More from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:

Aprilia Racing writes a new page of history with a podium lockout in Le Mans. Jorge Martin wins his first race on the RS-GP in a comeback ride, Marco Bezzecchi second. Trackhouse MotoGP Team’s Ai Ogura completes a historic all-Aprilia podium for the first time in top class.

The weekend on the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit ended with a historic result for Aprilia Racing as they achieve their first podium lockout in MotoGP. 

After starting from the seventh spot on the grid, Jorge Martín was protagonist of an extraordinary comeback ride which allowed him to take his first victory with Aprilia Racing at no less than 588 days from his last MotoGP win (Mandalika 2024). Martín closed out the weekend with a brace – winning the sprint race and the long race – thereby tying the result achieved in Le Mans in 2024. Furthermore, the result today is his ninth win in the top class and his first without starting from the front two rows.

Marco Bezzecchi finished second after riding a solid and intelligent race, rounding out the Aprilia factory team’s one-two. This is Bezzecchi’s fifth consecutive podium since the beginning of the season, making him the first rider to achieve this feat since 2015 (a record previously set by Valentino Rossi).

Ai Ogura also put in an outstanding performance. The Trackhouse MotoGP Team rider finished the race third, rounding out a historic, all-Aprilia podium.

This is Aprilia Racing’s first podium lockout in MotoGP, as well as their fourth brace in the top class for the factory team (since Montmeló 2023, Goîania 2026, and COTA 2026) and their seventh consecutive podium in top class. With today’s success, Aprilia Racing now lies at 306 wins in World Championship Motorcycle Racing.

Jorge Martin: “I am truly happy. At the start, I didn’t think I’d be able to battle for the win, but I never let up. Aprilia is giving me what I need and my confidence is growing day by day. Now it is important to continue working in this direction to improve even more.”

Marco Bezzecchi: “It was a good weekend overall, despite the difficulties. I’m pleased because I took a spot on the front row in qualifying and finished on the podium in the sprint race and in the long race. I tried to stay focused and to ride without making mistakes. I gave one hundred percent, but Jorge had a little more.”

Massimo Rivola – Aprilia CEO: “It was a historic day with three Aprilias on the podium for the first time. It is particularly thrilling to see Jorge so strong here in Le Mans, where exactly one year ago, he thought he might be leaving us, and it’s also great to see Marco so competitive and mature. And then, seeing Ai’s podium is also a relief after what happened in Austin. Noale’s racing division is doing a truly extraordinary job and I think this is proper recognition for a working team led so admirably by Fabiano Sterlacchini.”

More from a press release issued by Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing:

Di Giannantonio is fourth in Le Mans and confirms his Top3 in the World Standing. The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team ends the French GP in fourth place with Fabio Di Giannantonio, who confirms his Top3 place in the World Standing. Franco Morbidelli is fourteenth.

The French GP ends on a positive note for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, which secures the fourth place with Fabio Di Giannantonio in Sunday’s race: he’s the best Ducati rider at the finish line and confirms his Top3 place in the World Standing. Franco Morbidelli recovers some positions, and he is fourteenth at the chequered flag.

Di Giannantonio – who started from the front row – had a solid race and he was in the podium fight right from the opening laps. Fabio showed a good pace during all the 27 laps playing again a key role with great overtakes. The rider from Rome crossed the finish line in fourth place, confirming himself as the best Ducati rider at the end of the French GP. With today’s result, Di Giannantonio is in Top3 in the World Standing with 84 points.

It was a challenging Sunday for Morbidelli, who had a difficult start from the sixth row: lap after lap, Franco managed to recover some position with a little comeback in the final stages of the race. The Italian Brazilian rider crossed the finish line in fourteenth place after dropping one position in the final laps. With the result of the French GP, Morbidelli is fifteenth in the World Standing with 27 points.

The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team is back on track this week for the Catalunya GP, which will take place at the Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya from 15^th to 17^th May.

FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO: “I am very happy with the work of my team and mine, because we did the maximum today. In the race, we tried to keep the change we did this morning and it’s always difficult to confirm it in the few laps of the warm up. But the guys did an incredible job, and this helped me a lot in the race. At the start, I realized I was struggling more than the riders at the front, so I would have given the 120% to stay with them. So, I decided to manage a bit and try to do the maximum in terms of consistency. Overall, I am happy, we lost some points in the championship, but we confirm the third place. In Jerez test we worked well to try to fill the gap and here in Le Mans we took the best direction for us, but there’s still some work to do because today we were only fourth.”

FRANCO MORBIDELLI: “Today, I couldn’t be fast as I wanted and I was locked in the traffic far behind. Overall, we’re still struggling to manage the new package, but the positive note is that we completed the race getting some points and we collected some important information. Laps and data can show more the problems; this is important and what we need to keep improving. We continue our work and I am sure we will find a way to be back at the front.”

PABLO NIETO: “The Le Mans weekend was positive, I think we are working very well. With Diggia, we secured the fourth place in today’s race, it’s a pity just for the start of yesterday’s Sprint. But in Qualifying, we were fourth and we proved to play always key roles, that is the most important thing. Of course, when you’re not on the podium, it’s a bit bittersweet, but we must say that we did a great job. With Franky, we work to find the perfect feeling, because he deserves to be more in front. But I think that we found something that can be good for the next race in Barcelona. We keep working in this direction.”

More from a press release issued by KTM:

Top five again for Acosta as Red Bull KTM sign-off French MotoGP.

Round five of 2026 MotoGP circulated the popular site of Le Mans and in front of another sold-out crowd of more than 112,000 spectators on Sunday and over 300,000 for the Grand Prix. Pedro Acosta was the highest ranked KTM RC16 racer with 5th position.

Highlights and key moments from race day at Le Mans:

• Pedro Acosta pushes the limits with a Grand Prix podium in reach and closes to within 1 point of the world championship top three after Le Mans
• Enea Bastianini logs his second highest race finish of 2026 with 7th place in France and two KTM RC16s post top ten results
• Grand Prix points in Moto3™ for the KTM GP Academy with Valentin Perrone in P12 and Brian Uriarte in P15 after both riders crash in a soaked, shortened race and remounted to reach the flag

The weather shifted for race day at the 39th French Grand Prix at Le Mans and the 4.1km Bugatti circuit was cooler, cloudier and with the constant threat of showers. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing started the 27-laps on Sunday afternoon with Pedro Acosta 4th on the grid and Brad Binder in 20th. Red Bull KTM Tech3 watched Enea Bastianini launch from 13th and Jonas Folger, replacing Maverick Viñales for his first Grand Prix outing in three years, in 21st.

Acosta repeated his attacking and proactive approach shown in Saturday’s Sprint (where he classified 4th) to make his presence felt inside the top three in the opening laps. The Spaniard then maintained his pace while trying to fight off attention from pursuers that lasted until the final corners. Pedro was able to confirm P5 for his third top five result of the season – less than three seconds from the win – and brings him to within one point of 3rd place in the world championship table.

Bastianini had a busy grand prix with close company in mid-pack. He was able to pull free of the rider chasing him in 8th, and his standing of 7th represents his third top ten finish in a row. Folger completed the race distance in 16th while Binder charged back to the edge of the first ten runners before losing traction into Turn 7 with six laps to go.

The Grand Prix of Catalunya at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will happen next weekend for round six.

Pedro Acosta, 5th and 4th in the championship: “We didn’t manage the tires like the others. It’s clear we need to improve a few things but I’m happy for my best weekend in Le Mans so far. Also happy with my start; that was quite nice, and also the first 10-12 laps. The second 10, the rear dropped. It looks like the bike is better than we had in Jerez and I’m happy to be back near the front again.”

Brad Binder, DNF and 13th in the championship: “I locked the front wheel going into turn 7 and the change of direction. It was a fast crash. I braked a bit later and with a bit more pressure. It was just too much. Today I was a lot faster but not where I need to be. The positive is that this morning in warm-up I was quicker and in the race also [than Saturday]. I felt like I was on my way forward. Everything felt easier.”

Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Difficult to be really happy about the results today even if a 5th position and 7th are quite positive. The podium was not far away. The gap to the top was quite small and we definitely made steps compared to last year. Of course, the competition is so close in MotoGP so it is time to analyze the weekend well and the work done and to focus on our weak areas. So, the top five for Pedro and the top seven for Enea is good…but we want more. Brad’s race as well, until the crash, also gave us hope for more progress. We have to thank Jonas for his solid work. He hasn’t been on a GP bike much and we appreciated his professionalism.”

More from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:

Fabio Quartararo Pushes to P6 in French GP as Álex Rins Takes P12.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo had a superb start to the 27-lap Grand Prix of France. It proved key to him securing sixth place. Álex Rins had the opposite happen to him. He had ups and downs during the race but still finished in P12.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo had the fans in Le Mans cheering him on as he rode to a solid sixth place in the Grand Prix of France. Teammate Álex Rins emerged from a full-on battle with multiple rivals in P12.

Quartararo, sporting a special Le Mans livery, started from P5 and launched to P2 in a matter of a few corners. He was riding both aggressively and defensively but had to let Pedro Acosta through at the end of lap 2. Four more rivals passed El Diablo over the next 8 laps. With Francesco Bagnaia crashing out on lap 16 and Joan Mir on lap 20, Quartararo crossed the finish line in P6, 7.756s from first.

Rins started his 150th premier class race from P11 but fell back on the opening lap. As Alex Marquez crashed out and Diogo Moreira dropped down the order, the number 42 was in P17 by lap 3. He spent the remainder of the race battling with the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP teammates and Franco Morbidelli. Multiple DNFs by other rivals had Rins take the chequered flag in P12, 32.343s from the winner.

Today’s results see Quartararo in 16th place in the championship standings with 26 points. Rins is in 19th with 7 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are in 10th position in the team classifications with 33 points, and Yamaha is fifth in the constructor rankings with 29 points.

The team will now directly travel to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain for the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Catalunya, held next week from 15-17 May.

Fabio Quartararo: “We had to be really smooth on braking, but that’s also were I can make the difference. I think today was the first race in a long time that I felt like this. I could push myself at 100%, and I think that was quite nice, especially on the opening lap. Everything was more close, it was easier to overtake, and I could feel the limit better, so yeah, it was nice. Let’s see what happens at other track layouts.”

Alex Rins: “It was really tough. In the middle of the race, I couldn’t engage the right gear. Though it resolved itself later on, it cost me some positions. It‘s a shame the race weekend ended like this after a good Friday. Now we will focus on Barcelona.”

Massimo Meregalli – Team Director: “It’s been a GP of two tales for us again. Starting with the positive: Fabio made the decision to go with the soft front tyre, aiming to exploit it on the opening lap to get as much towards the front as possible. This tyre choice kept us on the edge of our seats as we were afraid the tyre would drop, but in the end Fabio made it work all the way to the end. He got the maximum out of our package today, and this sixth place is a very encouraging result for him and the team. Álex, on the other hand, had a difficult outing again. He had some ups and downs throughout the race. We will analyse all the data as we prepare for next week’s Catalan GP.”

More from a press release issued by KTM Tech3:

Bastianini brings home seventh for Tech3 at French Grand Prix.

Red Bull KTM Tech3 bagged solid points on home soil in Round 5 of the 2026 MotoGP™ World Championship at Le Mans, with composed performances from both sides of the garage.

Enea Bastianini produced a strong charge through the field in Sunday’s 27-lap Grand Prix of France to secure seventh place, while team-mate Jonas Folger delivered a steady ride to finish just outside the points in sixteenth.

Both Tech3 riders made strong starts, each gaining a position during the opening lap. Bastianini quickly worked his way into the Top Ten with a decisive move, before an early crash in the pack promoted him to ninth.

As the race settled, the Italian found his rhythm and began to hunt down Joan Mir having already gained five places. With a tightly packed group battling ahead, the Italian capitalised on the fight to reduce the gap further.

Meanwhile, Folger kept a calm approach, moving up to P18 as further incidents promoted the #94 rider up the field.

Now running in eighth, Bastianini continued to apply pressure as Mir and Fabio Quartararo battled for sixth. A crash for Mir in the closing stages handed ‘La Bestia’ seventh and a further incident promoted Folger to P16 – rounding out a collected ride from the German after an early crash in Saturday’s Sprint.

A solid result for Red Bull KTM Tech3 in front of the home crowd at Le Mans sees Bastianini hold tenth in the standings, with the team sitting eighth – tied on 39 points with LCR Honda – as the championship heads to Barcelona next week (15-17 May).

Enea Bastianini: “It was a good comeback today. Yesterday I crashed twice, so the main goal was just to recover positions and bring the bike home. In the end, seventh isn’t bad, but I expected a bit more.

“With the soft rear tyre, it was difficult to push. There was a lot of movement, and for me it’s hard to manage that instability. Especially at the end of the race, I wasn’t as fast as I usually am. Still, it’s a good result for the team, so I’m happy with that. It’s not easy, because the competition is very strong, but we know the areas that we need to work on. On my side, I need to keep working on qualifying – I’ve improved a bit, but we still need more.”

Jonas Folger: “It was a tough race, but the goal was to complete the distance and keep learning. I made good progress up to qualifying, but in the race I couldn’t match that pace and struggled with comfort and physical fatigue, especially in my left shoulder.

“Overall, the weekend was still better than expected. I came in with a focus on understanding the bike, but after yesterday’s crash I lacked some confidence and today it was full focus on getting the laps in and finishing. I want to say thank you to the Tech3 guys for being so patient and giving me the room to improve at such a high level.”

Nicolas Goyon, Team Manager: “Well, a positive Sunday here for Red Bull KTM Tech3. We knew Bastianini had the pace to do a strong weekend. Unfortunately, we somehow missed the mark a little bit in qualifying, but starting 14th on the grid and finishing in P7 is obviously a great race. To me this just confirms Enea is in good shape at the moment so we can look ahead to Barcelona with a lot of confidence.

“On the other side of the garage, we’re happy with Jonas’ performance. Nobody can really understand how tough it is to jump back on a MotoGP bike after so long, but it was a consistent race today. He didn’t make any mistakes and got close to the points, so thank you, Jonas, for your help. Now the whole team is going to pack everything and move to Barcelona for the race next weekend.”

More from a press release issued by BK8 Gresini:

Fermin remontada, Alex out on lap 2.

• RACE DAY

FERMIN ALDEGUER 9º

ALEX MARQUEZ NC

• STANDINGS

ALEX MARQUEZ 8º (55 points)

FERMIN ALDEGUER 14º (27 points)

FERMIN ALDEGUER #54: “Considering how we started the weekend, finishing with this result is definitely very positive. In the race, maybe I could have done a little more, but starting so far back forced us into a different strategy because of the tyre choice. The soft front tyre allowed us to make up a lot of positions, but in the final third of the race we no longer had enough grip to try and attack Raul Fernandez.”

ALEX MARQUEZ #73: “I probably took Turn 3 a bit too slowly because I was worried the front tyre was still not fully up to temperature, and then I applied slightly too much throttle in Turn 4 and lost the front. A stupid mistake on my part, but fortunately I’m fine. It’s great to have Barcelona coming up very soon so we can make up for this race.”

More from a press release issued by Honda HRC:

Tenth in trying French GP for Marini, Mir crashes while chasing top five. 

Joan Mir looked to make the most of a dry race day in Le Mans, once again fighting for top Honda honours with Luca Marini salvaging tenth from a complicated weekend.

With cooler temperatures predicted and the threat of rain always on the horizon as the MotoGP World Championship field lined up on the grid, Luca Marini elected to run the soft front tyre. This choice allowed the #10 to make up a handful of positions off the start, but as the ambient temperatures increased the Italian switched to conservation mode as his tyre life began to fade. Despite lacking front stability, Marini still pushed until the very end to catch Aldeguer for ninth place and ended the 27-lap race just 0.1s back.

Tenth place moves Marini to 33 World Championship points, six behind Bastianini and the top ten overall.

Starting from sixth on the grid, Joan Mir immediately made his presence known as he put pressure on the front runners. Resuming his race-long battle with the likes of Quartararo from Saturday, the #36 stayed locked into the battle for the top five as he traded places with the home hero and Ogura for multiple laps. Biding his time, Mir kept the pressure on Quartararo and slipped past into sixth with eight laps remaining. Unfortunately, a heavy fall would follow on the next lap, ending Mir’s race and resulting in a laceration which required stitches to his right hand at the circuit medical centre.

Now barely a few days rest between the French and the Catalan GP, Round 6 starting at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Friday, May 15.

Luca Marini: “A big pity today, my front tyre choice was the wrong one – who was expecting the sun in the race?! It was difficult to arrive at the end because there was a lot of movement by the end, on the other hand with the hard at the start of the race was on the limit because it was cold before the sun arrived. It’s positive that we finished tenth and still got some points after a weekend with ups and downs, but it’s not what we want anymore. There’s work to be done and in this race, we struggled more with race pace than other rounds this year.”

Joan Mir: “Not the way we wanted to finish a really strong weekend for us because I think a top five result was there at the end. It was a crash I was not expecting. I had the hard front, able to stay behind Fabio safely, but when I passed him I had to be very aggressive to keep heat in the tyre. Under straight braking I lost the front early and I suffered a very hard crash, and I leave with a couple of stitches in my hand. Overall I am OK which is the most important thing.”

More from a press release issued by Castrol Honda LCR:

• Determined to fight for the best possible result, the Frenchman faced some difficulties after the opening laps.
• In order to avoid crashing after a contact with another rider, he ran slightly wide and lost positions, forcing him to recover ground once again.
• In the end, he managed to stay focused, avoid mistakes, and cross the line in 11th place, scoring points and gathering valuable information ahead of next week’s race.
   

 

 

 

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More from a press release issued by Pro Honda LCR:

Pro Honda LCR rider Diogo Moreira crashed during Sunday’s Grand Prix in Le Mans.

• Starting from 18th on the grid and after scoring points in the Sprint, Moreira was determined to fight back and make a comeback on French soil.
• While battling for a top-10 position, the rider ran slightly wide and ended up in the gravel, fortunately without consequences.
• Despite today’s result, Moreira had a solid weekend, learning session after session and gathering valuable experience and information.
   

 

Diogo Moreira DNF: “Today was more difficult than yesterday. I was there fighting, but it was difficult to keep the pace. I made a mistake at Turn 9. I tried to catch the group, but I went wide and ended up crashing. After yesterday’s race, I was quite happy, so now it’s just a matter of continuing like this and improving race by race.”

 

 

 

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More from a press release issued by Ducati Lenovo:

Francesco Bagnaia and the Ducati Lenovo Team forced into early retirement in the French Grand Prix due to a crash. 

The Ducati Lenovo Team completed the Grand Prix of France at Le Mans. Francesco Bagnaia, after an encouraging performance, crashed out while running in second place.

Following a less-than-perfect start from pole position, Bagnaia found himself in fifth place four corners into the race. Pecco managed to make his way up to second position — which he took on lap seven — before trying to bridge the gap to then-leader Bezzecchi. At the start of lap sixteen, however, while less than a second behind his rival, he tucked the front at turn three.

As the fifth Grand Prix of the season draws to a close, Marc Márquez is seventh in the championship standings with 57 points. Bagnaia is ninth, 14 points behind his teammate. The Ducati Lenovo Team is fifth in the teams’ standings (100 points), while Ducati sits second in the constructors’ championship (128 points).

The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action already this Friday, May 15th, for the opening day of action of the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Catalunya at Montmeló.

 

 

Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – DNF: “The weekend overall was a positive one: we started strongly and worked well, and we were fast in every session while improving constantly. We were in the podium battle today despite a small issue at the start, but then we encountered a minor setback that made me lose confidence with the front-end. I still tried to push and maintain the pace, but the front tucked. These things can happen. We have a clear idea of what we need to work on and we’ll do so ahead of the upcoming races.”

Jorge Martin won the MotoGP World Championship race Sunday at Le Mans, in France. Riding his Aprilia Racing RS-GP26 on Michelin control tires, the Spaniard won the 27-lap race by 0.477 second.

His teammate, Marco Bezzecchi was the runner-up.

Ai Ogura placed third on his Aprilia Trackhouse RS-GP26.

Fabio Di Giannantonio crossed the finish line fourth on his Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team Ducati Desmosedici GP26.

Pedro Acosta took fifth on his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16. 

Polesitter, Francesco Bagnaia crashed his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici GP26.

Marco Bezzecchi leads the championship with 128 points, 1 ahead of Jorge Martin who has 127 points. Fabio Di Giannantonio is third with 84 points.

More from a press release issued by MotoGP:

Comeback King Martin produces Sunday magic to beat Bezzecchi in France. The #89 reels in and passes his teammate and title rival as Ogura clinches a debut MotoGP podium to hand Aprilia a podium lockout at Le Mans.

All the blood, sweat, and tears. The injury woes of 2025. The not knowing if he’d ever return to the top step again. Now though, he’s done exactly that. Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing), for the first time since the 2024 Indonesian Grand Prix, emerged victorious on Sunday in Le Mans with a ridiculously impressive ride that saw the #89 reel in and overtake teammate Marco Bezzecchi in the closing stages. It was a day to remember for Aprilia because not only did they lock out the top two spots on the podium thanks to the top two in the championship, but Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) produced some more late Grand Prix magic to force his way onto the MotoGP podium for the first time.

THE START

Bezzecchi got the best launch of the riders from the front row and heading up to Turn 3, the lead was the Italian’s. Much to the delight of the home faithful, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was up to an early P2 as he and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) swapped paint coming out of Turn 4. Bagnaia lost ground from pole position, the Italian was P4, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) getting a much better launch than he did just under 24 hours ago – the Italian was P5 from the front row.

Lap 2 saw Spanish GP winner Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) crash out of the top 10, as Acosta attacked Quartararo. It was a move that stuck at Turn 11, as Acosta then locked his radar onto Bezzecchi. Lap 5 saw Pecco then pounce to demote the home hero to P4, and on that lap, the Italian set the fastest lap of the race – 0.2s quicker than leader Bezzecchi.

BUBBLING UP NICELY AT THE FRONT AS MARTIN BEGINS VICTORY PUSH

The chasers lost ground on the next lap, and it was clear Pecco had some pace in hand over Acosta. And sure enough, the #63 carved his way past the KTM star into P2. The gap to Bezzecchi? 0.9s. Meanwhile, a train of fire breathing thoroughbreds had formed, with Di Giannantonio and Tissot Sprint winner Martin now ahead of Quartararo. Ogura and Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) were next in line, but it was Martin vs Di Giannantonio on Lap 9. Eventually, after a couple of attempts at Turn 3 and then Turn 6, Martin got the attack done at Turn 7. But that battle saw the second group sit over a second and a half away from the top three.

The Grand Prix simmered a tad approaching the half way point, but intriguing was the word to describe what was going on at the front. Bezzecchi’s advantage was 0.6s over Pecco, with Acosta still lingering in P3. Martin’s pace was on par with the leaders, but the 2024 World Champion was 1.6s back – but the good news for the #89 was he had pulled 1.1s on Di Giannantonio.

BAGNAIA CRASHES 

Then, a dose of drama was thrown into the mix. Bagnaia, seemingly comfortable in P2, then lost the front coming into Turn 3 on Lap 16 of 27. A disastrous end to a very promising weekend for Pecco. Thankfully, the Italian was OK physically, and looking more than OK too was Martin. Now in P3 after Pecco’s error, Martin was right in the victory hunt and on Lap 18, the Aprilia star dispatched Acosta.

MARTIN REELS IN BEZZECCHI, OGURA LAUNCHES ROSTRUM ATTACK

Now, it was Aprilia vs Aprilia. P1 vs P2 in the title race. Martin was 1.5s behind Bezzecchi but while we locked eyes on Mir lunging underneath Quartararo at Turn 3, the gap came down by half a second. On Lap 20, Bezzecchi led Martin by one second, with Acosta 0.7s back in P3.

At the beginning of Lap 2, the gap was 0.8s. Martin was reeling in his teammate, and another Aprilia rider was on the charge. Ogura. Di Giannantonio was shuffled down to P5 on Lap 21, and just before that, having moved into P6, Mir crashed out at Turn 11.

Back at the front, and back to Ogura. The Japanese rider was 0.5s faster than Bezzecchi on Lap 21, and Acosta’s podium was under serious threat. Lap 23, Turn 3, Ogura made it an Aprilia 1-2-3.

Could the #79 now claw his way into the victory fight? Well, if Martin engaged in battle with Bezzecchi, it would give him a chance. And with four laps to go, Martin was right on the rear wheel of his teammate after landing a 1:31.2, compared to Bezzecchi’s 1:31.4.

Bezzecchi was in trouble here, and so it proved. Martin, with three to go, made his move. What a class pass it was too. Turn 3, late on the brakes, job done. Martin led for the first time and it looked like Bezzecchi didn’t have anything in response. No counterattack was coming, as Martin pulled 0.7s clear.

Instead of the win, Bezzecchi now had a real task to keep P3. Ogura was now just 0.7s away from the factory RS-GP, then 0.5s, as we entered the final lap of the Grand Prix.

0.6s was the gap splitting Martin and Bezzecchi, so a mistake-free closing lap would see Martin return to the top step. And guess what: that’s exactly what it was. For the first time since the 2024 Indonesian Grand Prix, Jorge Martin would spray the bubbly from the top step of the podium.

Bezzecchi held off Ogura’s late pressure to earn 20 healthy points, but the Italian sees his championship lead come down to a single point after a mini sucker punch was handed to him by his teammate. And sure enough, in P3, Ogura secured a first MotoGP podium to become the first Japanese podium finisher since 2012. It’s been coming, now it’s arrived. What a day for Aprilia.

YOUR POINTS SCORERS IN FRANCE

A penultimate corner pass on the final lap saw Di Giannantonio overtake Acosta for P4 honours, which means the KTM rider had to settle for P5. Quartararo’s top weekend ended with a very solid P6 on home soil, and although P6s aren’t the results the Frenchman comes racing for, but given the circumstances, El Diablo will be pleased with that.

P7 went the way of Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3), with Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team), Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) closing out the top 10 in Le Mans.

Johann Zarco’s (Castrol Honda LCR) home Grand Prix Sunday didn’t go as planned after Fernandez forced the Frenchman wide on Lap 1, leaving last year’s winner just inside the top 15. P11 was Zarco’s result in the end, as Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Toprak Razgatlioglu (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), and Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) picked up the final points on offer in France.

NEXT STOP: BARCELONA

We barely have time to catch our breath before MotoGP is back on track, as a trip to Barcelona beckons for Round 6 next weekend. See you there. 

• MotoGP French GP results! 

Izan Guevara won the shortened FIM Moto2 World Championship race Sunday at Le Mans, in France. Riding his BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Boscoscuro on Pirelli control tires, the Spaniard won the 9-lap race by 0.566 second.

Manuel Gonzalez was the runner-up on his Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP Kalex. 

Ivan Ortola was third on his QJMOTOR – El Motorista – MSI Kalex.

Alonso Lopez finished fourth on his ITALJET Gresini Kalex.

David Alonso took fifth on his CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team Kalex.

American Joe Roberts finished Sunday’s race 8th on his OnlyFans American Racing Team Kalex.

Manuel Gonzalez leads the championship with 79.5 points, 9.5 ahead of Izan Guevara who has 70 points. Senna Agius is third with 59 points.

More from a press release issued by MotoGP:

Guevara earns Le Mans honours in red-flagged Moto2 dash. The polesitter beats Gonzalez in the nine-lap sprint as Ortola produces a stunning comeback to grab P3. 

Pole position to victory. Not a bad weekend at the Le Mans office then for Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) as the Spaniard fended off second place Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) to climb into P2 in the title chase – one place behind the latter. In what was a red-flagged, shortened Moto2 encounter, third place went the way of Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – El Motorista – MSI) after the sophomore unravelled a phenomenal comeback from P14 on the grid.

With the rain disappearing for the time being and the track drying out, every rider opted to start on slicks. From a debut pole position, Guevara got a perfect getaway to collect the holeshot, with championship leader Gonzalez earning an early P2 from the middle of the second row. Drama unfolded for Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) on the opening lap after the Spaniard – who started from P2 – suffered a highside on the exit of Turn 7 to see his race end early.

So at the end of Lap 1, it was Guevara leading Gonzalez, Filip Salač (OnlyFans American Racing Team) kept hold of P3, with Barry Baltus (REDS Fantic Racing) also holding position in P4. It was then P2 for Salač before the red flags were waved due to Jorge Navarro’s (KLINT Racing Team) crash at the final corner. The Spaniard was up on his feet, but the race was stopped because of safety conditions.

So, with the additional stoppage, the restart would be a nine-lap race, with original grid positions set. And there was good news in the Aspar camp, because they were able to fix Holgado’s bike and get him out of pit lane with 15 seconds remaining.

Right, it was time to launch off the line again. And from the get-go, there was drama as Salač and Alex Escrig (KLINT Racing Team) got out of shape into the opening chicane, while at Turn 6, Baltus’ race ended – and the Belgian wasn’t happy with someone.

Guevera, meanwhile, stayed out of trouble again and raced to a 0.9s lead as Holgado and David Alonso, the Aspar teammates, battled hard on the opening lap as Holgado went from P2 on the grid to P9.

More drama. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Daniel Muñoz (Italtrans Racing Team) were in the gravel together on Lap 2 at Turn 6, as Celestino Vietti (Folladore SpeedRS Team) was handed a Long Lap penalty for causing a crash with Baltus. The Italian went from P5 to P9.

On Lap 5 of 9, Guevara’s lead was 1.1s, down from 1.3s as Gonzalez and Ortola began to turn the pace up a notch. But it wasn’t looking like enough. Gonzalez dropped Ortola and chased Guevara solo, but the latter responded and kept his title rival at bay.

0.9s was the gap heading onto the final lap, and for the first time this season, Guevara clinched a classy victory, with Boscoscuro defeating Kalex for the first time in 2026. Gonzalez ended the race 0.5s away from his compatriot to retain his championship lead, with Ortola coming from P14 to bag a first podium of the season.

Alonso Lopez (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) and an injured Alonso rounded out the top five in the shortened dash to the flag, with Vietti recovering to P6. Agius’ victory run ended, it was P7 for the Australian in Le Mans, as OnlyFans American Racing Team’s Joe Roberts and teammate Salač closed out the top nine. Aron Canet’s (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) P10 signalled his best result of the year, while Holgado had to settle for P11.

Heading to Catalonia next weekend, Gonzalez leads Guevara by 9.5 points, with Agius now 20.5 points away in P3. 

Moto2 French GP results!

Maximo Quiles won the FIM Moto3 World Championship wet race Sunday at Le Mans, in France. Using his Pirelli-shod CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team KTM, the Spaniard won the 13-lap race by just 1.888 seconds.

Adrian Fernandez was the runner-up on his Leopard Racing Honda.

Matteo Bertelle was third, 4.772 seconds behind race winner Quiles.

Veda Pratama crossed the finish line fourth on his Team Asia Honda and Joel Esteban got fifth on his Level Up MTA KTM.

Maximo Quiles leads the championship with 115 points, 46 ahead of Adrian Fernandez who has 69 points. Alvaro Carpe is third with 53 points.

More from a press release issued by MotoGP:

Quiles eases to Moto3 glory at Le Mans in the wet. The Championship leader takes a commanding Championship lead to Barcelona after a perfect Sunday performance.

A lights-to-flag victory saw Maximo Quiles (CIP GreenPower) dominate the Moto3 Grand Prix at Le Mans to extend his Championship lead to 46 points. P2 for polesitter Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) saw the Spaniard move into second overall in the Championship whilst it was a return to the rostrum for the first time in over a year.

A flying start from the middle of the front row, Championship leader Quiles got the holeshot on what would be an opening lap of attrition. The first faller came at Turn 2 with Brian Uriarte’s (Red Bull KTM Ajo) wide sweeping line not working out as he fell, whilst David Muñoz (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) tipped off at Turn 3. Cormac Buchanan (CODE Motorsports) highsided on the exit of Turn 7. The crashing didn’t stop there as on Lap 2, a brilliant start from Casey O’Gorman ended in the gravel at Turn 10, whilst Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) and Joel Kelso (GRYD MLav Racing) followed on Lap 2 and Lap 3 respectively.

With the #28 out front and in command, the stars continued falling behind. Second in the Championship, Alvaro Carpe’s (Red Bull KTM Ajo) charge ended with a fall at Turn 10, whilst just a few corners later, having just got into P2, Marco Morelli (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) crashed at Turn 13, giving second back to polesitter Fernandez and promoting Matteo Bertelle (LEVELUP-MTA) into third – although he’d soon have a Long Lap Penalty for shortcutting at Turn 10. Further fallers behind were Scott Ogden (CIP GreenPower) at Turn 3 and Rico Salmela (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) at Turn 10.

Into the closing stages and it was all looking settled with Quiles sporting a 2.1s advantage over Fernandez, whilst Bertelle had third all wrapped up. A huge result for the #28 who took an enormous step forward in the title fight to extend his lead with victory at Le Mans and his first back-to-back wins in Moto3. It was back-to-back rostrums for the first time in over a year for Fernandez whilst Bertelle was on the podium for the first time since COTA 2025. Veda Pratama (Honda Team Asia) clinched fourth place whilst from 20^th on the grid, Joel Esteban (LEVELUP-MTA) rode a fantastic Grand Prix to fifth.

Elsewhere in the order it was Guido Pini (Leopard Racing) who came through from the fourth row to return to the points in P6 after a Jerez weekend to forget. Behind, Adrian Cruces (CIP GreenPower) put in a solid display for his team’s home Grand Prix with P7, ahead of David Almansa (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP), Eddie O’Shea (GRYD – MLav Racing) in a career-best ninth and Hakim Danish (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI) completing the top ten.

Moto3 Grand Prix results from Le Mans!

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:

 

 

 

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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.

 

 

 

 

Johann Zarco 10th: “Our balance is very sensitive when it comes to performing well and at a high level. Today I didn’t have the best feeling, and this morning’s crash complicated our plans. I finished 11th on the grid because I couldn’t repeat yesterday’s lap time. During the Sprint, despite a good start, after some laps, I started to struggle. I couldn’t maintain the pace and finished out of the points. Let’s try again tomorrow.”

 

 

 

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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.”

Jorge Martin won the MotoGP Tissot Sprint race Saturday afternoon at Le Mans, in France. Riding his Aprilia Racing RS-GP26 on Michelin control tires, the Spaniard won the 13-lap race by 1.107 second.

Polesitter Francesco Bagnaia was the runner-up on his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici GP26.

Championship point leader and Martin’s teammate, Marco Bezzecchi finished third.

Pedro Acosta finished the race fourth on his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM. 

Home hero Fabio Quartararo got fifth on his Monster Energy Yamaha YZR-M1 V4.

Defending MotoGP World Champion, Marc Marquez crashed his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici GP26 while running seventh and was taken to medical. 

Marco Bezzecchi leads the championship with 108 points, 6 ahead of Jorge Martin who has 102 points. Pedro Acosta is third with 72 points.

More from a press release issued by MotoGP:

Martin sprints to Saturday gold as Marc Marquez suffers DNF in Le Mans. An unreal start sees the #89 go from P8 to P1 in three corners as late drama strikes the reigning World Champion.

As starts go, that was about as good as it gets from French GP Tissot Sprint winner Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing), who didn’t miss a beat on a dramatic Saturday afternoon at a packed-out Le Mans. The #89 strolled to a fairly dominant 12-point haul as Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) made it three Saturday podiums in the last three Grands Prix with a P2 finish. Just over a second covered the former title rivals, with 2026 World Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) picking up a bronze medal in P3, while 2025 World Champion Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) endured a nasty crash in the closing stages. 

WHAT A START

From P8 on the grid, Martin got an absolute flyer to snatch the lead into Turn 4 after brilliantly swooping around the outside of teammate Bezzecchi, Bagnaia, and Marc Marquez through Turn 3, as polesitter Bagnaia slotted into an early P3. Home hero Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was a P4, signalling a good getaway from the Frenchman, with Marc Marquez losing three places on the opening lap – the reigning World Champion was P5 from the middle of the front row. 

On Lap 2, the #93 was then picked off by an aggressive Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and then at Turn 3 on Lap 3, Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) had a nibble too. And it was a bite that paid off. Suddenly, Marc Marquez was P7.

MARTIN COMFORTABLE TO THE FLAG, MM93 CRASHES

Lap 3 saw Bezzecchi make a mistake at Turn 7, which allowed Pecco to sweep past his compatriot into P2. However, at this stage, Martin had got his skates on. The 2024 World Champion was over a second up the road, as Acosta then shoved his way up to P4 past Quartararo.

Having had a woeful start from P4, Fabio Di Giannantonio’s (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) Sprint ended prematurely with a crash at Turn 3 on Lap 5, with the Italian P14 at the time. Not what the Italian ordered from the Sprint menu. 

Up front, Martin was keeping Pecco a second behind him, with Bezzecchi dropping to 1.1s behind the factory Ducati. Then came Acosta, a further second in arrears, with the battle for P5 bubbling away nicely between Quartararo, Mir, and Marc Marquez. The trio was six-tenths shy of Acosta.

On Lap 9 of 13, Martin stretched his lead to 1.3s. A lap later, it was 1.4s – then 1.5s. And with Pecco 1.5s in front of Bezzecchi, it looked like the top three were set.

The order behind wasn’t, though, and huge drama unfolded for Marc Marquez on the penultimate lap at Turn 13. The #93 suffered a huge crash – the front-end folded, which he gathered back up by digging his knee in, but that then caused the rear-end to get out of shape. This movement then spat the Spaniard over the top and subsequently out of the Sprint in a nasty way. Thankfully, Marquez was up on his feet – but that was another bruising afternoon for the World Champion, who walked gingerly back to the back of the Ducati box and then went to the medical centre for a check-up on the back of a scooter. 

In less dramatic circumstances, it was a Saturday stroll to a 12-point haul for Martin, his second of the season, with Pecco and Bezzecchi picking up the silver and bronze medals. Acosta’s early moves helped him to finish P4, with Quartararo giving the French faithful something to cheer about with a gutsy P5.

Mir was a slender 0.2s away from Quartararo in P6, and just behind the top six battle was Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) in P7, Spanish GP winner Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) in P8, and rookie Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) in P9 as the Brazilian collects his first Sprint point – and his best result to date in MotoGP.

COMING UP: GRAND PRIX SUNDAY IN FRANCE

Drama for the World Champion, Aprilia march on, and a Quartararo top five. Plenty to shout about then for the home fans at Le Mans (and the millions around the world) as we now debrief and strap in for Grand Prix Sunday at Le Mans.

MotoGP Sprint results!