Winner: Johann ZarcoJohann Zarco, Workforce LCR Honda
Johann Zarco, Workforce LCR HondaMotoGP
MotoGP
Simply when it seemed like his early-season smiles had been starting to fade – all of the extra so after qualifying down in a distinctly unpromising eleventh – produced one of the crucial memorable victories MotoGP has seen in years.
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As discovered at Jerez two weeks earlier, winding down the laps with a snug lead in entrance of your own home crowd isn’t any picnic. Doing so on a slippery monitor is much more of a problem. However Zarco harnessed his wealth of expertise to grab a uncommon alternative to slay the Ducatis.
In grabbing his second profession MotoGP win, he additionally despatched a perfectly-timed message to Honda’s high brass as they mull their manufacturing unit lineup for 2026. Zarco’s need to step up from LCR to the works squad was a speaking level all weekend at Le Mans – however taking the unbiased bike to the highest of the rostrum spoke volumes.
Enjoyable truth: Zarco’s different MotoGP win additionally got here aboard an unbiased bike – he was using a Pramac Ducati when he received the 2023 Australian GP. Even when he by no means wins one other MotoGP race, Zarco may have a tremendous brace to treasure for the remainder of his days. What rider would select something aside from profitable their residence race and conquering the mighty Phillip Island?
Loser: Francesco BagnaiaFrancesco Bagnaia, Ducati Workforce
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati TeamGold and Goose Images / LAT Photographs / through Getty Photographs
Gold and Goose Images / LAT Photographs / through Getty Photographs
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has been hanging on to the leaders’ coattails for many of 2025. In France, it’s honest to say he misplaced his grasp fully. Pecco got here out of the weekend with zero factors and a 51-point deficit to championship chief . Having stored in contact primarily because of a few Marquez errors earlier within the yr, the miserable fact now could be that Marc may throw away two grands prix and Bagnaia nonetheless wouldn’t be capable to surmount his factors lead.
Friday seemed promising, however on Saturday he simply couldn’t carry out in qualifying and would line up solely sixth for the races – each of which had been unmitigated disasters. His dry dash lasted slightly over a lap earlier than he misplaced the entrance finish on the Dunlop chicane and tumbled out of fourth place. The identical nook poked him in Sunday’s sketchy climate, although this time it wasn’t his fault as he was punted off by 2024 team-mate on the primary lap.
Pecco was really on the ‘Zarco technique,’ and would possibly nonetheless have contended after selecting up his bike, had a broken shifter not compelled him to swap machines after one lap. Going to the hassle of ending the race supplied up no pleasure as he introduced up the rear of the sphere a lap down – and missed the factors by one spot.
Winner: HondaJohann Zarco, Workforce LCR Honda
Johann Zarco, Workforce LCR HondaRainier Ehrhardt
Rainier Ehrhardt
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Honda has been progressing all season, even knocking on the door of the rostrum at instances. However for now, it nonetheless wants a crazy-weather race to topple Ducati. Le Mans is all the time a superb candidate for a kind of, and it delivered the last word alternative on Sunday. Honda duly snatched it, albeit by way of Zarco and the unbiased LCR staff.
The timing couldn’t have been higher for a producer about to lose its win-streak document to Ducati. Zarco’s win means the Italians might want to begin once more from scratch and share the document of twenty-two victories with Honda into 2026 on the earliest.
There was extra than simply the win to rejoice, too. The chances of untamed card ending sixth would have been ultra-long forward of the weekend, and no shorter when he certified plum final. However he too grabbed the possibility that the blended climate offered and completed because the second rider on Zarco’s continuous technique.
It wasn’t such a rosy grand prix for the common manufacturing unit riders. very almost grew to become a villain when the Bastianini/Bagnaia crash compelled him into Zarco at Dunlop on lap one. However, happily for Honda, it was Mir relatively than the Frenchman who ended up on the ground. Lucas Marini, in the meantime, got here residence eleventh.
Loser: VR46Franco Morbidelli, VR46 Racing Workforce
Franco Morbidelli, VR46 Racing TeamRainier Ehrhardt
Rainier Ehrhardt
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After and mustered three podiums in a row on the stretch from Argentina to Qatar, the European season has not been type to the VR46 staff. Jerez wasn’t nice, however Le Mans was an actual wrestle.
Morbidelli has gotten right into a crashing behavior since returning to Europe, and was at it once more at Le Mans. He managed to make Q2, however ninth is his worst grid place of the season. An appalling getaway robbed him of any likelihood of dash factors on Saturday after which, on Sunday, he trailed residence a lapped fifteenth after crashing as soon as once more.
Di Giannantonio misplaced all confidence within the entrance finish early within the weekend and certified method down in seventeenth place. He did race nicely, nevertheless, scoring seventh and eighth within the dash and grand prix respectively. Nonetheless, he stays behind Morbidelli within the factors desk, providing some credence to Bagnaia’s declare that the GP25 just isn’t actually a step ahead in comparison with the GP24.
Winner: Fermin AldeguerFermin Aldeguer, Gresini Racing
Fermin Aldeguer, Gresini RacingGold and Goose Images / LAT Photographs / through Getty Photographs
Gold and Goose Images / LAT Photographs / through Getty Photographs
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Gresini’s unobtrusive rookie has made remarkably regular progress since instantly discovering his type in Texas. appears to have gotten slightly sooner each weekend, albeit with the odd crash thrown in. Whereas the training curve is sure to flatten quickly, he continued to edge nearer to the entrance in France.
Aldeguer took his finest grid place of the season at Le Mans, the place he lined up fourth. That may have been a entrance row had he not crashed on a probably sooner lap in qualifying. His team-mate Alex Marquez, with all his expertise, was just one spot forward of him and would have recognized after qualifying that his days as clear staff chief had been numbered.
Whereas Aldeguer ventured past the restrict while flying in races previous to Le Mans, he introduced the bike residence on each Saturday and Sunday in France. And he did so in third place on each events – his first MotoGP podiums. His trip by way of the pack in his first moist premier class grand prix on Sunday was significantly eye-catching.
Loser: Enea BastianiniEnea Bastianini, Crimson Bull KTM Tech 3
Enea Bastianini, Crimson Bull KTM Tech 3Gold and Goose Images / LAT Photographs / through Getty Photographs
Gold and Goose Images / LAT Photographs / through Getty Photographs
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Whereas qualifying and the dash weren’t too unhealthy by the requirements of Bastianini’s humble begin to his Tech3 KTM profession, Sunday unravelled in type. Bastianini was on the mistaken facet of the technique divide for the French GP, so he went to the startline with a double lengthy lap penalty hanging over him. However earlier than he may even take into consideration serving it, he had torpedoed his former Ducati team-mate Bagnaia out on the primary go to to Dunlop.
Bastianini additionally fell within the course of however dusted himself down and continued. After serving his penalties, he may need thought the worst was over… however he fell once more when the rain returned on lap six. Once more, he picked up the ‘dry’ RC16 to maintain going, nevertheless it was clearly time to swap it for a ‘moist’ one. This he did, however not with out managing to hurry within the pits, and that earned him one more double lengthy lap penalty!
Bastianini did handle to complete, and such was the strangeness of the day that he earned three factors regardless of being lapped. However for the person who received the French Grand Prix simply three years in the past, issues have actually plummeted. Issues can solely get higher as he heads to a different monitor on which he has fond recollections for the British Grand Prix.
Winner: Raul FernandezRaul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing
Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse RacingMarc Fleury
Marc Fleury
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Credit score the place it’s due: Raul Fernandez actually turned his narrative round in France. Questions had been being requested about whether or not he was worthy of his place on the MotoGP grid in any respect, significantly in view of his rookie team-mate ’s stellar performances. However Ogura’s type is starting to drop simply as Fernandez finds his mojo.
Though he had carried out promisingly on Friday – however a fall – it was a outstanding shock when the Spaniard made it by way of a good Q1 on Saturday morning. This was a session that includes some heavy hitters, together with an out-of-position Fabio di Giannantonio aboard the manufacturing unit GP25.
He didn’t path residence final in Q2 both, beating eventual winner Johann Zarco and to line up tenth. And as Fernandez took his finest grid slot of the yr, Ogura was left considering his worst: nineteenth.
Fernandez held that place within the dash, summing up his newfound confidence on Saturday as follows: “I really feel comfy on the bike. I really feel I can take pleasure in using once more and that I can use 90% of the bike. Saying that, I’ve a margin to search out however now I’m not off course. I’m very blissful.”
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He then completed in an encouraging seventh place on Sunday regardless of having made the identical tactical errors as a lot of the area. As within the dash, he completed nicely away from Ogura.
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