French GP: Jorge Martín returns to victory in MotoGP

Jorge Martín is a Grand Prix winner once again. 588 days after his last victory at the 2024 Indonesian Grand Prix, and half a dozen operations later following a series of serious injuries, the Aprilia rider is back on the top step of the podium. In France, the number 89 rider left nothing for his rivals on the Bugatti circuit, setting a blistering pace to overtake his competitors one by one from 7th place on the starting grid.

After overtaking most of his rivals, he closed in on his teammate Marco Bezzecchi in the final laps, passing him at the Dunlop curve and cruising to victory. He is now just one point behind his teammate in the championship standings.

Ai Ogura completed the podium after delivering an exceptional race. Starting 8th, the Trackhouse Racing driver ran a similar race to Jorge Martín, even closing in on Marco Bezzecchi in the final laps, but couldn't get close enough to launch an attack. He thus secured his first podium finish in [year missing]. MotoGPand gives Japan its first trophy since Katsuyuki Nakasuga in Valencia, in 2012. It is also the first time that Aprilia has blocked all the steps of a podium in the premier category.

Pecco Bagnaia carried the only hopes of the official Ducati team this weekend. Second until lap 15, he lost the front end in sector 2. His team's run of races without a podium finish continues with a missed opportunity in their 10th outing. 

Johann Zarco had some bad luck at the start of the race. While his start was good, he quickly moved into the top 10 before an error by Raul Fernandez – an overly ambitious maneuver – forced him wide and down the order. He ultimately finished 11th in the French Grand Prix. fabio quartararo He, for his part, secured 6th place in the final, after a hard-fought race against machines much faster than his Yamaha.

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MotoGP 2026 – French Grand Prix 

The classification of the race: