Friday, 09 May 2025 | Le Mans, France — The opening day of the Michelin Grand Prix of France was set alight by Marc Marquez, who delivered a blistering 1:29.855 lap — a new all-time record in Practice — to claim P1 and set the tone heading into the weekend. On home soil, Fabio Quartararo gave the French fans something to cheer about as he slotted into P2, while Francesco Bagnaia rounded out the top three for Ducati.

Practice: Marquez Untouchable, Quartararo Holds His Ground

As the clock ticked down into the final half hour of the session, Marquez was already looking sharp at the front. Quartararo trailed by four-tenths in second, and Bagnaia held third. But the order would shuffle as the final minutes unfolded.

Maverick Viñales made his move with 20 minutes left, pushing his Red Bull KTM Tech3 machine up to second. The Spaniard looked strong until a crash at Turn 9 ended his charge — thankfully, he walked away unscathed.

Meanwhile, Luca Marini made a surprise leap into fourth on his Honda HRC Castrol machine, clawing his way up from outside the top ten. It wasn’t such a good day for teammate Joan Mir, who went down at Turn 13 with 17 minutes remaining.

Viñales continued to push the limits and nearly toppled Marquez’s time, getting within 0.005s before his fall. Moments later, Bagnaia improved to P3, but the biggest cheer of the day came when Quartararo briefly went fastest, taking provisional P1 to the delight of the Le Mans grandstands.

That celebration was short-lived, however. Just seconds later, Marquez came storming back, slamming down a 1:29.855 and setting a new all-time lap record. It was a stunning statement from the six-time World Champion.

Bagnaia did his best to respond, trimming the gap to 0.184s, before rookie sensation Fermin Aldeguer briefly nudged Quartararo out of the top three. But the local favourite wasn’t done — Quartararo pulled out a late flyer to reclaim P2 and close Day 1 on a high.

Le Mans Practice Top 10 – Friday Recap

• Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1:29.855
• Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) – +0.184s
• Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team)
• Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP)
• Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP)
• Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP)
• Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
• Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3)
• Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team)
• Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing)

Notably, Marini just missed out on the top ten, while a late crash from Johann Zarco left him outside the Q2 cut-off, much to the frustration of the home fans.

Next Up: Qualifying and Tissot Sprint Set for Saturday

With qualifying scheduled for 10:50 local time, French eyes will be on Zarco in Q1 as he tries to break back into contention. The weekend’s first major showdown arrives with the Tissot Sprint at 15:00, promising high-octane action and another chance for Marquez and Quartararo to duel at the front.

Moto2: Gonzalez Untouchable Despite Late Red Flag Drama

In Moto2™, Manuel Gonzalez was the man to beat all day. The Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP rider swept Friday’s sessions in commanding fashion, topping both in spite of a late red flag that added tension to the closing minutes.

Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) pulled out a last-gasp lap to claim P2, just ahead of Filip Salač (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team). The Czech rider had to overcome a mid-session mechanical issue but still landed inside the top three.

The red flag came with just over five minutes remaining after Alex Escrig (KLINT Forward Factory Team) crashed at Turn 14, leaving gravel on track. Thankfully, Escrig was unharmed.

Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) had his moments at the front before finishing fourth. The rest of the top six included Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) and Aron Canet (Fantic Racing), ensuring three Spanish riders featured prominently in front of the French crowd.

David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) and Daniel Holgado weren’t far behind, taking P7 and P8 respectively. Jake Dixon and Celestino Vietti completed the top ten, with Vietti delivering a spectacular save at Turn 1 that drew applause.

Riders Advancing to Q2 in Moto2

Also moving directly into Q2 are Alonso Lopez, Joe Roberts, and Moreira. Rookie Adrian Huertas just missed out after being edged by Moreira by a mere 0.030s.

Moto3: Muñoz Bounces Back to Top Practice After Red Flag Chaos

David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) had a rollercoaster session in Moto3, but when the dust settled — quite literally — he came out on top of a frantic Practice session that saw multiple yellow flags and a red flag interruption.

Early on, Muñoz suffered a highside at Turn 14. Just minutes later, Jakob Rosenthaler also went down at the same spot, prompting marshals to call for a red flag to clear gravel from the track. When action resumed, the drama continued as rookie Guido Pini narrowly avoided a crash, and Cormac Buchanan (Rosenthaler’s teammate) fell twice in one session at the same corner.

Muñoz made up for lost time with a stunning late lap to grab P1 ahead of Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) and Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing), who had been fastest in the morning.

Angel Piqueras recovered from a Turn 11 spill to take P4, with Maximo Quiles, Guido Pini, and Dennis Foggia rounding out the top seven.

Taiyo Furusato showed solid form to secure P8, while Championship leader Jose Antonio Rueda had a tough day but did enough for ninth. Scott Ogden completed the top ten.

Four Rookies Make it to Q2 in Moto3

Joining them in Q2 are Alvaro Carpe, Joel Kelso, David Almansa, and Valentin Perrone. Notable names missing out included Jacob Roulstone, Luca Lunetta, and Riccardo Rossi, who will now fight through Q1.

Despite a tough afternoon, Rueda topped the FP1 times and remains a threat. His Friday pace suggests there’s more to come — he ended the day just under a second shy of the lap record.

With qualifying looming and the Sprint races fast approaching, the stage is set for an electric weekend at Le Mans. From Marquez’s record-breaking charge to Quartararo’s home heroics, all eyes are now on Saturday.

Official MotoGP Press Release