Home hero Zarco shines in Le Mans Friday Practice, Marquez to Q1
Updated: 18:13, 08 May
1 Comments
Andrew McLarneyMotoGP Reporter
Andrew McLarney is a MotoGP reporter for GPBlog. With four years experience as a professional writer across the sports and video game industries, his experience as a K1 Premier League competitor evolved into a fascination with all forms of combat sport and eventually motorsport — with MotoGP becoming his primary focus. On top of that he is also an avid follower of MXGP and AMA Supercross as well as F1 and GT racing.
Friday's Timed Practice session in Le Mans certainly had a few surprises and makes a highly anticipated race even less predicatable than first thought.
Home hero Johann Zarco, who pulled off a stunning victory last year to become the first French rider in 71 years to win his home Grand Prix, was top of the timing sheets - much to the delight of the crowd.
Francesco Bagnaia was one of the big surprises too, the Ducati man seemingly recovering some form with a solid top 3 finish, though he did crash late in the session which meant that teammate Marc Marquez's lap was cancelled - and subsequently the reigning world champion will have to compete in Q1 tomorrow.
Aprilia looked the most vulnerable they have been so far this season, with Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi finishing the session in P6 and P7 respectively. Meanwhile at satellite team Trackhouse Racing, Ai Ogura managed a decent P9 while Raul Fernandez finished in P14 after his bike caught fire mid-session.
Honda look like the Le Mans circuit could be suited to them and Yamaha have also seemingly made improvements. Alex Rins finished the session as the top Yamaha, he will go straight to Q2 after a P8 finish.
ADVERTISEMENT
| Position | Rider (Team) | Time |
| 1. | Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda) | 1:29.907 |
| 2. | Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46) | +0.010 |
| 3. | Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo) | +0.138 |
| 4. | Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing) | +0.138 |
| 5. | Joan Mir (Honda HRC) | +0.185 |
| 6. | Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) | +0.221 |
| 7. | Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) | +0.270 |
| 8. | Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha) | +0.288 |
| 9. | Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Racing) | +0.289 |
| 10. | Pedro Acosta (KTM Factory Racing) | +0.289 |
| 11. | Enea Bastianini (KTM Tech3) | +0.367 |
| 12. | Brad Binder (KTM Factory Racing) | +0.381 |
| 13. | Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo) | +0.464 |
| 14. | Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) | +0.510 |
| 15. | Jack Miller (Pramac Yamaha) | +0.521 |
| 16. | Luca Marini (Honda HRC) | +0.556 |
| 17. | Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) | +0.562 |
| 18. | Franco Morbidelli (VR46) | +0.763 |
| 19. | Diogo Moreira (LCR Honda) | +0.816 |
| 20. | Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pramac Yamaha) | +1.421 |
| 21. | Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Racing) | +1.527 |
| 22. | Jones Folger (KTM Tech3) | +2.543 |
Read also
Don’t miss GPblog in Google
Mark us as a preferred source and our articles will appear more often at the top of Top Stories.
Add as a preferred / source on GoogleRead more about:
latest news
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
Overview
Friday 12.06.26
Practice 1
11:30 AM
Practice 2
03:00 PM
Saturday 13.06.26
Practice 3
10:30 AM
Qualification
02:00 PM
Sunday 14.06.26
Race
01:00 PM
Friday 12.06.26
Practice 1
Fri 11:30 AM
Practice 2
Fri 03:00 PM
Saturday 13.06.26
Practice 3
Sat 10:30 AM
Qualification
Sat 02:00 PM
Sunday 14.06.26
Race
Sun 01:00 PM
Times are in your local timezone
Rumors
Popular on GPBlog
1
Red Bull left powerless after unexpected FIA ruling
3269 times read
2
This is what Verstappen’s new €70 million home looks like
1324 times read
3
Agreement reached to adjust F1 power units for the 2027 and 2028 seasons
1161 times read
4
F1 Today | Hamilton to skip Barcelona FP1, Haas works on signing this driver for '27
923 times read
F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 156 | |
2 | FerrariFER | 90 | |
3 | MercedesMER | 88 | |
4 | FerrariFER | 75 | |
5 | McLarenMCL | 60 | |
6 | McLarenMCL | 58 | |
7 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 43 | |
8 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 29 | |
9 | Racing BullsRCB | 26 | |
10 | AlpineALP | 26 |
Loading
