Spectacular qualifying in Le Mans, where the front row remained uncertain until the checkered flag was shown. The winner, for the first time since the 2025 Malaysian GP, was Francesco Bagnaia, who managed to beat his teammate Marc Marquez (who started from Q1 and set a record lap in this session) by only 12 thousandths of a second. Very close to pole position was also the current world leader Marco Bezzecchi, who completed the front row with a delay of 23 thousandths, not to mention Di Giannantonio, 4th and also with a gap of less than a tenth of a second from Bagnaia. The latter, in an interview with Sky Sport MotoGP, commented on his performance while waiting for the Sprint race, as did Marquez and Bezzecchi.
Read more GP France 2026, the qualifying report
Words from poleman Bagnaia
“Feeling the limit a bit more, being able to push to the limit is something that gives a lot of pleasure. Since the Jerez tests, we have tried something different that is helping me a bit, and we need to continue in this direction. I tried to match Marc’s time in Q1, but I couldn’t and he pushed the limit a bit this morning. I have to say that we are quite good on race pace, we did a good run this morning, so we just need to try to maintain the same level in the afternoon. The fairing is helping me, especially in being able to carry a bit more speed inside. The bike transfers a bit more and so it helps me. Unfortunately, with the first tire, I couldn’t be efficient on braking, because when I had to enter the corner the rear would lift and it was a bit late, but they made a small modification that helped me for the second attempt.”
Marc Marquez: “Lack of consistency”
“I have to understand how I am riding, I am not consistent and repetitive, and that’s why I struggle a bit. I don’t know how I did that lap in Q1, but I managed it. In Q2 I felt better, but I lack consistency, as seen in the free practice sessions. When you get to Q1 or Q2 with this extra adrenaline, I can be fast because I understand how to go fast with a bike, but I have to figure out how to do it consistently. We tried something on the bike this qualifying that helped me a bit, I felt it a bit better for my riding style. Compared to last year, my riding style is different; normally I struggle a lot with the soft tire, but today I felt great. We are working with the team to improve in the coming weeks.”
Read more Motors 2027: the race against time and the ADUO problem
Bezzecchi: “Race pace to improve”
“I am very happy, it was a beautiful qualifying, super tight and with very tiny gaps. It hasn’t been an easy weekend so far, but we managed to improve a bit. I think we need to take more steps regarding race pace, but we have done a good job so far. Rain was also forecast for today, so we will see for the race, you never know. We definitely need to fix a bit more in some braking zones, with the used tire, when the grip drops a bit I am slightly more in difficulty, so I will try to work on this.”
Read more 6 Hours of Spa 2026, Qualifying: first pole position for Peugeot and Jakobsen
