The SHARK Grand Prix de France got underway with dry running in Practice 1. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) started his weekend putting his best foot forward as the Aussie put down a 1:31.449 to lead the way after MotoGP™'s first taste of the action in Le Mans. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) returned to his COTA form as the Italian put his Ducati in P2. Meanwhile, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) continued KTM's glory streak making it two factory riders in the top 3 for the Austrian manufacturer.
Marc Marquez (Respol Honda Team) returned to track action in P1, it didn't take long before the Spaniard made friends with the gravel trap once again but it wasn't enough to deter the indomitable spirit of the Honda man, as Marquez got straight back to business and chipped away at a solid pace.
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) hit the top of the timesheets with 20 minutes remaining, which was closely followed by a retirement from Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMISTU Honda Team Asia) as the Japanese rider pulled to the side of the circuit after his Honda went up in smoke. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) went top just four minutes later, but Bagnaia bit straight back as the Italian defended the top spot onboard his number 1 plated Ducati.
A tense couple of moments for @takanakagami30!
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) May 12, 2023
Taka did a fantastic job getting off the track as soon as he noticed! ????#FrenchGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/wz92vs26mz
The riders came back to the pits with ten minutes remaining, and everyone knew what was about to happen. Track action resumed once again and the times began to tumble. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) pleased the French fans and put his Yamaha on top of the pile with two minutes to go. This was closely followed by a strong charge from the Repsol Honda duo who put themselves into the top spots to be pushed down the order later on.
It's all action now! ????@FabioQ20 leads @marcmarquez93 and @JoanMirOfficial with the Hondas on the exact same lap time! ⚔️#FrenchGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/1dgM0xmj0I
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) May 12, 2023
One minute remaining and the KTM - Jack Miller combo proved itself worthy once again as the Aussie topped the pile closely followed by his teammate Brad Binder. It wasn't long before Marini split the KTM's however, as a good session for the Italian saw him comfortably sit inside the top 3.
Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) put in a late run as well, as the Frenchman consolidated 4th place in the opening session. Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) showed promise in P1 threatening the top spots in the closing stages to finish the session in P6. The Spaniard hopes to continue his form throughout the weekend and ensure his weekend joys see life past P1.
Fabio Quartararo's time in the limelight didn't last long as the 2021 World Champion was bumped all the way down to P11 and out of a provisional Q2 spot after going top earlier on. Equally, Francesco Bagnaia was another rider who was pushed down the order after a flurry of fast laps came flying in at the end of the session. The Italian finished P1 in P10.
Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) was on a flyer at the end of the session but a big mistake at the final corner scrapped his lap, and with no time for improvement the Spaniard only managed P12.
Practice 2 for MotoGP™ commences at 15:00 local time (GMT +1) so make sure not to miss any of the action on motogp.com!
Top 10
1. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – 1:31.4492.
2. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) +0.095
3. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) +0.218
4. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) +0.315
5. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) +0.338
6. Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) +0.351
7. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) +0.353
8. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) +0.423
9. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) +0.441
10. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) +0.466