MotoGP
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.

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 13th 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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?

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.

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.
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?
It's #AragonGP 🏁week! 🤩🧱#MotoGP pic.twitter.com/57SlB38Fo6
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) June 2, 2025
Where to Watch MotoGP in India
You can watch all the action live in India on Fancode or Eurosport. The detailed schedule in IST is given below:

Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us on Twitter/X/, Instagram, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest motorsport news and updates.
MotoGP
MotoGP British GP: Bezzecchi Capitalizes as Quatraro’s Search for a Win Continues
Marco Bezzecchi makes the most of Fabio Quartararo’s misfortunes as he takes the win in MotoGP British GP.

Fabio Quartararo did something that many thought would be impossible at the start of the year: he scored a hat-trick of pole positions riding the Factory Yamaha bike. However, he is yet to convert it into a victory. Despite starting 6 races from the front (3 Grand Prix and 3 Sprints), he is yet to stand on the top step of the podium. Meanwhile, Marco Bezzecchi made the most of Quartararo’s misfortune to take his first win of the season.
Read More: MotoGP 2025: Riders brace for unpredictable weather at Silverstone
Hattricks of Poles and a Brace of DNFs for Quartararo
When the season started, anyone, even Fabio for that matter, would not have expected to get 3 back-to-back pole positions on his Factory Yamaha, a bike that has not been the most competitive in the recent past. But to his surprise, and everyone else’s, Fabio put in a storming lap to go 3 tenths clear of the rest of the field and get his third Pole Position of the season. But, as fate would have it, he also scored a back-to-back DNF in the Grand Prix.
In Silverstone, it was looking good for the Frenchman, as he was leading the race ahead of Bezzecchi, but a ride height issue in the middle of the race forced the Yamaha rider to retire from the race. He tried half a lap to fix the issue, but to no success.
Bezzecchi Gets His First Win of The Season
Starting from 11th on the grid, not a lot of people would have had Marco Bezzecchi on their cards to win the British Grand Prix. But the Aprilia rider slowly and steadily picked off riders one by one to climb up to second position, and when Quartararo’s misfortunes hit, Bezzecchi was at the perfect place to make the most of it and cross the finish line in first.
A season with lacklustre results for the Italian driver, this win would do him a world of good. Before this race, his best finish was 6th; now the win has shot him to 7th in the standings.

Another Weekend of Struggle for the Factory Ducati
Riding on a wave of success at the start of the season, the Factory Ducatis have been struggling of late. Marc Marquez is no longer the dominating force, as he has lost out on Pole Position in the last 3 races, and in the most recent one, he wasn’t even on the front row. Marquez has still managed to salvage the Sprint races, winning every single one of them this year except the one on British GP Saturday, where he finished second to his brother Alex Marquez. Meanwhile Francesco Bagnaia crashed out of the race after struggling throughout and dropping down the order before he went down.
Marquez struggled throughout this weekend, this has been a circuit where he does not go well historically either. His qualifying run put him on the second row in P4, Sprint was better as he managed to finish P2. The struggle paused for 2 laps at the start of the main race, where he took the lead of the race, before eventually crashing out of the race. A red flag due the another incident further meant the race would be restarted, but even then Marquez could only manage P3, after he dropped down the order outside the Top 10, then made a recovery ride to finish on the podium.
Back-to-Back Grand Prix Podiums for Zarco and Honda
Johann Zarco has been having a very underrated season this year. The last 2 races specifically, the French rider has managed to put the Honda on the top step of the podium in Le Mans and in second place in Silverstone. Throughout this season, Zarco has only been out of the points in one race. He currently sits fifth in the Riders’ standings with 97 points; for comparison, the next Honda rider is Luca Marini on 38 points in 13th.

Championship Standings
As things stand, the Marquez brothers still sit at the top of the standings with Marc ahead of Alex by 24 points.
Up Next for MotoGP
After a small break, MotoGP will now head to Aragon for Round 8 of the world championship from 6-8 June.
Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest motorsport news and updates.
MotoGP
MotoGP 2025 : Riders brace for unpredictable weather at Silverstone
Marc Marquez goes in with the largest championship lead so far this season at a track which has historically been a beacon of unpredictability.

The British GP, held at Silverstone since its conception, has historically been one of the most unpredictable races. Just in the past 10 years, 10 different riders have won the race at Silverstone. And the unpredictable British weather plays a large part in this. Heading into one of the most dramatic tracks on the calendar, the riders brace for unpredictable challenges, and unexpected contenders may emerge. Join us as we go over everything you need to know before the lights go off in Britain.
Read More: Johann Zarco takes the home race victory at Le Mans
Marc Márquez seeks to secure sophomore success at Silverstone

At this point, the preview section regarding Marc is gradually becoming a parody of itself. Marc is undoubtedly the best rider on the grid currently, and he is in his best form. It is undeniable that he will perform well.
However, Silverstone has not been Marc’s strongest suit. He has only managed to win one race here, all the way back in 2014. The closest he has gotten since is getting second place in 2019 in one of the closest races in MotoGP history, where he was barely edged out by Alex Rins on the final turn.
Now, Marc seeks to secure a second victory at this classic circuit. And as long as he manages to keep his motorcycle upright, there is no one who can prevent him. Or is there?
The Silverstone Dark Horses
Silverstone is used to throwing curveballs – once in a blue moon, an incredibly unexpected rider steps up out of nowhere and manages to clench the victory.

Just last year, as the title fight between Martin and Bagnaia was heating up, Enea Bastianini somehow swooped in and secured his first and only win of the 2024 season. However, now that Bastianini has moved to KTM, who are admittedly trying their best to improve, the chances that Enea could be a contender for the British GP are slim.

Similarly, in 2023, the British GP was won by none other than Aleix Espargaro. In fact, Aleix was one of only two non-Ducati riders to win that season, the other being Alex Rins. Aleix will be making an appearance in 2025 as a wildcard on the Honda. Even though Zarco managed to take the French GP for Honda, Zarco’s victory was by virtue of strategy rather than machinery or skill. Hence, Espargaro being a serious contender for the victory is also a pipe dream, but it is more realistic than Bastianini.

And then we have Alex Rins. The winner of the 2019 British GP. Arguably, the most exciting race in the past decade. Rins, in a display of pure skill, was battling with Márquez up until the very last corner of the very last lap, taking the chequered flag with a lead of mere 0.013 seconds.
However, since then, a lot has changed for Rins. Multiple crashes and injuries, plus moves to inferior teams and unreliable machinery, have left him in a sticky predicament. While he has the skill, he lacks the support from his team or from his own injured body. While Rins has managed to win in a glorious manner in the past, it is nigh impossible that he stands a chance this year.

Finally, we have Fabio Quartararo. The 2020 world champion has had his ups and downs over the past few years, but he finally appears to have found his groove, with back-to-back pole positions. Having already won at Silverstone in 2021, all El Diablo has to do is find a way to convert his qualifying speed into race pace, and he could be a very serious contender.
Bagnaia confesses troubles with Ducati machinery

The 2025 season has been a tragedy so far for two-time world champion Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia. He is currently trailing 51 points behind the championship leader in third place. After his sudden drop in pace last weekend, Pecco has finally admitted to having troubles with the front end of the bike, quote “It’s true I’ve been struggling with this bike […]”
This should be an early warning to Ducati not to make the same mistakes as those who came before them. Back in the days of Honda/Márquez dominance, Honda was incredibly determined to build the best motorcycle for Márquez. However, their focus on catering to one star rider resulted in them making a motorcycle that could not be operated by anyone besides Márquez. Ultimately, this led to Honda’s downfall. Ducati must take feedback from all their riders, championship leaders or not, to prevent suffering the same fate.
Championship Standings
Following are the championship standings going into the British GP :
Schedule and Where to watch
All MotoGP sessions can be watched in India on Fancode (digital) or on Eurosport (TV broadcast).
Following is the complete schedule of the MotoGP race weekend in IST:
Read more posts on MotoGP here.
Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest motorsport news and updates.
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