The Michelin® Grand Prix de France is officially underway in what is set to be yet another unpredictable weekend at the iconic Le Mans. Leading the way in style after the opening Free Practice session was Prima Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin who showed incredible pace with a soft rear tyre at the end of the session – setting a 1:31.421. The #89 will aim for redemption after crashing out of the Spanish GP, ending Friday morning 0.237s ahead of Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3), who pushed hard and saved multiple crashes throughout the session. The #31 also briefly occupied the top spot but ended Free Practice 1 in second. In third was Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing), who will aim to carry all his momentum into the French GP - setting 21 laps across.
It's @88jorgemartin who strikes first in Le Mans! 💥
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) May 10, 2024
The World Championship leader ends FP1 two tenths clear of @37_pedroacosta ✅#FrenchGP 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/iLy8Y6KgYM
Enea Bastianini was fast out of the gates in France, finishing ahead of fellow Ducati Lenovo Team rider Francesco Bagnaia, in a solid start to the weekend for the factory Ducati squad. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) was 0.475s adrift from the top spot in sixth, showing instant potential at the French GP. Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro was seventh, improving throughout the session to finish ahead of Brad Binder, who crashed in the last minute of the session on a fast lap – bringing a premature end to the South African’s running.
A late late crash with no consequences for @BradBinder_33 at T11 ⚠️#FrenchGP 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/bdstNPOWAK
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) May 10, 2024
Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) set a stunning lap early on and spent the opening stages of the session at the top of the timesheets. The #93 was ninth ahead of Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), who rounded out a competitive top 10 ahead of Practice on Friday afternoon. Further down the order was home hero Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team), who was 16th at the end of Free Practice 1. The Frenchman was ahead of compatriot Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR), who was down in 18th, finishing as the top Honda.
Next up is the all-important Practice session, where riders will battle for their sport in Q2, so make sure you don’t miss anything on motogp.com!
Top 10:
| 1 | Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) | 1:31.421 |
| 2 | Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) | +0.237 |
| 3 | Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) | +0.257 |
| 4 | Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) | +0.416 |
| 5 | Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) | +0.431 |
| 6 | Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) | +0.475 |
| 7 | Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) | +0.490 |
| 8 | Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) | +0.521 |
| 9 | Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) | +0.550 |
| 10 | Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) | +0.559 |
FULL RESULTS!