MotoGP Round 6 2025 Report | Zarco claims sensational win

It was a day Johann Zarco and a record-breaking Michelin Grand Prix of France crowd will never forget. For the first time since 1954, a French rider won on home turf after a wet tyre gamble from Zarco saw the #5 beat Marc Marquez by nearly 20 seconds. Report: Ed Stratmann/MotoGP

Report: MotoGP
Friday Practice and Saturday Qualifying
MotoGP

A new all-time lap record for Practice honours at the Michelin Grand Prix of France? That’s exactly what Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) served up, as his 1:29.855 saw the six-time MotoGP World Champion act as the rider to beat after the opening day of running. Leading the chase was home hero Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP #20), much to the delight of the packed Le Mans terraces, while Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team #63) pocketed P3. Zarco was not in the picture yet…

Read our previous MotoGP news here…

Quartararo only went and did it again to take pole, as he (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) left nothing on the table to make it back-to-back pole positions at the Michelin Grand Prix of France. Taking a third pole at Le Mans and setting a new record with a 1:29.324, the Frenchman emphatically flexed his muscles. Zarco was yet to appear to be a threat.

That forced Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) to settle for second for a second Grand Prix in a row, with Championship leader Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP #73) completing the front row.

Moto2

Despite a red flag towards the end of the session intensifying the need for a quality lap time, nobody was able to land a blow on Manuel Gonzalez’s (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #18) Le Mans charge as the Spaniard went unbeaten on Friday in France. Diogo Moreira’s (Italtrans Racing Team #10) late lap saw the Brazilian grab P2 ahead of Filip Salač (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team #12).

Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) continued his run of poles in style at the Michelin Grand Prix of France, the Championship leader putting in a number of times good enough for the top to remain unchallenged at the end of Q2. In second and third, after a couple of late charges for glory, were Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego #7) and Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team).

Moto3

Having dominated FP1, there was no catching Jose Antonio Rueda (#99) again in the afternoon heat, as from the get-go, the Spaniard was P1. Once the out-and-out time attack laps landed towards the end of Practice, Rueda stretched his legs further to lap just under a second away from the all-time lap record.

He stunned on debut in COTA, and now he’s back from injury, Maximo Quiles (#28) continued to impress. The CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team rider is on pole for only the second Grand Prix he’s contested, heading a rookie 1-2 ahead of Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP’s Guido Pini (#94). Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA #66) maintained his front-running form to round out the front row.

Saturday
Tissot Sprint

Pure emotion, adrenaline and excitement, the 2025 Michelin® Grand Prix of France Sprint was littered with action. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) vs Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) was the fight we wanted to see and the fight we got. The #93 came out on top to become the first rider with six consecutive Sprint wins, but the stat itself wasn’t the entire story, as BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP celebrated a double Saturday podium with Alex Marquez and rookie Fermin Aldeguer (#54) coming through to complete the rostrum.

Grabbing the holeshot, Marc Marquez got to the fast Turn 2 first but ran wide, allowing home star and polesitter Quartararo to hit the front and launch away in the early stages. It was an early exit for Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), as the rider P3 in the standings crashed at Turn 3 on Lap 2, despite a great start up from P6 to P4. Elsewhere, it was a miserable start for Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing #72), who ran off into the gravel. While he was able to rejoin, he was way out of points contention.

As Lap 4 ended, there was another crasher, this time Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing #33) at Turn 9. Meanwhile, at the start of Lap 6, it was Quartararo still ahead, but Marquez made his first attempt to try and lead the Sprint. He attacked at Turn 3 but ran wide, allowing ‘El Diablo’ to get back through on the cutback. However, he wasn’t as fortunate at Turn 8, with Marc able to squeeze down the inside and not allow any retaliation from the Frenchman.

At the start of Lap 8 and now heading towards the final third, there was no way for Quartararo to resist the #73 of Alex Marquez, who blasted by on the way up to Turn 2. Now the #20’s attention was moving towards Alex Marquez’s teammate Aldeguer, once again having a sensational weekend in his rookie season. He found a way ahead for P3 at Turn 3, but not willing to relinquish a top three at home, Quartararo struck back at Turn 6 with contact between the two. Not backing down, the #54 responded with equal, if not more, brutal force, shoving Quartararo back to fourth at Turn 7.

There was a last-lap battle between the KTM duo of Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing #37) and Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech 3 #12) over P5, with the #12 attacking ‘El Tiburon’ into Turn 3 but unable to make it work. Then, the unthinkable happened on the final lap at Turn 13, as Acosta fell of his own accord, denying himself a first top five in the Sprints this season.

Out front, it was dreamland for Marc, who became the first rider to win six consecutive Sprints, retaking the Championship lead from his brother by two points, with Alex taking second as the brothers once again locked out the top two places. In third, a mighty first Sprint rostrum for Aldeguer, who was one of the fastest riders in the closing stages. Quartararo was a determined fourth, whilst Viñales completed the top five courtesy of Acosta’s fall. Johan Zarco finished in sixth place.

“Fabio at the start was super fast, he was pushing a lot,” Marquez said. “But then I saw that he started to drop the pace, and then I felt better and better. The last laps, I was riding well. Maybe the last lap I relaxed a bit too much, but honestly speaking I’m feeling good, so let’s see tomorrow if we can finish the job.”

Tissot Sprint Race Results

1. Marc Marquez Ducati Lenovo
2. Alex Marquez BK8 Gresini Ducati (+0.530s)
3. Fermin Aldeguer BK8 Gresini Ducati (+2.164s)
4. Fabio Quartararo Monster Yamaha (+2.840s)
5. Maverick Viñales Red Bull KTM Tech3 (5.285s)

Sunday
MotoGP

Tensions were at an all-time high in the lead up to lights out as light rain scattered the Le Mans circuit in the build-up. Heading onto the warm up lap, with everyone on Michelin’s slick tyres, it was then abundantly clear that was the wrong tyre to be on. Zarco was on wets… Was this to be Zarco at his finest?

Polesitter Quartararo was nearly down at Turn 3, and at the end of the warm up lap, unsurprisingly, every rider peeled into pit lane, and that brought out the red flags due to an excessive number of riders at pit lane exit as we then set ourselves for a quick restart procedure at the French GP. The Grand Prix was also reduced by one lap to 26, with a wet race declared – that meant riders could come in and change their bikes at any moment once we got underway.

And there was more drama at the end of the sighting lap. More than half the grid, including Quartararo, Alex Marquez and Marc Marquez were in while Bagnaia stayed on the grid.

“Hard to believe, I still don’t understand what is happening.” Zarco

Eventually we were lights out and underway, and as he was in the Sprint, Bagnaia was down at Turn 3 on Lap 1! Meanwhile, Quartararo led from Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez. Aldeguer was fourth as Bagnaia made it back to pit lane to jump on his dry-weather bike. The Italian was miles behind, but having pitted at the end of the sighting lap, over half the grid had double Long Lap penalties to take.

Quartararo, having led by over a second, was the first of the frontrunners to dive into the Long Lap loop. Alex Marquez, Aldeguer – who had passed Marc Marquez – and Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) were the next to come in, but Marc Marquez didn’t. This happened after Bagnaia had been lapped – a disaster for Pecco, who then came in for dry tyres. A decision that would prove costly again soon after.

Then, heartbreak. Quartararo was down at the final corner, and so was Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) right behind the Frenchman. Gutting for the 100,000+ crowd, but back on circuit, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Viñales were back in the pit lane to switch back onto wet tyres.

Where to look? Marc and Alex were next to come in, and that left Aldeguer leading the Grand Prix by over 12 seconds, but now the rookie was clearly on the wrong tyre – and sure enough, the #54 came in on the next lap.

Right, where were we? Well, to the delight of the French faithful, Zarco led the French Grand Prix! The #5 had stuck it out on the wet weather tyres, and he was leading by seven seconds over Miguel Oliveira (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP #88), the Portuguese rider had done the same as Zarco, with Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez pressing Oliveira on Lap 9 of 26.

The brothers passed a struggling Oliveira with ease, and with 17 laps to go, the gap between leader Zarco and the Marquez duo was 8.5s. That grew to nine seconds with 15 laps to go, then it was 9.3s as Zarco churned out low 1:46s, with Marquez near enough matching the home hero. Alex Marquez was losing touch on the #93, but the #73 had a six-second buffer to Acosta.

With 11 laps to go, Zarco was marching towards an astonishing home Grand Prix victory. The gap had risen to 11.5s, then it was 12.4s, as Zarco lapped at least a second quicker than anyone else on track. That trend continued as the advantage rose to over 14 seconds with seven laps as we witnessed two crashes – first Oliveira was down at the final corner, then Alex Marquez crashed at Turn 3. Luckily the former Championship leader remounted, and such were the gaps between a lot of riders, the Spanish GP winner rejoined the Grand Prix in P6. That off promoted Acosta to P3.

Having got back into the race, Alex Marquez was in the gravel again. Unfortunately, that was his French GP done. But Gresini’s podium hopes weren’t over because Aldeguer was catching Acosta at a rapid rate of knots. With two laps left, the rookie was right on the back of Acosta, and at the front, Zarco’s lead was 19 seconds. The Frenchman simply had to nurse his Honda to the chequered flag.

Aldeguer did get Acosta, but it was all eyes on the #5. And he brought it home. The roof was raised at Le Mans because, for the first time since 1954, a French MotoGP rider clinched victory on home turf. Unbelievable. What a moment for Zarco, LCR Honda and the record-breaking French GP crowd.

Marc Marquez crossed the line 19.9s away from Zarco to collect a massive 20 points, with Aldeguer backing up his Saturday bronze medal with a debut MotoGP podium. What a weekend for the rookie.

Acosta had to settle for P4 after he couldn’t live with Aldeguer’s late race pace, as Viñales handed KTM a double top five in France. Honda HRC Test Team’s Takaaki Nakagami (#39) took a magnificent P6 in his first wildcard ride for the Japanese factory, as Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team #25) picked up his season-best Sunday result in P7.

“Hard to believe, I still don’t understand what is happening. The last laps, they were quite long. I think I need a bit of time, but it’s just magic because with the rain tyres at the beginning, we had to control,” a delighted Zarco explained.

MotoGP Race Results

1. Johann Zarco Castrol Honda LCR
2. Marc Marquez Ducati Lenovo (+19.907s)
3. Fermin Aldeguer BK8 Gresini Ducati (+26.532s)
4. Pedro Acosta Red Bull KTM (+29.631s)
5. Maverick Viñales Red Bull KTM Tech3 (+38.136s)

Check out the full MotoGP race results here…

MotoGP Championship Points

1. Alex Marquez Ducati Lenovo – 171
2. Marc Marquez BK8 Gresini Ducati – 149
3. Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo – 120
4. Franco Morbidelli Pertamina VR46 Ducati – 85
5. Fabio Di Giannantonio Pertamina VR46 Ducati – 74

Moto2

Earning back-to-back wins in Jerez and Le Mans? That’s exactly what Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) has done in the last two rounds, as the #18 beat Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) at the Michelin Grand Prix of France. It was a dominant weekend for the Spaniard, who extended his title chase lead over third-place finisher Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego #44) ahead of a trip to Silverstone.

Heading into the Dunlop chicane on the opening lap, Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) shoved his Triumph powered Kalex machine up the inside of polesitter Gonzalez to grab an early lead, while both ELF Marc VDS Racing Team riders, Jake Dixon (#96) and Filip Salač, made great starts to climb up to P3 and P4 respectively. Baltus had dropped to P5 from the front row, with his teammate Canet shuffled back to P10 from the second row.

On Lap 4, Gonzalez hit the front for the first time at Turn 9, as Baltus carved his way brilliantly to P3 to latch onto the back of Moreira. The Belgian was then through on the Brazilian at the start of Lap 8 and set his sights on race leader Gonzalez as Canet continued his comeback – the #44 was P4 on Lap 12 after a slick move at Turn 3 on Dixon.

A big moment coming out of Turn 4 followed though for Canet while battling Moreira. The Spaniard was pinged out of the seat but managed to stay on board, but it was crucial ground lost – he was back behind both Moreira and Dixon.

Heading into the final five laps, Gonzalez began to stretch his legs as Baltus fell over 0.5s behind for the first time in a while. That did drop back to 0.4s, though, so fair play to Baltus, who was making the pre-race favourite work hard for a potential 25-pointer. In the end though, Gonzalez had just enough in his back pocket to fend off Baltus for victory in Le Mans, with Baltus finishing 1.8s behind the win but 4.3s ahead of the brilliant fight for the final podium spot.

Canet, after that moment, did win that battle ahead of Moreira and Dixon, with Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2 #75) finishing P6, 0.6s ahead of Salač.

Moto2 Race Results

1. Manuel Gonzalez Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP
2. Barry Baltus Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO (+1.811s)
3. Aron Canet Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO (+6.113s)
4. Diogo Moreira Italtrans Racing Team (+6.480s)
5. Jake Dixon Elf Marc VDS Racing (+6.775s)

Moto2 Championship Points

1. Manuel Gonzalez Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP – 111
2. Aron Canet Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO – 95
3. Jake Dixon Elf Marc VDS Racing – 77
4. Barry Baltus Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO – 73
5. Diogo Moreira Italtrans Racing Team – 50

Moto3

Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) brought the victory backflip back to Le Mans! The #99 spent his Michelin Grand Prix of France moving through the front group to be sitting third on the final lap as drama hit in the duel ahead. An aggressive attack from David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #64) on then-leader Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA) saw the two make contact and head wide – leaving Rueda to sweep through for the spoils.

Muñoz was penalised for the incident and demoted to third too, putting Kelso into second. For Rueda, it was already a chance to gain big in the standings too, as key rival Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI #36) crashed out mid-race.

Off the line, it was rookie polesitter Max Quiles (CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team) vs Kelso for the lead, and the rookie held on for much of Lap 1 until Kelso took over in the final sector. From there, the Australian got his head down and did much of the legwork in the lead, with the Moto3™ concertina classic in full song.

Kelso, Muñoz, rookie Guido Pini (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) and Rueda was what it boiled down to after the crash for Piqueras. Then there was a sudden spill for rookie Pini. That left a trio at the front with another rookie, Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo #83), on the chase – but the #83 couldn’t quite make up the gap as the laps ticked down.

Barring a couple of small mistakes, Kelso kept it near perfect at the front to hold on until the last lap, and there was no open door for Muñoz on the chase. But the #64 was determined to make one and went full send at the final corner complex – making contact with the Australian as both headed wide, leaving Rueda with a clear run round the final corner to the finish line.

Muñoz crossed the line second but was demoted to third for the move, putting Kelso into P2. Carpe took fourth just behind the podium-deciding shenanigans. The top five was completed by David Almansa (#22).

Moto3 Race Results

1. Jose Antonio Rueda Red Bull KTM Ajo
2. Joel Kelso LEVELUP – MTA (+0.636s)
3. David Munoz Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (+0.736s)
4. Alvaro Carpe Red Bull KTM Ajo (+4.400s)
5. David Almansa Leopard Racing (+6.613s)

Moto3 Championship Points

1. Jose Antonio Rueda Red Bull KTM Ajo – 116
2. Angel Piqueras FRINSA – MT Helmets – 87
3. Joel Kelso LEVELUP – MTA – 77
4. Adrian Fernandez Leopard Racing – 61
5. Taiyo Furusato Honda Team Asia – 58

How Did the Aussies Do?

Jack Miller’s (#43) race in France finished prematurely after a crash despite making a smart strategy call and showcasing excellent speed. Having chosen to stay out on slicks, trusting more rain was on the way and that the track would turn in his favour, he frustratingly fell just when conditions would’ve suited him perfectly.

Forced to do a Long Lap penalty in France, the best Moto2 ace Senna Agius (#81) could muster was 14th, which was a solid result in the grand scheme of things.

Leading masterfully from the outset, Kelso demonstrated the pace and precision of a true frontrunner. Unfortunately, a last-corner incident denied him a well-deserved maiden Moto3 victory. While the result was heartbreaking, his elite performance yet again underlined why he’s a serious title contender.

Claiming 13th in Moto3 at Le Mans was a decent result for Jacob Roulstone (#12) as he continues to find his rhythm following his recent return from injury.

MotoE

The 2025 FIM MotoE World Championship is underway, and the opening round delivered a mix of high drama, breakout performances, and brutal luck. Spain’s Oscar Gutierrez (MSI Racing Team) claimed the honours in Race 1 with a tidy win in tricky conditions, while reigning World Champion Mattia Casadei (LCR E-Team) struck back in Race 2 after Gutierrez hit the deck in a chaotic second outing.

Race One

The first race of the season got off to a rough start, with Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) crashing early and then being collected in a nasty follow-up incident that forced a red flag. Sadly, Granado was diagnosed with a broken leg and declared unfit — a cruel blow to kick off his 2025 campaign.

Following the red flag reset, it was a four-lap dash to the flag, and Gutierrez absolutely nailed the restart. Just like the first launch, he got the holeshot and immediately set the pace, with Andrea Mantovani (KLINT Forward Factory Team) sticking like glue to his tail. The pair managed to break away, leaving the rest to scrap for the final podium spot.

Mantovani threw everything at the #99 but couldn’t find a way past. Gutierrez kept it clean and composed, stretching a small buffer to take a dominant debut win in MotoE. Mantovani was a strong second, bouncing back after a difficult 2024 season, while polesitter Alessandro Zaccone (Aruba Cloud MotoE Team) rounded out the podium after a solid ride.

Race Two

If Race 1 was intense, Race 2 was outright carnage. Gutierrez once again launched to the front, only to crash out on Lap 2 at Turns 3 and 4. In the melee, he was collected by another rider, and Zaccone also went down in the chaos. Gutierrez was later diagnosed with a minor pelvic fracture — no surgery required — while Zaccone thankfully escaped serious injury.

Despite the incident, no red flag was thrown, and the race carried on. Kevin Zannoni (Power Electronics Aspar Team) emerged as the new leader with Casadei locked onto his rear wheel. Behind them, Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE) was holding third, but he too hit the deck, handing the final podium battle to Nicholas Spinelli (Rivacold Snipers Team MotoE).

Enter Jordi Torres (Power Electronics Aspar Team), who charged forward late in the race, slicing past Spinelli to grab third. Maria Herrera (KLINT Forward Factory Team) wasn’t far behind either, right in the mix as the chequered flag dropped.

At the front, Casadei held his nerve to take his first win of the season, just edging out Zannoni after a tense final lap. Torres clinched the final podium spot by the skin of his teeth, with Herrera breathing down his neck.

For the full MotoE Round One report, click here...