Pecco Bagnaia has clinched pole position for the French MotoGP Grand Prix, returning to the front of the grid 196 days after his last pole. The Italian had not started first since the 2025 Malaysian Grand Prix. He will share the front row with his teammate, Marc Márquez. The championship leader, Marco Bezzecchi, will start third, alongside fellow Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio.
For the first time this season, Marc Márquez was forced to go through Q1 after a difficult Friday at Le Mans, where he only managed 13th place. On Saturday, he pushed hard from the early laps, engaging in a time battle with local hero Fabio Quartararo and Raúl Fernández. The three dominated the top positions from the start, but just when it seemed settled, the Ducati rider delivered a record-breaking lap. His time of 1:29.288 improved the circuit record set last year by Quartararo and secured Márquez’s ticket to Q2.
In the fight for pole, Marc Márquez initially followed his brother Àlex in the early laps to set a strong marker, but Fabio Di Giannantonio beat both their times. However, Marco Bezzecchi soon entered the scene, and before the first tire change, the championship leader posted a 1:29.825. After the pit stop, with new tires, Marc Márquez set a 1:29.646, seemingly securing pole position. But Pecco Bagnaia showed he had found his rhythm, and with a strong final sector, he improved his teammate’s time to 1:29.634, snatching first place and relegating Márquez to second.
From the Spanish perspective, after Marc, the best-placed rider was Pedro Acosta in fifth. Joan Mir, who is having a strong weekend, qualified seventh, ahead of Jorge Martín. Àlex Márquez finished tenth, with Álex Rins 12th and Raúl Fernández 13th.
