MARTIN RETURNS TO VICTORY AS APRILIA DOMINATES LE MANS
Jorge Martin completed an emotional return to the top step of the podium with a brilliant victory at the French Grand Prix in Le Mans. After months of injuries, setbacks, and doubts about whether he could fight for wins again, the reigning world champion delivered one of the finest rides of his career to defeat teammate Marco Bezzecchi and give Aprilia a historic one-two finish. To make the day even more special for the Italian manufacturer, rookie Ai Ogura completed an all-Aprilia podium with the first MotoGP podium finish of his career.
The race began with Bezzecchi making a perfect launch from the front row to take the lead into Turn 3. Home hero Fabio Quartararo delighted the French crowd by moving into second place early, battling aggressively with Pedro Acosta through the opening corners. Pole-sitter Francesco Bagnaia lost ground at the start and dropped to fourth, while Fabio Di Giannantonio made a much stronger getaway than he had in the Sprint race to climb into fifth.
The opening laps were filled with action. Alex Marquez crashed out on Lap 2, while Acosta attacked Quartararo for second place and completed the move at Turn 11. Soon after, Bagnaia found his rhythm and overtook Quartararo before setting the fastest lap of the race as he started chasing Bezzecchi at the front.
Further behind, Martin was quietly moving forward. After fighting intensely with Di Giannantonio for several corners, the Aprilia rider finally completed the overtake at Turn 7 on Lap 9. The battle cost both riders time, but Martin’s pace quickly became clear as he began closing the gap to the leaders.
By the halfway stage, the race settled slightly, but the tension at the front continued building. Bezzecchi still led Bagnaia, with Acosta close behind, while Martin steadily reduced the distance from fourth place. Then came the turning point of the race.
On Lap 16, Bagnaia crashed unexpectedly at Turn 3 while comfortably running in second place. The Ducati rider lost the front end and slid out, ending what had looked like a very promising weekend. Fortunately, the Italian escaped injury, but his crash opened the door for Martin to fight for victory.
Only two laps later, Martin passed Acosta and moved into second place. The stage was now set for a direct fight between the two Aprilia teammates, who also occupied the top two positions in the championship standings.
At the same time, Ai Ogura was beginning an incredible late-race charge. The Japanese rookie was significantly faster than the riders ahead and quickly closed down Acosta. On Lap 23, Ogura completed the move at Turn 3 to move into third place and create an Aprilia one-two-three.
Back at the front, Martin continued hunting Bezzecchi. Lap after lap, the gap came down as the reigning champion pushed harder and harder. With three laps remaining, Martin finally made his move. Diving aggressively into Turn 3 under braking, he passed Bezzecchi cleanly and immediately pulled away.
Bezzecchi had no answer to his teammate’s pace and soon found himself under pressure from Ogura. The rookie closed rapidly during the final lap, but Bezzecchi held on to second place by less than a second.
Martin crossed the finish line to secure his first MotoGP victory since the 2024 Indonesian Grand Prix, completing an emotional comeback after a difficult 2025 season filled with injuries and uncertainty. The win also reduced Bezzecchi’s championship lead to only a single point.
Ogura’s third place marked a historic achievement. The Trackhouse rider became the first Japanese rider to stand on a MotoGP podium since 2012 and confirmed himself as one of the biggest surprises of the season.
Behind the podium finishers, Fabio Di Giannantonio passed Acosta on the final lap to steal fourth place, leaving the KTM rider fifth. Quartararo finished sixth in front of his home fans after another strong weekend, while Enea Bastianini, Raul Fernandez, Fermin Aldeguer, and Luca Marini completed the top ten.
Johann Zarco’s home race proved frustrating after contact on the opening lap pushed him wide and dropped him down the order. Last year’s French Grand Prix winner eventually recovered to finish 11th.
MotoGP now heads directly to Barcelona for the next round of the championship, with Martin carrying huge momentum after one of the most important victories of his career.
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