ZARCO SHINES AS HONDA IMPRESSES IN THRILLING FRIDAY AT LE MANS
Friday at the French Grand Prix in Le Mans gave MotoGP fans plenty of action and surprises. Under sunny skies, the riders completed FP1 and the important afternoon Practice session that decided who would go directly into Q2. Honda impressed strongly, Johann Zarco delighted the home fans, and several big names were left with work to do before qualifying.
In FP1, Luca Marini led the way for Honda HRC Castrol with a fastest lap of 1:30.857. Pedro Acosta finished second for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, while French hero Johann Zarco made it two Hondas inside the top three for Castrol Honda LCR. The session showed strong early pace from Honda, something the team has been searching for during recent seasons.
Fabio Di Giannantonio also caught attention during the morning. The VR46 rider spent most of the session at the top and eventually finished fourth, only slightly behind Marini. What made his performance impressive was that he set his time without stopping for fresh Michelin tyres, showing strong race pace from the start of the weekend.
Raul Fernandez completed the top five for Trackhouse MotoGP Team, while Alex Rins gave Yamaha a positive result in sixth place. Alex Marquez ended FP1 in seventh, and Marc Marquez finished ninth. Meanwhile, Aprilia’s factory riders Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin struggled more than expected, ending the session outside the top ten as they continued searching for the right setup.
The afternoon Practice session brought even more drama. Johann Zarco thrilled the French crowd by finishing fastest overall with a lap good enough to top Friday’s action at Le Mans. Di Giannantonio continued his strong form and ended only 0.010 seconds behind Zarco in second place. Francesco Bagnaia completed the top three despite crashing late in the session.
There were several crashes during the session. Jorge Martin fell early at Turn 9, while Fermin Aldeguer also crashed after losing the front of his bike at Turn 3. Later, Raul Fernandez suffered a major mechanical problem when his Aprilia caught fire, briefly stopping the session.
As the final minutes approached, the fight for direct Q2 places became extremely intense. Zarco continued improving and kept the home crowd excited, while Pedro Acosta crashed near the end of the lap but quickly returned to the pits hoping to save a top ten result. Joan Mir briefly moved Honda back to the top before Bagnaia answered with a very fast lap.
In the closing moments, Alex Rins moved Yamaha into the top ten, while Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi improved enough to secure direct Q2 places. Alex Marquez and rookie Ai Ogura also jumped into the top ten late in the session.
One of the biggest surprises came from Marc Marquez. The Ducati star could not improve on his final attempt and ended the session in 13th place, forcing him into Q1 on Saturday for the first time since last season’s Indonesian Grand Prix. Fabio Quartararo also disappointed the home fans after finishing only 17th.
At the end of Friday, Zarco finished on top ahead of Di Giannantonio and Bagnaia. Alex Marquez, Joan Mir, Jorge Martin, Marco Bezzecchi, Alex Rins, Ai Ogura, and Pedro Acosta completed the top ten and secured direct places in Q2. With less than three tenths separating all ten riders, the weekend at Le Mans is already shaping up to be one of the closest and most exciting rounds of the MotoGP season.
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