MotoGP, France, Sprint LIVE: A flawless performance for Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez on the podium, Quartararo 10th and Zarco 13th

On the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans, Jorge Martin stood out with an exceptional performance during qualifying for the fifth round of MotoGP 2024. Driving for the Pramac Racing team, Martin not only took pole position, but also set a new circuit record with a breathtaking time of 1'29.919. This masterful lap made him the only competitor to go under 1 minute and 30 seconds during this session, marking the 15th pole position of his MotoGP career and the 36th overall.

The session had no shortage of drama, Martin having fallen shortly after recording his record time, fortunately without injuring himself. The reigning champion Francis Bagnaia, also on Ducati, almost dethroned his distinguished colleague after a slip, finally finishing 0,192 seconds behind Martin. Maverick Vinales, piloting for Aprilia, completed the front row, just 0,010 seconds behind bagnaia.

The second row saw a domination of the Ducati with Fabio di Giannantonio et Marco Bezzecchi of the VR46 Racing Team, followed by Aleix Espargaro of Aprilia, who suffered a minor fall at the end of the session.

Peter Acosta, the surprising rookie, placed seventh for Team GASGAS Tech3 KTM, just ahead of an impressive fabio quartararo. The Yamaha of Quartararo, the only Japanese bike in Q2, proved competitive, with the 2021 champion placing eighth ahead Franco Morbidelli on the second Ducati Pramac.

The session was difficult for Enea Bastianini who, despite setting the fastest time in Q1, was slowed down by a yellow flag caused by the fall of bagnaia, then by a minor technical problem. He will start tenth.

Marc Marquez, eight-time world champion, had a frustrating qualifying, finishing 13th after falling victim to the crash of Johann zarco and a subsequent yellow flag that canceled his potentially fast lap. Luca marini of Honda and Brad Binder of KTM closed the list, the South African having had to fall back on his second bike after a mechanical problem.

With these lively qualifications, the stage is set for this Sprint which promises to be spectacular, under the sun and with mild temperatures promising ideal racing conditions. What will this Sprint race have in store for us? French Grand Prix at Le Mans ? Before you know it, here is the table that summarizes the facts known so far.

MotoGP™ Le Mans, France	2023	2024
FP1	1'31.449 Jack Miller (See here)	1'31.421 Jorge Martin (See here)
Practice	1'30.950 Jack Miller (See here)	1'30.388 Jorge Marin (See here)
FP2	1'31.898 Maverick Vinales (See here)	1'31.033 Maverick Vinales (See here)
Q1	1'31.268 Luca Marini (See here)	1'30.233 Enea Bastianini
Q2	1'30.705 Francesco Bagnaia (See here)	1'29.919 Jorge Martin
Sprint	Martin, Binder, Bagnaia (See here)	Martin, Marc Marquez, Vinales
Warm Up	1'31.888 Johann Zarco (See here)	(See here)
Course	Bezzecchi, Martin, Zarco (See here)	(See here)
All time lap record	1'29.919 Jorge Martin 2024 (See here)	1'29.919 Jorge Martin

Here is the starting grid:

 

We're live!! It's 26° in the air and 42° on the track

Drivers will have 14 laps to complete

Martin ready to fight!!

A top5 for Quartararo today at home?? the answer here in a few 40 minutes!!!

They are all ready just like us! And you, in Enjoy mode?? Welcome everyone live from Maison France on the Le Mans route!

We're going to have some fun and there's going to be a great show!

Warm-up lap!

It's off and it's Martin who takes the lead ahead of Bezzecchi and Espargaro. Bagnaia 14th. Quartararo is 8th

After 1 lap, the top10 is as follows: Martin leads in front of Bezzecchi, Espargaro, MMarquez, Vinales, Miller, Di Giannantonio, Quartararo, Bastianini and Acosta. Bagnaia 15th, Zarco 13th

MMarquez in great form, 9 places up!!

Espargaro anticipated the start, he suffered 2 long laps.

Bagnaia in the gravel trap….technical problem?? The latter gives up…

Bezzecchi comes back strongly on Martin, he is 1/2 behind the Pramac driver.

Espargaro performs his first long lap, MMarquez thus takes 1rd position.

Fall of Mir

There are 8 laps left to complete and in front Martin has a lead of 0.567s over Bezzecchi. MMarquez, Vinales and Espargaro complete this top5.

Quartararo 11th, Zarco 13th

Rins Falls

2nd long lap for Espargaro done.

The leading trio: Martin, Bezzecchi and MMarquez. 

Acosta attacks Miller and it passes, the rookie takes 8th position.

In the following lap, Acosta did the same on Di Giannantonio to gain 7th position…

Bezzecchi is under the pressure put on him by MMarquez…

Bezzecchi goes to the mat…MMarquez virtually takes the 2nd step of the podium! The good business

With 2 laps to go, the top 10 is as follows: Martin MMarquez, Vinales, Bastianini, Espargaro, Acosta, Di Giannantonio, Miller, RFernandez and Quartararo. 

Last round….

Martin wins ahead of MMarquez and Vinales

George Martin extends its lead to 28 points in the championship. The new dolphin is Enea Bastianini. Francis Bagnaihas fallen to third place and is 29 points behind. The recruit Peter Acosta is fourth in the World Championship, with 31 points.

MotoGP, France, Sprint: classification

Credit classification motogp.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credit classification motogp.com