MotoGP French GP Saturday Recap: Martin Dominates Saturday Action

On the evening of May 11th, Beijing time, the Saturday proceedings of the MotoGP French Grand Prix came to a close. In the sprint race held in the afternoon local time, pole-sitter Jorge Martin led from start to finish, securing the race victory and extending his lead in the riders’ championship standings. Marc Marquez, starting from 13th place, produced a strong start and a consistent performance to claim second place, with Maverick Vinales taking third. Francesco Bagnaia, who started from second, had a poor getaway, losing several positions, and later retired due to a mechanical issue.

In the earlier qualifying session, Martin took pole position with a lap record time of 1:29.919, despite crashing in his final flying lap. Bagnaia also crashed in the same lap but secured second place. Vinales claimed the last spot on the front row. Fabio Quartararo eventually finished eighth, while both Marquez brothers and Binder were eliminated in Q1.

The day’s action began with the second free practice session, where Aprilia’s Vinales topped the timesheets with a lap of 1:31.033. Ducati riders Bagnaia and Bastianini followed in second and third places. Alex Marquez had a crash at Turn 8, and multiple riders overshot the corner due to late braking.

The qualifying session for the sprint and main race followed, with stars like the Marquez brothers, Bastianini, and Binder vying for just two spots in Q2. Marc Marquez set the pace early in Q1 with a 1:30.586 lap, joined by Trackhouse Racing’s Oliveira in the provisional promotion zone.

In the final push for pole, Marc Marquez had a slide at Dunlop corner while trying to follow Bastianini. Bastianini eventually posted a 1:30.233 lap, fastest in Q1, on soft rear and hard front tires. Oliveira snatched the last Q2 spot with a 1:30.478 lap, eliminating Marquez, whose lap was canceled due to yellow flags caused by crashes involving Augusto Fernandez and Johann Zarco. This meant both Marquez brothers missed Q2, and Binder struggled, ending up last in qualifying.

In the fight for pole position in Q2, Martin immediately lowered the track record to 1:30.141. However, he improved even further with a 1:29.919 lap! This made him the first rider to break the 1:29 barrier at Le Mans Bugatti circuit. Bagnaia was second after the first flying lap, 0.192 seconds behind, and from third-placed Vinales, all riders were at least half a second slower.

Martin crashed at Turn 4 in his final flying lap, losing the chance to improve. Shortly after, Bagnaia also crashed at Turn 9! The top two in the lap times and championship standings surprisingly fell in succession. Bagnaia’s bike caught fire, and track marshals had difficulty clearing the scene. Espargaro and Miller also crashed in their subsequent laps.

After the chaotic final flying laps, Martin still secured pole, while Bagnaia maintained second. Vinales, Dovizioso, and Bezzecchi completed the top five, with home favorite Quartararo finishing eighth.

At 3 PM local time, the premier class sprint race got underway! Martin kept his lead from pole, while Marquez, starting from 13th, rocketed to fifth by the end of the first sector! Bagnaia, with a wheelie off the line, plummeted to 15th. VR46 Racing Team’s Bezzechi grabbed second place.

Esparagaro was penalized for a jump start, and after one lap, Bagnaia lost control at Turn 7’s braking zone and went off-track, ultimately retiring due to a struggling race and an unsatisfactory feeling with his backup bike (the race bike was damaged in qualifying and couldn’t be repaired quickly). Ducati reported his issues.

In Lap 4, Mir crashed. Yamaha’s Quartararo, with a lackluster long-run pace, was passed by Bastianini, Acosta, and Raul Fernandez, dropping out of the points-paying positions.

In Lap 7, another Yamaha rider, Alex Rins, crashed at Turn 8. Meanwhile, Espargaro, having served his two-long-lap penalty, was sixth, and Marquez pressured Bezzechi for second.

With four laps to go, Bezzechi lowsided at Turn 9, handing second place to Marquez.

As the riders maintained their own pace in the closing stages, Martin triumphantly won the sprint race from lights to flag! Marquez produced a remarkable recovery from 13th to second! Vinales finished where he started, in third. Bastianini, Espargaro, Acosta, Dovizioso, Miller, and Raul Fernandez rounded out positions four to nine, scoring points accordingly. Quartararo finished tenth, narrowly missing out on points. Four riders, including Bezzechi, Rins, Mir, and Bagnaia, did not complete the race.

Moto2 Class

Despite racing with an injury and needing crutches to mount his bike, Aron Canet qualified impressively, securing pole position with a 1:35.037 lap! This was his third pole of the season. Championship leader Roberts took second place.

Arenas and Gonzalez from the QJing Gresini team finished fourth and sixth, respectively. Guerra and Dixon, competing for CFMOTO Aspar, placed seventh and 11th. Adriuguel, the previous round’s winner, qualified poorly in 12th.

Moto3 Class

CFMOTO Aspar’s rising talent David Alonso, despite strong challenges from Ogara and Rueda, secured pole position with a 1:40.114 lap in the final qualifying session, completing a hat-trick of poles. Ogara was just 0.011 seconds behind in second, and Rueda claimed the last spot on the front row. Another CFMOTO Aspar rider, Estevez, qualified 17th.

(Edited by Asan)