For the fifth meeting of the season, the Nice native Fabio Quartararo started in pole position for the French GP at Le Mans. It was a completely crazy race that smiled upon our French riders.
At the start, Yamaha rider was overtaken by the “starter” Jack Miller, the winner of the last GP, and his teammate Maverick Viรฑales. By the end of the first lap, the three men broke away from the rest of the pack in which Johann Zarco found himself stuck in 11th position. As if to reassure himself after his difficult Grand Prix, “El Diablo” set the lap record. However, after four laps, rain made its appearance on the Bugatti circuit.
This twist allowed Marc Marquez and Alex Rins to return to the leading positions. All the riders then entered the pit to change bikes. The big losers from this weather change were the Suzuki riders, Rins and the reigning champion Mir, who each crashed in turn.
At the front, Marquez came out on top ahead of Quartararo, who clung to the wheel of the six-time Moto GP world champion. Very comfortable in these conditions, Miller gradually caught up with the leading two before witnessing Marquez make a mistake. This error allowed Fabio to reclaim the lead of the race after completing the first third of it.
Despite two long laps (penalties) for speeding in the pit lane, the Australian returned at breakneck speed and eventually overtook Yamaha No. 20, which in turn received a long lap penalty for a mistake during the bike change. Another major winner in these particular conditions was Johann Zarco, who returned to the foot of the podium after a rather average start.
The Zarco Show
In third position after overtaking Japanese rider Takaaki Nakagami, Zarco, riding at a different pace, took nearly two seconds per lap from his French compatriot. Six laps from the end, the Cannes native passed the Nice native for second place, with another Ducati rider in his sights.
Unfortunately, he lacked just a bit of pace to bridge the six-second gap to the Australian, who secured his second consecutive victory of the season in France.
Behind our two French riders, it was the Italian Francesco Bagnaia, former leader of the world championship, who finished fourth, thus giving Quartararo the chance to regain the lead in the world standings.
