MotoGP

Baguettes & Bikes at the Bugatti Circuit: MotoGP French GP Review

Published

1 year ago

May 21, 2024

Baguettes & Bikes at the Bugatti Circuit: MotoGP French GP Review

After a majestic run at Jerez last month, all eleven teams arrived at the famous Circuit de la Sarthe for the French Grand Prix. More specifically, they raced at the Bugatti circuit. So let’s look at all that happened over the weekend as the 1000cc monsters arrived on the French tarmac.

MotoGP™, Podium SPR, Michelin® Grand Prix de France

As the MotoGP paddock arrived at the French Grand Prix to race for the 23rd time in this century, there was hope in the air. Jorge Martin wanted to claw back some points after his DNF at the last race. Francesco Bagnaia eyed on keeping his winning streak on as Marc Marquez hoped to set his #93 Ducati on the top steps of the podium. All the heavy hitters looked forward to their weekend in France.

The weekend lasted from the 9th of May to the 12th of May and presented itself as a sprint weekend. It comprised 2 Free Practice sessions on Friday, 2 Qualifying sessions & a sprint race on Saturday with the main race on Sunday.

Qualifying

It was a competitive Q1 session with Enea Bastianini storming to the top spot to secure a spot in Q2. ‘The Beast’ set a brilliant 1:30.233 with his Ducati. However, all eyes quickly turned to the start of Q2 with Jorge Martin putting the hammer down instantly, setting an all-time lap record on the opening flying lap. Martin quickly improved setting the first ever 1:29.919 lap around Le Mans – 0.192s quicker than Bagnaia.

However, some key contenders are missing from the front three rows, most notably Marc Marquez, who will start from 13^th on the grid on Saturday and Sunday with a huge task ahead. Marc Marquez had a huge save in Q1 after losing the front and running off the track.

The final qualifying grid stood with Jorge Martin on pole with his championship rival Francesco Bagnaia in a close second and Aprilia Racing’s Maverick Viñales occupying P3.

MotoGP™, Parc Ferme, Michelin® Grand Prix de France

Sprint

It was redemption day for Jorge Martin as the Spaniard took victory on French soil. It was his 12th Sprint win after starting from Pole Position. The #93 of Marc Marquez followed by in P2 after a stunning recovery after starting in P13 and the podium was completed by Maverick Viñales in P3.

Reigning world champion and Jorge Martin’s championship rival Bagnaia fell down the order and then fell out of contention as he seemed to be suffering some issue with his Ducati.

Espargaro recovered from his double Long Lap to finish fifth, with Acosta taking a solid sixth and putting in a final corner save. Di Giannantonio held off Miller for seventh, with Raul Fernandez taking the final point on Saturday… just marginally ahead of home hero Fabio Quartararo.

Race

The lights went out at the Bugatti Circuit and Pecco Bagnaia shot off into the lead with Martin close behind and Aleix Espargaro in third place. Francesco Morbidelli seemed to be the biggest loser at the start as he dropped 8 places while Marc Marquez gained 5 places and showed why he was still a force to be reckoned with.

Two laps into the race, the yellow flag was brought out as Pedro Acosta found himself in the gravel. The yellow flag was brought out again a lap later as Marco Bezzecchi crashed out. The winner of last year’s Grand Prix was left dejected in the gravel as his race came to an unnerving end.

Lap 6 saw some action in between the #12 Aprilia of Maverick Viñales and the #93 Ducati of Marc Marquez, who scrapped for 5th position. Marquez seemed to be gaining positions as the turns went by, starting from P13 and moving all the way to P6 in the span of 6 laps.

Takaaki Nakagami, Luca Marini, Michelin® Grand Prix de France

Fabio Quartararo fell out of contention as well by DNFing on Lap 17. Fabio Di Giannantonio was hit with a penalty as he cut the corner during his skirmish with his fellow riders.

Lap 19 saw action between the titans up ahead of the field. Jorge Martin efficiently placed his bike right up on Francesco Bagnaia’s rear and sought to attack the Italian. As the Spaniard moved closer, Pecco used his genius to sway away Martin and maintain his lead in the race.

On Lap 21, Pecco went to wide into a corner which gave Jorge a chance to take the lead. This mistake costed the Italian twice as much as there was a fiery Marquez closing in. Marquez had cleared off Viñales, Espargaro and Di Giannantonio to move up to P3.

By Lap 25, the top three riders were too close to comfort. One small error could cost one’s race, maybe even the entire trio’s race.

MotoGP™, Race, Michelin® Grand Prix de France

Lap 27 had Marc Marquez in a trance as the Gresini rider overtook the Ducati rider in spectacular fashion to take P2 leaving Bagnaia in the dust.

The French Grand Prix came to a close with Jorge Martin taking the chequered flag with an ecstatic Marc Marquez taking P2 and a somewhat dejected Francesco Bagnaia settling for P3.

MotoGP™, Podium, Michelin® Grand Prix de France

It was a Spanish 1-2 and Jorge Martin was proud to wave his country’s flag on his cooldown lap by wearing it as a cape. Home hero Fabio Quartararo went up to the grandstands and gave away his racing boots to his home folk as a gesture of gratitude.

The Podium celebrations took a funny turn as the Michelin Man mascot took part in the spraying of the champagne as well. Gresini Racing were proud to see their boy Marc on the podium as it was their 1000th Grand Prix start in MotoGP.

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing MotoGP™, Michelin® Grand Prix de France

All in all, the French Grand Prix provided some brilliant action for us fans. It provided hopeful highs and destressing lows for the riders.

Race Classification

Championship Standings

Here’s how the Championship stands after the French Grand Prix:

Next up is the Catalan Grand Prix held at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from the 23rd of May to the 26th of May.

MotoGP

MotoGP: Unstoppable Marquez Makes it 93 Wins for #93 in Mugello

Dominant Marc, Vintage Bagnaia and edge of the seat action, MotoGP delivered it all in Mugello.

Published

3 weeks ago

June 27, 2025

Anuj Tripathi

Marc Marquez celebrates on the podium after winning the MotoGP Grand Prix of Mugello

Credits: MotoGP

MotoGP went from Marquez’s backyard in Aragon to Bagnaia’s backyard in Mugello, but the end result was the same: a complete domination by Marc Marquez. This weekend it was made more special as Marquez got his 93rd win in all classes of two-wheeler racing.

93 Wins for #93

Marc Marquez had another dominant weekend in MotoGP, taking yet another Pole, Sprint win, and Grand Prix win at Mugello. After a short winless streak of 4 races, Marc bounced back strong to have 2 dominant weekends in Aragon and in Mugello. In Mugello, however, it was not an easy ride.

During the Sprint race, Marquez had an issue with his bike just as the lights were about to go out, which resulted in Marc dropping places going into Turn 1. But Marc soon made up places, going up to P3 at the start of Lap 3. What commenced was a battle for victory between Marc, Bagnaia and Alex. On lap 4, Marc made the move for the lead, and it was smooth sailing for him afterwards as he converted his 100th GP pole to the sprint win.

MotoGP: Unstoppable Marquez Makes it 93 Wins for #93 in Mugello — Marc Marquez after his sprint win in Mugello. Credits: MotoGP

The GP race on Sunday was a treat to the eyes. The opening laps in Mugello were some of the best we have seen this year in terms of racing. Marc was constantly challenged and overtaken for the lead by his teammate and brother, a proper edge-of-the-seat drama. Ultimately, Marc took the win with his brother following him in P2.

Vintage Bagnaia on Display in Mugello but in Vain

For the first time this year, we saw the Bagnaia we had been expecting to see from the start. When Marquez signed for Ducati, everyone was looking forward to Marquez vs Bagnaia, but that did not happen this year, until Mugello. Pecco was in his vintage mode, taking on Marquez toe to toe and more often than not coming out ahead of his teammate, although eventually it was Marquez who got the better of him. Pecco still had a decent weekend, a P3 in the sprint and narrowly missing out on the podium on Sunday after leading the race early on.

Another Solid Weekend from Alex Marquez

Alex Marquez got his 6th podium of the season and a fourth Marquez 1-2 of the year. Alex did briefly challenge for the win in both races in Mugello, but eventually lost out to Marc, just like everyone else. Currently sitting second in the standings, Alex is 40 points behind his older brother, and there is still a long season to go. Although there have been allegations made after Mugello that Alex does not race his older brother like he races others, if Alex does take on Marc, it will be a championship battle to watch out for.

Di Giannantonio Matches His Best Season in MotoGP in Terms of Podiums

Fabio Di Giannantonio got his second podium of the year, finishing P3 in Mugello, matching his best finish of P3 in Austin earlier this year. The Italian rider had a stellar show on Sunday, charging up to claim the podium, narrowly missing out on P2 as he ran out of laps to chase down Alex. Overall, it is a weekend Diggia will be happy with and will look to build on it for the rest of the season. He currently sits 5th in the standings, only 8 points behind his teammate in fourth.

Up Next: Assen

No time to rest as the paddock moves to TT Circuit Assen for the MotoGP Dutch Grand Prix from 27th to 29th June for the second leg of the double header. Who triumphs in the land of the Dutch? Only one way to find out. Watch all the MotoGP action live in India online on Fancode or on your TVs at Eurosport.

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MotoGP

MotoGP Aragon: Marc Marquez Dominant at His Backyard

Published

4 weeks ago

June 17, 2025

Anuj Tripathi

Marc Marquez at the MotoGP Grand Prix of Aragon.

Credits: MotoGP

MotoGP made its way to Aragon, a place that is known as Marc Marquez’s backyard. Marquez demonstrated why exactly. A complete dominance from the Spaniard that saw him take the Pole and sprint win on Saturday, and then a win and the fastest lap of the GP on Sunday. Alex Marquez continued to be at the tail of his brother, finishing second, and Francesco Bagnaia scored a P3 on Sunday, a podium that will do a world of good to the confidence of the Italian before we head to his home turf in Mugello.

Marquez Takes his 4th Win of MotoGP 2025

It’s not often you get to see a masterclass live, in Aragon, that is what everyone watching the Aragon GP witnessed. Marc Marquez had a perfect weekend, leading every session and every lap of the race. This win felt a long time coming, as this was Marquez’s first win since Qatar, which was all the way back in April. But before Qatar was Austin, where Marquez made a big mistake that resulted in him retiring from the race, Marc explained how those mistakes start to creep in and build doubts in the head.

“If we want to fight for the Championship, we cannot have a weekend where we repeat mistakes like we did in Austin. The other ones, okay, but Austin was a big mistake and then today I was very focused. With six or seven laps remaining, I started to think about that mistake. I asked myself, ‘how should I manage the situation?’ But then I was looking the lap time and I was riding on low: 47s without full concentration. Then I decided to increase the speed to be focused again.”

MotoGP Aragon: Marc Marquez Dominant at His Backyard — Marquez takes the win in Aragon. Credits: MotoGP

Confidence Boost for Bagnaia Before Mugello

Bagnaia has been struggling with his GP25 from the start of the season, but the last two races have been very miserable. The Italian rider had a retirement and a 16th place in the previous two GPs, even in the sprint, he only had a lonely P6 in the previous one. However, a P3 in Aragon has done a world of good for Bagnaia. In his own words, he has a confidence boost heading to Mugello, a track where he has always been competitive.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Francesco Bagnaia (@pecco63)

Positives for Joan Mir and Honda

It was the first time for Joan Mir to get back-to-back points finishes riding a Honda. A P7 in Aragon was a very positive result for the factory Honda team, their best this season. It was also Joan’s best finish since his P5 finish at the Indian Grand Prix in 2023. After a few hard years, Honda now seems to be getting back to fighting for points more consistently. They would hope to continue this fight and soon move up the ladder.

Can't keep a good Mir down. Bouncing back with a race full of fights!

🅿️7️⃣ "I gave everything, used all the tools I had to battle with these guys" @JoanMirOfficial

📄 https://t.co/TCGhLRPGMo #AragonGP 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/1bASO4NqT5
— Honda HRC Castrol – MotoGP (@HRC_MotoGP) June 8, 2025

Championship Standings

As things stand, Marc currently sits 32 points clear of his brother Alex Marquez at the top of the standings.

📈 @marcmarquez93 extends his lead in the standings after the #AragonGP #MotoGP pic.twitter.com/AleE8DM0gz
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) June 8, 2025

Up Next

MotoGP heads to Mugello next from 20-22nd of June for the Round 9 of the world championship.

MotoGP

MotoGP Heads to Marquez’s Backyard in Aragon

MotoGP returns after a weeks break, this time in Marc’s backyard in Aragon. Will we see him return to the top step or will we get another unpredictable winner?

Published

1 month ago

June 6, 2025

Anuj Tripathi

MotoGP Heads to Marquez's Backyard in Aragon

Marc Marquez after winning the Aragon GP in 2024. Credits: MotoGP

The FIM MotoGP 2025 championship takes us to Spain for the Aragon GP, the eighth round of the Championship. Spaniard Marc Marquez, who won the 2024 Aragon GP, is heading back to what people call his backyard, currently leading the championship by 24 points. Marquez, famously known as “el tro de Cervera” (Thunder of Cervera), has won 7 races at the iconic track since its inception, once for Moto 2 and 6 times for Moto GP, including 6 poles.

Marc Marquez Looking to Get Back to the Top Step at his backyard

Marc Marquez last won a Grand Prix back in April in Qatar. Since then, he has finished outside the points once and on the podium twice in the 3 races that followed. Coming to Aragon, he would be looking to return to the top step. This is also Marquez’s spiritual home GP, as turn 10 has also been named after him to suggest his dominance at the track with his 7 wins and 4 consecutive wins in the years 2016, ‘17, ‘18, ‘19.

Marc Marquez at MotoGP GP of the Americas — Image credits: MotoGP

Can Fabio get his first win of the year in Aragon?

Fabio Quartararo is on an insane qualifying run, the Frenchman has scored 3 pole positions in the last 3 rounds. Sadly for him, he has converted 0 of them to race wins, even retiring in the last 2. He comes to Aragon after a heartbreak in Silverstone, where he had to retire from a comfortable lead in the Grand Prix due to a technical issue with his holeshot device. Fabio will be looking to finally get himself on the top step of the podium this weekend.

Luca Marini’s Absence in Aragon

Honda Rider Luca Marini, who crashed and sustained multiple injuries during the testing for 8H of Suzuka and was left in intensive care, will not be returning for the Aragon GP. Honda has also decided not to call in any of their reserve drivers, instead, the team will run only Joan Mir for the Aragon GP.

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A post shared by Luca Marini 10 (@lucamarini10)

Bagnaia continues to struggle

Pecco Bagnaia is yet to match Marc’s pace in the factory Ducati, but for the last 2 GPs, he is not matching his own standards. Bagnaia’s results in the previous 2 GPs are a 16th-place finish in Le Mans and a DNF in Silverstone. Bagnaia has struggled with the GP25 from the start of the year and is yet to find his feeling back with the bike again, as he mentioned to the press earlier. But, Bagnaia is still full of confidence as he mentions 2022 when he was 91 points behind the leader and still won the championship eventually. He would be looking to get back to the front this weekend.

Unpredictable as ever: 5 Different Riders have won the last 5 races

When the season started, everyone thought it would be a walk in the park for Marc Marquez after looking at his utter domination early on this year. But, MotoGP has lived up to its unpredictable nature, and we have seen 5 different riders take the win in the last 5 races. It is also important to note that we have also seen 3 different manufacturers take the win as well, including a satellite Honda, something not a lot of people would have placed their bets on. As we head into Aragon, will we get a 6th different winner?