Prior to last year's event, no French rider had won the Grand Prix since Pierre Monneret in 1954, a full 71 years before. With Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo starting on pole position, it seems that he was the chosen one to finally break the rut.

However, Sunday's race was a chaotic one to say the least. Weather conditions were already changing on the starting grid with some riders opting for wet tyres while others started on slicks. As a result of the late tyre changes, a large number of riders, including Quartararo and Marc Marquez, were given long-lap penalties to take during the race.

Francesco Bagnaia was taken out in a Turn 1 incident, which very nearly brought down Zarco as well, but somehow the Frenchman miraculously managed to stay on board and drive through the gravel.

Just four laps in, the heavens opened, completely soaking the final corner of the track first. Quartararo and Brad Binder both went down to gasps of horror and disbelief from the home crowd. It seemed that the 71-year wait would go on.

As the rain continued and all the slick runners were forced to pit, Zarco ended up being the lead rider by a considerable margin having stayed on the wets throughout.

Zarco then led faultlessly and danced his bike around the circuit in the rain as Marc Marquez slowly closed in from behind, but by the time the final lap came round, Zarco was the clear winner.

The Le Mans circuit erupted with joy as the LCR Honda rider pulled off his famous celebratory backflip. It was just the second-ever win in the premier class for the 35 year old, but will undoubtedly go down as the crowning achievement of his career and one of the most "feel-good" race wins in MotoGP history.

The MotoGP Grand Prix of France is set to take place this weekend at the world-renowned Le Mans circuit and we should be in for another classic race as the battle heats up at the front between Aprilia and Ducati. Check out the full weekend schedule here.