2024 MotoGP French Grand Prix: A Flat Friday

The fifth round of the FIM Grand Prix World Championship for the 2024 season took place at the Circuit de Le Mans, also known as Le Mans, in France from May 10th to 12th.

Gresini MotoGP Team entered the fray with a Spanish sibling duo: Marc Marquez, riding the #93 bike, and his younger brother Alex Marquez, piloting the #73. Here’s how their Friday unfolded:

On May 10th, during Free Practice 1 (FP1) and the preliminary qualifying session (PR), both Marquez brothers showcased their skills. In the morning’s FP1, they clocked sixth and ninth fastest lap times respectively. However, the afternoon’s PR was marked by yellow flags due to various incidents, including a crash for Marc near the end. With a best lap of 1:31.067 before the accident, he finished PR in 13th place, while Alex posted a 1:31.53, placing him 19th. Both racers will need to advance to Q1 for better grid positions.

Following the day’s action, Marc reflected on the day’s events, “In the afternoon, my setup wasn’t giving me the comfort I needed. We need to react quickly. I don’t enjoy Q1 – it’s a crucial yet challenging phase. Unfortunately, I had a yellow flag incident and made a mistake towards the end. Our setup seems to be heading in the wrong direction, so we have a lot of work to do for competitiveness tomorrow.”

Alex, on the other hand, said, “I only attempted one lap time improvement, and I tried some settings adjustments. In the morning, we were good, but afternoon didn’t go as smoothly. I had a thought that maybe stepping back in the setup would help, but it didn’t pan out. Q1 is going to be a complex stage; tomorrow’s challenge will be even greater with so many quick riders around.”