MotoGP live ticker Le Mans: Marini with first best time on Friday

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A time that was deleted for Di Giannantonio due to track limits is now approved as valid. This pushes the VR46 rider into second place, displacing Acosta, who drops to third. Only 0.054 seconds separate Diggia from the best time.

– to the complete FT1 result

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Since showers are expected especially on race day, the riders practice the bike change for a flag-to-flag race immediately after their practice starts.

With fresh tires, Marini and Acosta can improve again at the end and climb to the top two positions. Marini secures the best time in 1:30.857 minutes – two tenths ahead of Acosta. Zarco and Di Giannantonio forgo fresh rubber and line up behind. Fernandez is fifth.

Rins keeps the Yamaha flag high with a late attack in sixth place. Alex Marquez, Ogura, Marc Marquez, and Binder occupy the remaining top-10 spots. World Championship leader Bezzecchi is in 14th place, directly followed by Martin. Folger remains last with a deficit of 3.241 seconds.

What stands out: Both Honda and KTM are presenting themselves well in this first training so far. Bastianini is the new second behind Diggia. Marini holds third place. Acosta and Mir follow in fifth and seventh places. On the other hand, not much has been seen yet from world champion Marc Marquez. He is currently in eleventh place and has just under half a second deficit to the top.

Folger is riding laps on the factory KTM for the first time in three years during an official MotoGP race weekend. After such a long absence, no miracles can be expected from the German. He is currently last with 3.156 seconds behind – just under nine tenths behind rookie Razgatlioglu.

By the way, the latter is truly a rookie in Le Mans, as the three-time Superbike world champion has never raced on this track in any series.

After the first seven, eight laps, most riders make a pit stop. The view of the standings shows: Diggia is still in front. He has improved to 1:31.302 minutes. Mir is the new second, followed by Bagnaia, Marc Marquez, and Zarco. Acosta, Moreira, Marini, Alex Marquez, and Aldeguer complete the current top 10.

At Martin, a part of the rear aero comes off exiting turn 10. However, this does not seem to bother the Spaniard for the moment.

Some teams will bring their updates from the Jerez test during this training day – primarily various aero solutions – to the track to collect more data and evaluate whether it is really progress or not.

Most riders started with the soft front tire and medium rear tire. For the moment, Di Giannantonio leads with 1:31.568 minutes ahead of Acosta and Marini. Bezzecchi and Quartararo follow behind. But it is still early in this training.

The first five minutes of the MotoGP training take place without Morbidelli. It is a penalty that goes back to Q1 in Jerez, when the VR46 rider did not immediately leave the track with a technical problem on his Ducati.

The rest of the field goes out for the first laps on the track. It is still dry and sunny, but with 18 degrees in the air not too warm.

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World Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez starts this race weekend with a best time. The IntactGP rider tops the first training with 1:34.740 minutes just ahead of Izan Guevara and Celestino Vietti, who becomes third despite a small excursion in turn 7. Barry Baltus and Senna Agius complete the top 5.

Behind them are Daniel Holgado, Ivan Ortola, Tony Arbolino, Alonso Lopez, and Aron Canet. Filip Salac causes a highside in the Dunlop chicane but is okay.

– to the result

In the first training of the day under dry and sunny conditions, Alvaro Carpe sets a best time of 1:41.252 minutes narrowly ahead of David Almanda, who ranks second only 0.059 seconds behind. Adrian Fernandez is third, already missing nearly three tenths.

David Munoz and Matteo Bertelle complete the top 5. Behind them follow Joel Kelso, Hakim Danish, Maximo Quiles, Marco Morelli, and Brian Uriarte. 17 riders are within one second. There are no crashes.

– to the result

Marc Marquez traveled to Le Mans with mixed feelings. After four race weekends, the 2025 MotoGP world champion is only fifth in the overall standings and is still waiting for his first Grand Prix win since Misano 2025.

Above all, the lack of consistency worries the Ducati star. “If we want to fight for the world championship, we have to correct a few things,” Marquez explains before the race weekend in France.

The biggest weakness currently is the missing feeling for the front wheel of the Ducati GP26, according to the Spaniard. Especially in fast left corners, he currently loses a lot of time. The Jerez test after the Spanish Grand Prix, where Ducati made progress, gives him hope. Not only for this reason, Marquez still believes in a turnaround: “I have come back from more difficult situations.”

Surprising comeback for Jonas Folger: More than 1,000 days after his last MotoGP appearance, the Upper Bavarian returns to the premier class at the French Grand Prix. The 32-year-old replaces the injured Maverick Vinales at Tech3 and openly admits: “I was not prepared at all.” The decision was made only shortly after a call from Mattighofen.

Folger sees the biggest challenge less in the motorcycle itself than in the pace of the current MotoGP and the Michelin tires. “The pace and rhythm at this level will be the problem after so many years,” explains the 32-year-old, who was able to prepare in advance with test rides in Mugello.

Despite the long break, Folger raves about the first impression on the current KTM: The high-speed sections felt “like the first time on a MotoGP bike.” The focus is now mainly on gradually getting used to the premier class level again and enjoying the comeback in Le Mans.

From a French perspective, hopes rest again on Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo. Zarco created a historic moment in 2025 with his home victory, as no Frenchman had won a MotoGP race in France since Pierre Monneret in 1954. Quartararo, in turn, is considered a qualifying specialist in Le Mans and has already been on pole there three times.

The French Grand Prix traditionally counts among the most unpredictable races on the MotoGP calendar. Rain has often played a decisive role in Le Mans: Half of all MotoGP races in the modern era were influenced by changing conditions.

Marc Marquez could celebrate his 100th Grand Prix victory with a win and at the same time give Ducati the 100th MotoGP win for the factory team. With already three MotoGP wins, Marquez is also currently the most successful rider in Le Mans. If another rider wins, it would be the eighth different winner in the past eight years on this track.

Photo gallery: MotoGP France: Winners and podiums since 2010

Two weeks after the Spanish Grand Prix, the MotoGP European tour continues. This weekend, the racing circus stops in Le Mans, France. And that immediately brings back memories of Johann Zarco’s magnificent home victory last year.

Will the Frenchman perform just as well this time? The foundation is laid today in the practice sessions. Because at the end of the day, as always, it’s about direct entry to Q2. We accompany every session in our live ticker as usual.

Schedule for Friday:
09:00-09:35 AM: Moto3 FT1
09:50-10:30 AM: Moto2 FT1
10:45-11:30 AM: MotoGP FT1

1:15-1:50 PM: Moto3 Practice
2:05-2:45 PM: Moto2 Practice
3:00-4:00 PM: MotoGP Practice

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