2025 French MotoGP: Marc Marquez takes historic sprint win, Pecco Bagnaia crashes
100% sprint record maintained for Marc Marquez
Marc Marquez became the first MotoGP rider to win six successive sprints after easing to victory on Saturday at the French Grand Prix as team-mate Pecco Bagnaia crashed.
Factory Ducati rider Marc Marquez was denied pole by home hero Fabio Quartararo earlier on Saturday, but brushed this aside in the sprint.
Taking the lead on lap six of 13, Marc Marquez eased away to maintain his 100% sprint record in 2025 and retake the lead in the championship by two points.
Alex Marquez was second, while his rookie Gresini Ducati team-mate Fermin Aldeguer scored a maiden sprint podium in third.
Pecco Bagnaia looked like he would be a big threat for the podium in the early stages of the sprint, before crashing out on lap two.
He is now 31 points off the championship lead.
Polesitter Fabio Quartararo managed to hold onto his lead into Turn 3 on the opening lap having been briefly passed by Marc Marquez through the first two corners.
The 2021 world champion was around 0.7s clear at the end of the opening lap, but soon had his advantage eaten into by the chasing Marc Marquez.
By the start of lap six, Marquez was within striking distance and made his first attempt on the lead at the Turn 3/4 chicane.
He got up the inside of Quartararo, but ran wide and allowed the Yamaha back through on the exit.
But at Turn 8, the factory Ducati rider lined up a clean move on Quartararo and eased into a lead he would not lose to the chequered flag.
Quartararo lost second to Alex Marquez on lap eight, before dropping into the clutches of Aldeguer as his soft tyre began to fade.
Aldeguer went for a move at Turn 3, but ran wide and gave Quartararo a run into Turn 6, which resulted in small contact between the pair.
Quartararo briefly held third, but was barged out of the way at Turn 7.
Marc Marquez eased off on the final lap to take the chequered flag, with Alex Marquez 0.530s behind him.
Aldeguer held onto third, while Quartararo was fourth.
Maverick Vinales was fifth on the top KTM after stablemate Pedro Acosta crashed while ahead of him at the penultimate corner on the final lap.
Johann Zarco was sixth for LCR Honda, while VR46 Ducati’s Fabio Di Giannantonio, Yamaha’s Alex Rins and factory Honda rider Joan Mir took the final points.
Pecco Bagnaia made a good start to the sprint from sixth on the grid, getting to fourth in the first few corners and making a bid for the podium.
But his race ended on lap two when he lost the front end of his Ducati going into Turn 3.
KTM’s Brad Binder also crashed early on.
