Italian Francesco Bagnaia secured pole position for the French GP, the fifth round of the 2026 MotoGP season. In the qualifying session held on the morning of this Saturday (9) in Le Mans, the Ducati rider recorded 1min29s634 to guarantee the top spot for both the Sprint and the main race. It is the first time since the 2025 Malaysian GP that “Pecco” will start from the first position on the grid.
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The second position on the grid went to Marc Márquez, who after being the fastest in Q1 saw Bagnaia, his teammate at Ducati, surpass him by 0.012 seconds. The front row will also feature Marco Bezzecchi, championship leader and Aprilia rider. Fabio Di Giannantonio, with a VR46 Ducati, starts fourth, followed by Pedro Acosta, from KTM, and Fabio Quartararo, from Yamaha, completing the top-6 on the grid.
Joan Mir, with a Honda, secured seventh position on the starting grid and will open the third row, which also includes Jorge Martín, from Aprilia, and Ai Ogura, with a Trackhouse Aprilia. Álex Márquez, with a Gresini Ducati, starts tenth, with Johann Zarco, fastest on Friday with an LCR Honda, and Álex Rins, from Yamaha, completing the fourth row.
The only Brazilian on the MotoGP grid in the 2026 season, Diogo Moreira will have to make a recovery race in Le Mans. The LCR Honda rider had the eighth best time in the initial qualifying round and will start from 18th position, closing the sixth row of the grid.
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The session featured a crash by Álex Márquez, in the final minutes of Q2, with the Gresini Ducati. The qualifying also includes an incident under investigation between Bagnaia and Di Giannantonio, in a move where the VR46 rider was reportedly hindered by the Ducati representative.
Later this Saturday, starting at 10 am, the Sprint will take place. The French MotoGP GP will be contested this Sunday (10), with the start at 9 am.
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