Bagnaia vs Marquez: pole decided by just 0.058s at Le Mans!

MotoGP™ qualifying was unpredictable right until the final seconds as Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) showed us exactly why he has the number 1 plate on his factory Ducati. The Italian will line up on pole position after setting a scintillating 1:30.705, as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) put in an incredible performance on his return to bag 2nd place just 0.058s shy of the top spot. The eight-time World Champion never fails to impress as he's joined by Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) on the front row.

Heartbreak at home in Q1…

Some big hitters were set for battle as MotoGP™ took to the Le Mans circuit for Q1. The French fans had fingers and toes crossed for their home hero Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energry Yamaha MotoGP™) as the Frenchman was set to compete with Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team), and Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energry Yamaha MotoGP™) for Q2 promotion.

Only two could go through as the 2021 World Champion was determined to put on a show in front of his home crowd. The Frenchman went to the top of the session after the first run, with Luca Marini and Fabio Di Giannantonio  (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) in hot pursuit.

The riders hit the circuit once again for their second bite at the cherry and their final chance to secure a Q2 spot for a go at pole position. No one expected Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) to threaten the home hero but it was the rookie that made the first move in the second run as the Spaniard went top with just over one minute to go.

Quartararo was riding on the ragged edge as it came to crunch time but the Frenchman missed the mark and failed to improve, leaving the Yamaha man as a sitting duck at his home Grand Prix. Luca Marini smelt blood and the Italian put in a late charge to slot himself into the top spot with Fernandez just behind to knock out Quartararo and secure a place in Q2.

Two Champions; two Champions' rides

Qualifying is more crucial than ever in MotoGP™ as the riders compete for grid position ahead of the Tissot Sprint and Grand Prix, and with uncertain conditions at the French GP, the riders were fully aware of the importance of bagging a place on those front two rows.

Red sectors came flying in as the riders hit their first time attack of the session. It was the man who topped FP Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) who went top before the riders returned to the pits. The Spaniard was closely followed by Marc Marquez and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) as Miller and Bagnaia slotted themselves into 4th and 5th respectively after their first run.

It was the calm before the storm however as the riders all came into the pits for a change of rubber as the work was yet to be done in their 2nd run. It was drama from the off as the provisional pole sitter Viñales was halted at the end of pitlane with technical issues onboard his Aprilia machine. Moto3™ rider Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was there to push the Spaniard back towards the pits before the Aprilia crew rushed the bike back to the box in a mad rush to prepare his wet bike for dry running.

Meanwhile, the battle was brewing on the circuit and Aprilia's misfortune continued as Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) tucked the front at the high-speed Turn 1 before the Spaniard had the chance for a 2nd time attack. On the other side of the garage Viñales' crew worked miracles to send the Spaniard back out onto the circuit.

The final minute came and red sectors came flying in from Martin, but Marquez was right on the tail of his compatriot using a Ducati rider for a tow once again. The Spaniard smashed the provisional pole time and moved the goalposts to go top by 0.221s. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was on a strong lap in an attempt to snatch the top spot from Marquez but it wasn't enough as the Aussie fell just short and slotted into P2.

Just as the paddock thought pole was decided the World Champion then stamped his authority on qualifying as Bagnaia nailed the final sector to snatch the top spot from Marquez in the final seconds of qualifying. Marini came flying through as well to push Miller off the front row and consolidate P3.

The second row and beyond

Despite putting in a strong lap and setting red sectors, Martin only managed P5 as the Spaniard will line up in the middle of the front row after towing Marquez to a front-row start. Viñales will feel hard done by after technical issues hindered his second roll of the dice. The Spaniard was unable to improve on his first run and will line up on the edge of the second row in P6.

The third row will be fronted by Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) as he bagged P7 with Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) in P8, and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) set to start his home GP from the edge of the third row in P9. The fourth row will see Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Aleix Espargaro, and Augusto Fernandez line up in 10th, 11th, and 12th respectively.

The action has only just begun at the SHARK Grand Prix de France as points are now up for grabs in MotoGP™. Make sure to tune in as the story unfolds for the Tissot Sprint at 15:00 local time (GMT +2)!

Top 10

1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1:30.705
2. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) +0.058
3. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) +0.137
4. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) +0.279
5. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) +0.318
6. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) +0.415
7. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) +0.468
8. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) +0.570
9. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) +0.593
10. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) +0.740