CHAPEAU: Zarco emerges victorious in history-making French GP
For the first time since 1954, a French MotoGP rider wins on home turf in an unbelievably dramatic Grand Prix at Le Mans
Sunday, 11 May 2025

Flippin’ phenomenal. A day Johann Zarco, LCR Honda Castrol and a record-breaking Michelin Grand Prix of France crowd will never forget. For the first time since 1954, 71 years ago, a French MotoGP rider wins on home turf after a wet tyre gamble from Zarco sees the #5 beat second place Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) by nearly 20 seconds. The #93 gains important points in the title chase as both Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) fail to score points on a hugely dramatic Sunday afternoon, which saw Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) claim a debut MotoGP rostrum.

A RED-FLAGGED START AS RAIN FALLS
Tensions were at an all-time high in the lead up to lights out as light rain scattered the Le Mans circuit in the build up. Heading onto the warm up lap, with everyone on Michelin’s slick tyres, it was then abundantly clear that was the wrong tyre to be on. Polesitter Quartararo was nearly down at Turn 3 and at the end of the warm up lap, unsurprisingly, every rider peeled into pit lane and that brought out the red flags due to an excessive number of riders at pit lane exit as we then set ourselves for a quick restart procedure at the French GP. The Grand Prix was also reduced by one lap to 26, with a wet race declared – that meant riders could come in and change their bikes at any moment once we got underway.

And there was more drama at the end of the sighting lap. More than half the grid, including Quartararo, Alex Marquez and Marc Marquez, were in while Bagnaia stayed on the grid.

LIGHTS OUT AND IMMEDIATE DRAMA
Eventually we were lights out and underway and as he was in the Sprint, Bagnaia was down at Turn 3 on Lap 1! Meanwhile, Quartararo led from Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez, Aldeguer was fourth as Bagnaia made it back to pit lane to jump onto his dry weather bike. The Italian was miles behind but having pitted at the end of the sighting lap, over half the grid had double Long Lap penalties to take.

Quartararo, having led by over a second, was the first of the front runners to dive into the Long Lap loop. Alex Marquez, Aldeguer – who had passed Marc Marquez – and Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) were the next to come in, but Marc Marquez didn’t. This happened after Bagnaia had been lapped – a disaster for Pecco, who then came in for dry tyres. A decision that would prove costly again soon after.

HOME HEARTBREAK TO ELATION: QUARTARARO CRASHES, ZARCO LEADS
Then, heartbreak. Quartararo was down at the final corner and so was Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) right behind the Frenchman. Gutting for the 100,000+ crowd, but back on circuit, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Viñales were back in the pit lane to switch back onto wet tyres.

Where to look? Marc and Alex were next to come in and that left Aldeguer leading the Grand Prix by over 12 seconds, but now, the rookie was clearly on the wrong tyre – and sure enough, the #54 came in on the next lap.

Right, where were we? Well, to the delight of the French faithful, Zarco led the French Grand Prix! The #5 had stuck it out on the wet weather tyres and he was leading by seven seconds over Miguel Oliveira (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), the Portuguese rider had done the same as Zarco, with Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez pressing Oliveira on Lap 9 of 26.

HOW THE FRENCH GP WAS WON
The brothers passed a struggling Oliveira with ease and with 17 laps to go, the gap between leader Zarco and the Marquez duo was 8.5s. That grew to nine seconds with 15 laps to go, then it was 9.3s as Zarco churned out low 1:46s, with Marquez near enough matching the home hero. Alex Marquez was losing touch on the #93, but the #73 had a six second buffer to fourth place Acosta.

With 11 laps to go, Zarco was marching towards an astonishing home Grand Prix victory. The gap had risen to 11.5s, then it was 12.4s as Zarco lapped at least a second quicker than anyone else on track. That trend continued as the advantage rose to over 14 seconds with seven laps as we witnessed two crashes – first Oliveria was down at the final corner, then Alex Marquez crashed at Turn 3. Luckily the former Championship leader remounted, and such were the gaps between a lot of riders, the Spanish GP winner re-joined the Grand Prix in P6. That off promoted Acosta to P3.

Having got back into the race, Alex Marquez was in the gravel again and unfortunately that was his French GP done. But Gresini’s podium hopes weren’t over because Aldeguer was catching Acosta at a rapid rate of knots. With two laps left, the rookie was right on the back of Acosta and at the front, Zarco’s lead was 19 seconds. The Frenchman simply had to nurse his Honda to the chequered flag.

Aldeguer did get Acosta but it was all eyes on the #5. One lap left Johann! And he brought it home. The roof was raised at Le Mans because for the first time since 1954, a French MotoGP rider clinched victory on home turf. Unbelievable. What a moment for Zarco, LCR Honda and the record-breaking French GP crowd.

Marc Marquez crossed the line 19.9s away from Zarco to collect a massive 20 points, with Aldeguer backing up his Saturday bronze medal with a debut MotoGP podium. What a weekend for the rookie.

YOUR FRENCH GP POINTS SCORERS
Acosta had to settle for P4 after he couldn’t live with Aldeguer’s late race pace, as Viñales handed KTM a double top five in France. Honda HRC Test Team’s Takaaki Nakagami took a magnificent P6 in his first wildcard ride for the Japanese factory, as Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) picked up his season best Sunday result in P7.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing) and Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) rounded out the top 10, with Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol), Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) and Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) closed out the points, with Bagnaia acting as the final finisher in P16.

Just… wow. Johann Zarco is a winner at home in MotoGP. A Sunday that will go down in history for more reasons than one. Le Mans, you were simply incredible. Again.

Silverstone, you’re up.

>>>>>>>>>>> LCR rider Johann Zarco has claimed a historic victory at the French Grand Prix, securing a long-awaited home win in his 150th MotoGP race start.

LCR Honda

Zarco delivered an emotional and strategic performance at Le Mans, making the crucial decision to switch to the wet bike early, a move that proved decisive as weather conditions worsened and the race grew increasingly intense.
The Frenchman won the race with a dominant 20-second lead over the rider in second place, Marc Marquez, maintaining a consistent and fast pace throughout the whole race.
This win marks Honda’s first MotoGP victory since the Americas Grand Prix in 2023 (Alex Rins), breaking a lengthy drought for the manufacturer.
In front of thousands of cheering fans, Zarco etched his name into Le Mans history, a moment of pure joy for French motorsport and a milestone in his career.
With this result, Zarco now stands 6th in the MotoGP World Championship standings, the highest-ranked Honda rider so far this season.


Johann Zarco - winner

"There are no words to express what I felt today. We didn’t expect to win, and doing it on home soil is something truly incredible and emotional. It was a long and intense race, but the strategy we applied as a team really paid off. I took a gamble, as the forecast predicted rain, and today, we made the right call. Winning with Honda is something I’ve been aiming for, and now we’ve done it. Huge thanks to the team, to my parents who were here to experience the Grand Prix with me, to HRC, to the sponsors, and to everyone who’s supported us. This is a day I’ll never forget".

>>>>>>>>>Marc Márquez and the Ducati Lenovo Team secured a second-place finish in the Michelin Grand Prix of France, in a wet race marked by ever-changing conditions. Francesco Bagnaia crossed the line in sixteenth position following a crash on the opening lap through no fault of his own.

Márquez had a good start from second on the grid and remained in the top positions. After serving a double long-lap penalty and returning to the pits for a bike swap (switching to the wet-track configuration), Marc climbed back to second place by lap nine and managed the situation excellently all the way to the chequered flag. Bagnaia, meanwhile, ended up in the gravel at turn one due to a coming together triggered by another rider. Pecco re-joined the race but had to return to the pits due to damage to his Desmosedici GP. He ultimately made it to the finish in sixteenth place.

As the sixth Grand Prix of the season draws to a close, Marc Márquez returns to the top of the championship standings with 171 points and a 22-point lead over his brother Alex. Bagnaia sits third, 51 points adrift of his teammate. The Ducati Lenovo Team leads the teams’ standings (291 points), with Ducati firmly in control of the manufacturers’ classification (217 points).

The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action on May 23rd for the opening day of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, the seventh event of the season.

Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 2nd
“The main goal was to stay fully focused, as in these conditions any small mistake can cost you the race. The track was very slippery but not wet enough for the tyres to work at their best. The most challenging part of the race was the last five laps, as it was crucial to manage the situation — especially mentally — with no other riders nearby. The bike worked really well, but in the wet you never know what might happen. We made no mistakes today, and I’m happy with the result, though the season is still very long.”

Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 16th
“My strategy from the beginning was to stay on track no matter what. Unfortunately, I had some significant spinning at the start and had to close the throttle. Just before turn one, I was passed by several riders, and then came the contact with Enea (Bastianini). These things can happen, especially when there are riders on slick tyres and others on wets in the same race — speeds are very different. I’m sad because had I re-joined straight away, without needing to return to the pits due to the bike damage, I could have finished in the top five. But unfortunately, everything went the wrong way today.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>Honda HRC wins again amid dramatic French GP

The Honda RC213V was back on the top step of the podium thanks to Johann Zarco with Luca Marini close to the top ten in a dramatic race. Joan Mir heads for further checks after a heavy fall.

Rain just before the start of the 27-lap French GP once again sent much of the MotoGP World Championship into a last-minute flurry as riders and teams assessed the possibilities of wets or slicks. Having shown strong pace in a wet Warm Up, both Honda HRC Castrol riders were eager to start and show their speed.

With the rain coming and going, the entire MotoGP field dove into the pits after the warm up lap and triggered a red flag and quick restart. Beginning on wets, Marini would switch to slicks on the second lap of the now 26 lap French GP. But continually changing conditions meant the #10 would be back in on lap eight to return to wets. From here, Marini matched the pace of the top five as he picked his way through the field. Crossing the line in 11th, he collected yet more points and sits 13th in the World Championship standings, just a single point behind Bezzecchi.

Joan Mir was utterly luckless in the race, caught up at the first chicane with Bagnaia, Zarco and Bastianini. Falling heavily, the 2020 MotoGP World Champion was taken to local hospital for further checks. Suffering a fracture in his right hand and neck pain, his condition will be updated in the following days.

It was home hero Johann Zarco who stole the day as he returned the Honda RC213V to the top step of the podium for the first time since the 2023 Americas GP. The Honda LCR rider sent the record-breaking French crowd into a frenzy and has written an unforgettable moment in the history of Honda HRC.

With the weekend’s results, Honda now move to second in the Constructor World Championship, nine points clear of KTM.

Luca Marini
11th

“First of all congratulations to Honda HRC and to Zarco for the result, we have all been working very hard to achieve this. Today was a big opportunity and I am honestly really frustrated because I made almost every decision in the opposite way. It’s a big pity, of course after the race it’s easy to say ‘staying on wets would have been the best’ but I made a really good start off the line and we were fast, but the weather changed back and forth. I had a good feeling once it all settled down and I was able to be quite fast, but we lost too much time with the changes. Without these mistakes Zarco showed what was possible.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>FERMIN ALDEGUER #54
“I didn’t think I would have been so fast in the wet, the amount of experience was very little and I must say this morning I stayed put in the warm up as I didn’t want to take any risk. In the race, I followed the more experienced riders, even though I made it back to the pits one lap too late but in hindsight, it went well. I knew fourth would have been a good result, but I saw the podium within reach and I kept believing. This weekend has been a 10 out of 10.”

ALEX MARQUEZ #73
“On one hand, we were quick in every condition, on a track where we haven’t performed too well before. The negative side is that we crashed twice, and the second one could have been avoided. It would have been important to score points anyway, even a few, but we couldn’t get the job done. Too bad, because it could have been an excellent weekend.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>Incredible sixth place for Nakagami and Honda HRC Test Team in France

Takaaki Nakagami and the Honda HRC Test Team drew on their wealth of experience to overcome the wild weather conditions of the French GP. Electing to run on wets from the start of the race, Nakagami was able to steadily move his way up the order and end in sixth place – his best finish since the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix. A well-deserved reward for a pre-season of intense work, Nakagami and the Honda HRC Test Team leave Le Mans proud of what they achieved in conditions which caught out many others.

Takaaki Nakagami 30
Rider – MotoGP

“I’m really happy for Zarco, doing this at your home GP is a dream! He was really fast on track today. He and I made the same decision to stay out on the rain tyre, from my side I just tried to stay focused on my job – don’t crash and don’t override. It was pretty chaotic at the start with the pitting and many people changing their bikes, quite difficult to understand. I really enjoyed the race, even if it was really long! Top six is an incredible result, nothing we were expecting, but it’s a great reward for the Test Team who have been working to their maximum not just this year, but for many years. Thanks to Honda HRC for this opportunity.”
>>>>>>>>>>>> Aprilia Racing finished the long race on the Les Mans Bugatti Circuit with three bikes in the top ten and a total of four in the points at the end of a chaotic race, made particularly complicated by the weather conditions. Lorenzo Savadori put in a solid performance, finishing ninth, whereas Marco Bezzecchi crossed the line in fourteenth place. Trackhouse MotoGP Team’s Raúl Fernández and Ai Ogura also finished in the points, both in the top ten.

With the first start neutralized by a red flag due to the high number of riders in pit lane, at the second start, Lorenzo Savadori started with slicks – the only rider on the grid to do so. However, the increasingly hard rain forced him to pit for a bike change, switching to the rain configuration. The Italian rider skilfully handled the difficult track conditions, finishing ninth and bringing valuable points home for Aprilia Racing.

Marco Bezzecchi opted for rain tyres at the start, but then made a pit stop after one lap to switch to the bike with dry setup, since it seemed like the rain was tapering off. Nevertheless, the worsening weather conditions and the driving rain forced him to come in again after a crash, re-entering the track with rain tyres. Despite the difficulties, Bezzecchi managed to finish fourteenth, which put him in the points.

Trackhouse MotoGP Team’s Raúl Fernández had an outstanding performance, also worth a mention, finishing seventh as the first Aprilia across the line, whereas rookie rider Ai Ogura finished tenth.
savadori

It was a great race and a good result. It’s a shame about the huge drop in performance with the medium rain tyres, otherwise we would have been able to do something better, but in any case, some interesting things came out of this race. I’d like to thank all of Aprilia, the racing department, and the team, because we are all working at 100% to grow the bike. I would especially like to dedicate this good result to Fabrizio Borra, my physiotherapist who I have known since I was a kid, and who unfortunately has passed away.

bezzecchi


This was one of those situations where anything could happen. This was my first time in these conditions with Aprilia, so I wasn’t at all sure of what to do. I usually like to put slicks on when the track is not entirely dry, but since this was my first time, I decided to stick with the rain tyres. However, the track was drying out and I stopped to put on slicks, but as soon as I did that, it started raining again. I tried to hold out, because my times weren’t that bad, but unfortunately I crashed. I picked up the bike, got back to the garage, and switched to the bike that was set up for the rain. I had the rear medium tyre on and, as soon as it came up to temp, I started doing really good laps. But then, at a certain point, it began raining harder and I lost temperature, confidence, and grip at the rear, so I started slowing down a lot.

rivola


First of all, congratulations to Johann Zarco who, in front of his home fans, accomplished an achievement that he will never forget. The race was decidedly chaotic and with good opportunities to shake things up, given the weather conditions. Good job to Lorenzo for taking a risk at the start, choosing to stay on slicks. Personally, I wasn’t entirely convinced about the new regulations with the double long lap penalty as a solution from the start, but it’s the same for everyone. Throughout the weekend, we saw great speed from Marco – unfortunately, not demonstrated by adequate results – but I’m confident that they will arrive soon. Hard work always pays off. It’s great to see two Trackhouse MotoGP Team RS-GP25 bikes in the top ten.

>>>>>>>What the hell just happened in Le Mans! Firstly, the Michelin® Grand Prix of France set another milestone with a new all-time attendance record of 311 797 MotoGP™ fans making it through the doors of the Bugatti track this weekend. Then, the rain messed things up literally minutes before lights were out, as we saw many riders head back to the pit box to swipe bikes after the white flag was waved in the warm up lap. Red flag was then shown when the pit lane became too messy, with a quick start procedure planned. Then, the rain stopped, and started again, as we saw many flag-to-flags, crashes and more. The ice on the cake was when local hero Johann Zarco saw the checkered flag in 1st, becoming the first French rider to win on home soil in MotoGP™ since 1954. Through the chaos, Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Maverick Viñales finished with a solid 5th place, while Enea Bastianini ended that crazy race in 13th, after crashing out twice and having to complete four long lap penalties.

Soooo. Let’s just start there. Lining up again in 5th on the grid following his solid 5th place in the Tissot Sprint on Saturday, Maverick Viñales was ready to go at it again in front of a packed Bugatti track. He was one of the many riders making the decision to go back to pitlane to swap bikes after the white flag was shown during the warm up lap. That caused a bit of chaos into the pitlane, and the race direction immediately called it a red flag. A quick start procedure was then declared, with now race declared wet. Following the new rule updated after the events in Austin, Maverick – and all other riders – had to complete a double-long lap penalty after the race start. When lights went out for good, Viñales took a solid start, exiting lap 1 in 6th just behind Pedro Acosta in a similar scenario to Saturday’s sprint, and then he moved up to 4th on lap 3 after showcasing a solid early pace. As the rain increased more and more, Maverick decided to pit-in to swipe bikes for a wet setting after lap 6, and he found himself in 12th. Many riders also decided to swap bikes, and that meant Maverick quickly found himself back in 6th behind Acosta, both just under 3 seconds from Alex Marquez in 4th. Everything settled a bit more once everybody served their double long lap penalties and swapped bikes. Viñales was showing good confidence in the wet conditions, keeping it up in 6th while Pedro Acosta had gone away to 4th when overtaking Miguel Oliveira. Meanwhile, Firmin Aldeguer was 4 seconds behind. Soon, Maverick caught back on Oliveira after he completely closed the gap, and a smooth move in T3-T4 on the Portuguese saw ‘Top Gun’ move up to 5th. After 17 laps, Maverick was 6.6 seconds from Acosta, himself 6 seconds away from Alex Marquez, while home hero Johann Zarco continued to lead on home turf with a 13 second-gap on Marc Marquez. From behind, Aldeguer was progressively catching back on Maverick, and soon in lap 20 he moved past to 5th, leaving Viñales in P6 with just six laps to go. Alex Marquez’ crash seconds later meant he got his 5th place back, once that he kept until the checkered flag. Solid weekend for Maverick who took the 5th place in both Sprint and main event!

Le Mans was eventful too for Enea Bastianini, who also made the decision to swap bikes after the warm up lap, meaning that he also had to serve a double long lap penalty after the race start. Unfortunately, Bastianini crashed in T3 at the race start, and he took down Francesco Bagnaia, so he was in 20th after the first lap. He crashed once again in the final turn of lap 6, but got up, and then returned to the pit box to swap bikes to change to a wet setting as the rain hit harder. He rejoined the race in 16th behind Alex Rins, and progressively focused into his race pace after all the events. Of course, he had to complete a double-long lap penalty, but he was unfortunately given another one for exceeding the speed limit in the pitlane when swapping bikes. That had him way at the back, with race leader Johann Zarco overtaking him on lap 13. Bastianini settled into a really decent race pace in the second half and benefited from the few crashes ahead to see the checkered flag in 13th, and bring the team some points after what was a hell of a hectic French Grand Prix!

It was once again an amazing event in France, many memories made once again, as we now head to the United-Kingdom for the British Grand Prix in two weeks, on May 23-25.

Maverick Viñales: "It is fair to say that today was a fantastic show for the fans! I was feeling really good with the soft tyres on the dry, I was really pushing and fighting already for the top 3. Unfortunately, I got the two long lap penalties. When we changed bikes with the wet tyres, we had some issues, I felt a lot of spinning in the main straight, which is something that we need to look into. Anyway, we need these solid results to keep building, we have been really fast all weekend, and we learnt a lot in the wet. Experiencing the French Grand Prix with Tech3 was really special, and I think that we did a great job all together, so thank you to everyone!"

Enea Bastianini: "Crazy race! Many things were going on today, with the weather constantly changing: one minute it was raining, and then it stopped. We started the warm up lap with slick tyres, then it rained, so we swapped bikes, and after it was just a disaster, and we changed again. The situation was difficult to manage for everyone, we crashed twice, unfortunately taking down Pecco (Francesco Bagnaia) at the race start, for which I will have to serve a penalty in the next round. But in the end, I still managed to bring a few points with P13. We tried to give our best today, our pace was strong once the chaos was over, although we could have had a better strategy from the start, but it is like this! Let’s focus on doing a good job all together in Silverstone."

Nicolas Goyon, Team Manager: "Hectic race that we have just lived in Le Mans. When we checked the weather conditions this morning, we knew that it could be either wet or dry, so we were ready for all possible scenarios. After two bike changes and a double long lap penalty, Maverick Viñales managed to bring us home an astonishing 5th place after an incredible performance. He has been fast in both dry and wet this weekend, which really highlights the progress he’s made with the KTM, so huge congratulations to him for his performance. Enea Bastianini got blocked in the first tricky corners at the start, and crashed once, and then another time a few laps later. Once it started to rain hard, he swapped bikes and then the pace started to get better and better. He was too far anyway, but he still managed to take 3 points with 13th. Happy that we have survived through these tricky conditions with both riders in the points, let’s now focus on the next round in Silverstone!"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>Rins Finishes 12th in Chaotic Le Mans Race, Quartararo's French GP Hopes End in NC Score
Mixed conditions at the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit right before the MotoGP Race caused mayhem at the Michelin Grand Prix de France. With conditions uncertain, various riders came in multiple times to switch between their dry and wet bikes. Álex Rins emerged from the chaos securing 12th place. Fabio Quartararo was competitive and battling at the front until a fall in Turn 14 on Lap 4 put an end to his aspirations for his home GP race.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
GRAND PRIX OF FRANCE
RACE
Le Mans (France), 11th May 2025
12th
Á. RINS
+1'35.357 / 26 LAPS Fabio Quartararo Logo
NC
F. QUARTARARO
3 / 26 LAPS Alex Rins Logo
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team were keeping a close eye on the skies leading up to the Michelin Grand Prix de France MotoGP Race on Sunday. Álex Rins showed his experience and remained calm during a very manic Le Mans outing. Despite coming in to change bikes twice, he still finished in 12th place. Fabio Quartararo was giving his all in the tricky conditions, but a luckless crash in Turn 14 at the end of lap 4 ended his home race prematurely.

Rain started to fall about 10 minutes before the start, and pole man Quartararo found out just how treacherous the conditions were when he had a moment on the warm-up lap. All riders decided to come back to their garages, causing a red flag due to the excessive number of riders having to start from pit lane. Pit lane reopened at 14:08 local time (GMT+2), followed by a quick starting procedure and the Race, shortened to 26 laps.

However, there was more drama in store. Following the sighting lap, Quartararo was among several rivals deciding to swap their wet bike for their dry bike. They could start from their normal grid position but were handed a double long-lap penalty.

Rins started from P14 and avoided the chaos in the first sector but fell back to 16th on the first lap and decided to come in to swap to slicks after lap 2. He rejoined the race in P20, but didn't make up much ground. After entering the pits once again at end of lap 4, he rejoined in P19. Multiple crashes and riders swapping back to wets had Rins circulating in 14th place by lap 8. It became a lonely ride for the Spaniard, with large gaps to the riders in front and behind. With Miguel Oliveira crashing out on lap 19 and Alex Marquez on lap 23, the number-42 rider crossed the finish line in 12th place, 1'35.357s from first.

Quartararo had a good start from pole. Though Marc Marqez got the holeshot, the Yamaha man was quick to overtake him and then created a gap of over 1s to the rest of the field before completing his first long-lap penalty on lap 3. He was temporarily in sixth place, but soon overtook Brad Binder. As Alex Marquez, Fermin Aldeguer, and Maverick Viñales completed a long-lap, Quartararo was back in second place, right behind Marc Marquez. He was pushing hard until drama struck: coming out of the last corner on lap 4, he took a fall. He was unhurt but disappointed to end his home race in this manner.

Today's results see Quartararo in 7th place in the overall standings with 56 points. Rins is in 16th position with 23 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP hold 4th place in the team championship with 79 points, and Yamaha are now in 4th position in the constructor championship with 72 points.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP will be back in action on Tuesday and Wednesday for a private test at the Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli. After that, they will resume the racing action in two weeks' time at the Grand Prix of the United Kingdom which will be held at the Silverstone Circuit from 23-25 May.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI
Team Director, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
"Rain falling right before the start is always tricky for the riders and the teams. It makes the tyre choice an absolute gamble. The race today was simply chaotic, and it took a while for it all to settle down. But when it did, Álex rode a mature race. The conditions were changeable and tricky throughout the 26 laps, so he had to decide for himself per lap where the limit was and just how hard he could push. In the end, his efforts were rewarded with a 12th place. Our hearts go out to Fabio, who understandably is disappointed to have ended this home GP with an NC score. However, he was showing courageous riding on the opening lap. In the past, we have struggled in similar mixed conditions, but Fabio was very competitive up until his crash, so we take this as a positive sign for any further wet races we might have this season. We now look forward to having another go at scoring good results in two weeks' time at the British GP. But we won't be sitting still in the meantime! Upcoming Tuesday and Wednesday we will be riding in Misano for a private test, focusing on bike development."

ÁLEX RINS
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
"This was a race for the books. It was unbelievable: the stress, the decisions, everything! Checking the radar, rain was coming. I decided to stay out on wets originally, but then came in to change tyres, and then we had the red flag and the quick starting procedure. The problem during the race was that I came in twice, one more time than the others. On the grid, I was on wets again, and this was correct, but we were struggling, so I thought 'Let's try the slicks'. I decided to go in, but I had to come in again to put in wet tyres. I tried to manage the race by staying calm, because it was very delicate to find the limit on track. In the middle of the race, I tried riding different lines, and thanks to this I was able to ride 1'46s laps, and I recovered 16s to Marini. I was just missing some laps to overtake him."

FABIO QUARTARARO
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
"We knew that maintaining the pace needed to win or to be on the podium was going to be complicated. So, when it started to rain, I wanted to push 100% on the first laps. I think riding with slicks at the start was the right choice because we were quite fast on the opening laps. I did my first long-lap penalty, and I was pushing quite well, so I was still very close to Marc. But then it started to rain just a little bit more, and I lost the front. But we did our best. It's a shame, but I still really enjoyed the weekend. I think we have managed to show a great pace and lap times. We gave it our maximum. The crowd were crazy. We already could see on Thursday how full the grandstands were, and the fans were supporting us all weekend. Unfortunately, I didn't win, but I can imagine how Johann is feeling. Congratulations to him!"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Top five spoils for Acosta and Viñales in tricky and tremendous French MotoGP™
MotoGP 2025 - Round 06 of 22, Le Mans, France – Race

The 2025 MotoGP season continues to bloom for KTM’s factory effort at the highest level of FIM world championship competition. A record-breaking 311,000 fans loaded the spectator areas at Le Mans for a chaotic wet French Grand Prix and saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pedro Acosta take 4th for his best result of the campaign and Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Maverick Viñales finish 5th. Jose Antonio Rueda‘s last corner attack led to his fourth Moto3™ victory of 2025 with the KTM RC4 and extend his advantage at the peak of the championship.

Pedro Acosta adapts admirably from dry to wet settings for the KTM RC16 and comes close to his first podium result of 2025
Maverick Viñales follows up his best Sprint performance of the year on Saturday to score another top five finish, using his experience to weave through the difficult conditions
Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder were fallers in the French rain but the Italian remounted and defied penalties to take P13
Jose Antonio Rueda charged to his fourth win and fifth podium appearance from six rounds after stalking the podium battle in Moto3


Le Mans maintained its fantastic bulge of spectators, excitement and anticipation for the third and final day of the French Grand Prix and an exciting race program. In contrast to a sunny and bright Saturday, the Sarthe skies were cloudy and showery, which created upheaval for the premier class. Despite the climate, the large crowd still gathered en masse for the outing that brings the series beyond the quarter mark for the 2025 campaign.

Red Bull KTM slotted three riders onto the first five rows of the start grid for the 27-lap affair around the famous 4.1km Bugatti layout, which forms part of the hallowed 24hr course. Maverick Viñales in P5 was followed by Pedro Acosta in P12, Brad Binder in P13 and then Enea Bastianini P18. The weather created some uncertainty and watchful looks at the sky and radar systems. Morning Warm-up was soaking but Le Mans was kind enough to Moto3 and Moto2 to provide a dry track. Rainfall again caused indecision when MotoGP took to the grid. The new rule system for race starts came into play as the GP was briefly delayed and riders changed from wet to dry machines. Viñales and Acosta then reentered pitlane for a second time inside the first five laps of the reduced 26-lap distance to exchange bikes with wet settings as more showers arrived.

When the race finally settled into a rhythm in the wake of motorcycle swaps and double long lap penalties, Acosta was able to keep steady and try for the podium, running P3 until his rear tire choice proved to be a drawback, dropping him to P4 and Viñales made it home in P5. Bastianini slipped off twice and also had two long lap penalties. The Italian kept motoring and finished P13. Binder crashed into Turn 14 and then again shortly afterwards in Turn 1 to end his day early.

MotoGP’s blend with heritage, and the challenge of world-renowned circuits flows into the sixth date of the year with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in two weeks.

Pedro Acosta, 4th and 9th in the championship standings: “Wrong tire today. The start was OK, the comeback was OK and the rhythm in the wet also, but when there was more water on track suddenly it was a mess and the grip was not there. It was super-difficult to understand why the first sector was so slippery and the rest was quite OK! We survived. Generally, a positive weekend but we’re quite sad. We go to the next one.”

Maverick Viñales, 5th and 11th in the championship standings:“One of my best results so far in a flag-to-flag, so I am more than happy. Also, I’m pleased with the feeling I get with the dry laps and the potential was very high, unfortunately when we switched to the rain tires our speed was a bit slower and we could not fight for the podium. I had edge grip but could not get the traction I wanted in a straight line and I have no explanation for that. These are the kinds of races we need to build-up and be solid. To ride the bike here was really nice.”

Enea Bastianini, 13th and 15th in the championship standings: “Crazy race! And difficult for everybody because the situation on track was on the limit. Our decision to start with the slick seemed the right one. I had the crash and mistake with Pecco [Bagnaia] and then crashed again. I was a bit lucky to be able to take the wet bike and I thought ‘let’s do the maximum’ but I had two sets of long laps; one because we did not have the limiter engaged for the pitlane. Our strategy in the end was probably not the right one but my feeling was good on a slippery track in the wet.”

Brad Binder, DNF and 14th in the championship standings: “Not too much to say. My race was a lot shorter than I would have liked. Very tricky to understand what tires we should have had at the beginning. We had wets, came in for slicks and I thought things were going quite well but into the last corner there was a bit more water than I expected and it just slipped away. I picked up, did my two long laps and was planning to come in but it just washed in Turn 1. It was time to have been on the wets! Sometimes things do not work out, and sorry to my team because they deserved a good result after all their efforts lately. We’ll try again in Silverstone.”

Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “More progression. Technically we are clearer than where we were at the start of the season and I feel our riders have more confidence to chase the top results. Le Mans is often not the easiest place to make a solid weekend because the conditions can change so much: the race today was a bit special! But the weekend was constant for our work. We made the top five and I’m sure we had the pace to go for even better. We have potential for the next races and we go to Silverstone with confidence.

>>>>>>>

Pramac

he rain giveth and the rain taketh away. Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira have written memorable pages of their careers in wet conditions, proving to be brilliant interpreters when the skies open up. The 2025 Le Mans GP had all the right ingredients to deliver another day of celebration for the riders and the Prima Pramac Yamaha team. Especially because, with the uncertainty between a forecast promising heavy rain and a sky that, until minutes before the start, offered little more than a gloomy threat, tire choice —wet or slick? — was a minefield.

Trusting the radar, both Jack and Miguel had no hesitation in choosing Michelin wets after the aborted first start, doubling down when, at the end of the warm-up lap, many riders headed to the pits to swap bikes for slicks. And in the chaos of the opening laps, those who had gambled on slicks seemed to have made the right call — until the rain intensified. From 13th position on lap 3, Miller began recovering ground fast, slicing through the field. Behind him, the next wet-tire rider, Johann Zarco — who would go on to take a stunning victory in front of 120,000 ecstatic fans (and with 311,797 over the weekend, MotoGP broke the 300,000 attendance mark for the first time ever) — was already paying a 10-second gap.

It all looked to be shaping into a dream Sunday for Miller, on the day he and Oliveira raced with a special livery celebrating Alpine‘s 70th anniversary, team‘s main partner. But that dream turned into a scream of frustration when, at the end of lap 6, at the final corner, Miller was thrown off the bike in a vicious highside after the rear tire lost grip.

With Miller out, the weight of Prima Pramac Yamaha‘s day fell entirely on Oliveira‘s shoulders. Amid the general chaos of bike swaps, long lap penalties, and numerous crashes, the Portuguese rider found himself in a splendid second position by lap 8, trailing only the same Zarco who, two years earlier in Pramac colors, had taken his first MotoGP win at Phillip Island. Hunted by the Marquez brothers, Miguel — still not at full fitness after missing three races with injury — started losing ground and was later passed by Pedro Acosta, Maverick Viñales, and Fermín Aldeguer.

Seventh place was still shaping up to be a fantastic result and, in many ways, a real fresh start to Oliveira‘s season. But like Miller, Oliveira's race ended with a crash at the final corner — eight laps from the end — with a sudden and irrecoverable loss of control. A double hard blow for the team, one that doesn‘t erase the excellent work done by the Prima Pramac Yamaha crew over the weekend and that fuels hope heading into the next round at Silverstone in two weeks.

GINO BORSOI

"It's hard to comment on a race where we walk away with nothing despite doing everything right. With a forecast that guaranteed rain but a sky that held back until the last moment, making the right calls was incredibly difficult. And yet we did well, not just in choosing wet tires for both riders, but also in resisting the temptation to follow others into the pits to change bikes. That‘s a lesson we take home with us. Of course, it hurts to think that when Jack crashed, he was 10 seconds ahead of Zarco, and we all know how that ended. Still, even though his race ended the same way, I want to say well done to Miguel, who was running a fantastic race despite a tough weekend physically. He even climbed to second at one point. That says it all.”

MIGUEL OLIVEIRA
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“It was a shame not being able to finish the race, because it would have been great to get some points and in such a crazy race it would have been a plus. It was a lottery, but we knew that some rain was going to come, it was just a matter of time and see how much rain was going to fall. And it paid off. On the rain everything was better physically, not as hard and demanding, but as soon as it started to rain more I had absolutely no rear grip, it was really really hard to stay on the bike, all of a sudden the bike would snap, making things very difficult. It was a nightmare to manage that. When I crashed I was slow, and nonetheless I could not avoid it. It was a shame.”

JACK MILLER
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“This one is tough to digest. We had the right strategy, I gambled, trusted the forecast and I was right: staying out there at the beginning was tough, all the bikes on slicks were coming by, but I knew there was going to be a crossover where I could have started to recover. I was trying to nurse it and do all the right things, It hurts, because I don‘t understand what went on. It had started to rain a little more, like I was hoping, came to the last corner, did the same thing as the laps before but I lost it, had an highside and that was it. Don‘t know if it was because of bumps or different patches of asphalt, but I am devasted because we had done everything right. I am gutted for the team, also considering that Johann at that time was behind me”.