French GP – Qualifying: Bagnaia on pole, Quartararo 6th at Le Mans

Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati) is back on pole position for a Grand Prix MotoGP for the first time since the 2025 Malaysian Grand Prix. At Le Mans, the Italian dominated a qualifying session that remained undecided until the very last moments to secure first place on the starting grid.

Nothing was guaranteed for the two-time MotoGP world champion. This Saturday morning, his first opponent was none other than his teammate in the official Ducati team, Marc Márquez. After making it through Q1 with a time of 1:29.288, which shattered the previous lap record held by fabio quartararo At the Bugatti Circuit, the Spaniard was unable to repeat his performance and finished in second place. Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi completed the front row after a quiet start to the weekend on his Aprilia.

The French reverse the roles

Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati) long believed he had secured pole position. The Italian – who engaged in fierce battles with his rivals on track to try and gain a favorable position before making his runs – was ahead of Pecco Bagnaia's pole-sitter until the final corners during his last effort. He ultimately finished 4th.

ALL-TIME LAP RECORD OUT OF NOWHERE ⏱️@marcmarquez93 makes a statement 🔥#FrenchGP 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/ZW3Yn3wv1v

- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) May 9, 2026

On the French side, Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) delivered an impressive Q1 performance, advancing alongside Marc Márquez. Q2 proved more challenging, and the Frenchman finished 6th, less than two-tenths of a second off pole position. Johann Zarco (Honda LCR), on the other hand, despite being the fastest rider on Friday, finished 11th, far behind the leaders.

Replacing Maverick Vinales at Le Mans, Jonas Folger (Tech3) qualified in 22nd and last position on the starting grid, one second behind Brad Binder, 21st riding another KTM, that of the official team.

MotoGP 2026 – French Grand Prix 

The Qualifications ranking:

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