MotoGP practice results as Yohan Zarco sets the pace and Marc Marquez faces off in Q1 of the French Grand Prix

Only Zarco and VR46 rider Fabio Di Gianntonio produced a lap time of 1:29 hours in the pre-qualifying practice session at the French GP. In contrast, the Ducati rider and reigning MotoGP champion Marquez He finished the time in P13 with a 0.464s deficit to Zarco.

It’s the first time Marquez has had to make it through Q1 in the 2026 MotoGP season, and the Ducati GP26 was no exception as he struggled around Le Mans to put the Spaniard 0.175s shy of a top-10 place in practice. Three riders using the Ducati GP26 finished in the top four.

Yohan Zarco set himself the fastest practice time at Le Mans in Q2… Can Marc Marquez get through in Q1? 👀

Yohan Zarco sets the pace in practice at the 2026 MotoGP French Grand Prix.

The moment practice began at Le Mans on Friday afternoon, the field left pit lane. And Aprilia ace Marco Bezecchi set the first pace in 1:31.841. The odds were not that positive George MartinAs the Aprilia rider crashed at turn 9 in the first few minutes.

Martin crashed out of the KTM racer shortly after and sat down again Pedro Acosta He eclipsed Bezecic’s early benchmark to set the pace at 1:30.760. Ducati star Francesco Bagnaia The Italian went into the session to set the fastest lap time after finishing FP1 as low as P16.

There have also been changes in the Ducati ranks, as factory rider Marc Marquez took to Le Mans using what appeared to be the GP25’s aero package. VR46 Racing Fabio D’Giantantonio And Gresini’s Alex Marquez, on the other hand, had Ducati’s new GP26 aero package.

Star of Gresini Fermin Aldeguer The Spaniard hit a bump early in practice after losing the front of his Ducati GP25 through Le Mans’ Turn 2 and trying in vain to cling to the bike through the chicane. Despite his efforts, the marshals took Aldegar’s bike off the circuit.

The VR46 star’s 1:30.739 eclipsed Acosta’s previous lap, with Di Giannantonio effectively taking over as pacesetter for the 2026 French GP. The 27-year-old showed a good adaptation to the change after testing the bike in Jerez.

Honda duo Joan Mir and Luca Marini also started to gain more speed as the pair showed in FP1. Even LCR rookie Diogo Moreira started to find his footing around Le Mans aboard the Honda RC213V, having remained near the bottom of the order during FP1.

Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez He entered the practice session aboard the Aprilia on Friday, but suffered a setback with 26 minutes left on the clock when his bike caught fire. The Spaniard rushed back to the pits to switch bikes, but Marshall was quick to stand up.

LCR stars Yohan Zarco and Moreira were the first riders to spark a time attack in the final 15-minute practice session at the French GP. Zarco delighted the home fans by jumping to the top of the timesheets on the 16th lap of the session with a time of 1:30.500.

Zarco immediately pulled away another 0.303s margin on the field with a 1:30.197, as Moreira also improved to P4 with his rivals watching from the pits for the most part. The Frenchman’s lap flashed the blue touchpad as Acosta and others began to reduce their time close to Zarco’s effort.

Even Yamaha rider Fabio Quatararo gave the home fans a level of hope as the Nice native improved to P5, shortly before yellow flags interrupted the session after Acosta crashed the KTM RC16 on lap 13.

Acosta tried to force the KTM RC16 into the corner despite warning his bike that the Spaniard would crash on the inside. With the yellow flags clear and the Mazarron native quickly returning to the pits, Mir clocked a 1:30.092 lap on the timesheets.

Bagnaia continued to gain speed on the Ducati after a difficult time in FP1 before going up in 1:30.045. Quattararo gained more time to get back into the top 10, with only Yamaha team-mate Alex Rins able to move up the order to third.

Martin increased himself to third in the final three minutes, but Bezeci simply did not make the time as his Aprilia team-mate and entered the final lap in P14. A quick finish saw Gresini’s Marquez link up with Bagnaia before Di Giannantonio headed up.

Le Mans erupted again as Zarco once again climbed to the top of the order with a 1:29.907. Fortune was very much against the Ducati towards the end of the hour, as Bagnaia crashed at turn 6 and the yellow flags cost Marc Marquez a chance to improve.

Full 2026 MotoGP French Grand Prix practice results at Le Mans