararo‘s result and performance. He had a very strong race and finished less than five seconds from the winner, which shows that the level of the bike has improved significantly. It confirms that the potential is there if we can put all the pieces together correctly.
The bike is getting closer to where it needs to be, and now we simply have to continue working.”
More from a press release issued by Tech3:
Double DNF for Tech3 in turbulent Le Mans Sprint.
After a determined qualifying performance, Red Bull KTM Tech3 headed into the Sprint at Le Mans aiming to convert their pace into valuable points on home soil. However, both Enea Bastianini and Jonas Folger’s efforts were cut short by crashes in the first half of the race, bringing a premature end to Tech3’s Saturday in Round 5 of the 2026 MotoGP™ season.
- Qualifying
After a strong FP2 with consistent Top Ten pace, Bastianini’s qualifying was disrupted by an early crash at Turn 3 of the Bugatti Circuit. The Italian took a risk, heading out on the hard tyre for his first laps of the session, but unfortunately made a small mistake and ultimately lost control.
The #23 rider rejoined with seven minutes left in the session and recovered well, climbing to fourth place on his final attempt. Despite just missing out on Q2, Bastianini secured 14th on the grid and showed encouraging pace along the way. Meanwhile, Folger had a more difficult stint, setting a strong initial time but slipping down the order to P12, placing the German at the back of the grid for the afternoon’s race.
- Sprint Race
In the 13-lap Sprint, Bastianini made a strong launch off the line, immediately gaining two positions in the opening corners. As the pack settled over the first lap, Folger began to put the pressure on Honda HRC Castrol’s Luca Marini before a crash forced both riders out of the action.
As the race unfolded, Bastianini settled into the midfield battle from 12th place before losing ground on the fourth lap. ‘La Bestia’ quickly responded, recovering to 12th within a few corners and pushing hard to make his way through the field.
Unfortunately, the Italian’s progress was cut short when he crashed in the final section of Lap 6, bringing a premature end to his Sprint despite a promising start.
With lessons learned and determination high, the French squad now turns its attention to Sunday’s main event at 14:00 (CEST), determined to translate underlying speed into strong points in front of the home crowd.
Enea Bastianini: “It’s been a difficult day. We know the pace is there because yesterday I just missed out on going directly to Q2, but today I’ve made a few mistakes. It’s just not like me. Today in the Sprint, I was building my pace lap by lap, I arrived at that point, committed a small mistake, and I was on the floor. Unfortunately, in qualifying I also made a mistake. We tried the hard tyre on the front, but the tyre temperature was too cold, so I arrived too slowly at Turn 3 and lost the front very early. Then I tried the soft, but my best lap only came after five laps when the tyre was already used. I know we can be competitive so I will try to put it all together for the race tomorrow.”
Jonas Folger: “It was short, but I enjoyed it. The crash was unexpected and when we checked the data I hadn’t done anything wrong, so it was probably just a combination of factors. Many riders have crashed this weekend, which shows how fine the line is with this tyre. I’m disappointed but overall, I’m happy with the progress I’ve made and the understanding I’m getting from the bike. The positive thing is that I’m not doing anything strange. On the data side I’m riding very similarly to the other guys, just slower, which is really encouraging. For tomorrow, if it’s wet, my goal is to go out with confidence and not be afraid of pushing. The front tyre is incredible in how much load it can handle, but if you use it slightly wrong it gives you nothing and understanding that fine line is the biggest challenge. Every lap I get, I’m learning more, so I’m excited to go out again for the race tomorrow.”
Nicolas Goyon, Team Manager: “It was a really tough day for Tech3 here at our home race. Enea is doing a good job this weekend, but yesterday he missed a direct Q2 spot by the smallest of margins. In qualifying today, he had a small crash on the opening lap, which made everything difficult, but we still managed to secure P14, which wasn’t bad given the conditions. Unfortunately, there was another crash in the Sprint, so it just wasn’t his day. I still believe we have a good chance to do a strong race tomorrow, especially if the rain arrives as expected. On the other side of the garage, I want to thank Jonas Folger for everything he’s giving us this weekend. We know how tough it is to jump back on a MotoGP bike after three years away, and it’s a really hard task we’re asking of him. He’s doing a good job so far and, despite the small crash in the Sprint, the main target tomorrow is to complete the race.”
More from a press release issued by Pertamina Enduro VR46:
Unlucky Sprint for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team at Le Mans. In the Sprint of the French GP, Fabio Di Giannantonio crashes, but returns on track and crosses the finish line in sixteenth place. Franco Morbidelli crashes too.
Bad luck affected the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team’s Saturday in Le Mans: Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli crashed – without any physical consequences – in the Sprint while they were trying to recover places. The rider from Rome re-joined the race crossing the finish line in sixteenth place, while his teammate was forced to retire.
Di Giannantonio was fourth on the starting grid (1’29”699) and he was forced to recover in the opening laps of the Sprint following a difficult start from the second row. While trying to recover positions, Fabio crashed when he was fourteenth. The rider from Rome re-joined the race and he completed the Sprint in sixteenth place despite the difficulties. Now, Di Giannantonio is fourth in the World Standing with 71 points.
Challenging Saturday for Morbidelli: after his sixteenth place in Qualifying, he tried to recover positions in the Sprint from the sixth row. Franco had a difficult start and he was far behind, but a crash at the last corner of the sixth lap interrupted his come back when he was eighteenth. Franco couldn’t re-join the race and he was back in the garage ending his Sprint earlier. The Italian Brazilian rider is thirteenth in the World Standing with 25 points.
The French GP will conclude tomorrow with the main race, which will start at 14:00 (local time).
FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO: “We know that sometimes for me it’s difficult to start strong because of my position on the bike, and today in the Sprint I didn’t have a good start. From that moment, everything was a consequence. In the opening laps, the group is always packed, everyone is on soft tyre and it’s difficult to overtake. I was trying to create some space, then, to prepare the line for an overtake, I leaned a little more and I crashed. Anyway, despite the bakc luck, we have to be happy that everything went well because I crashed in the chicane and it could be very dangerous. I have to say a huge thank you to Franco, who did a great manoeuvre to avoid me in that place. The start and the crash are my very first mistakes of the season so far, but that’s racing. For tomorrow, having a good start will be crucial, then we can be in the fight if we stay in the group. The forecast will be a great question mark, but we can be competitive in any condition.”
FRANCO MORBIDELLI: “It was a tough Saturday, we are struggling with the rear grip, the feeling is not enough to be fast. We are working hard on every aspect of the bike and we need to put everything together, but we can see some little improvements. Unfortunately, we had bad luck in the Sprint, I’m just happy that I could avoid Fabio, when he crashed he was very close to me. After his crash, I lost five positions, so we has no more hopes of collecting some points. For tomorrow, we will see how my feeling is and we will try to improve in any conditions, both on wet and on dry track.”
