2026 French MotoGP, Le Mans - Friday Practice Results
Friday practice results from the 2026 French MotoGP at Le Mans, round 5 of 22.
Luca Marini and Honda lead opening practice for the French MotoGP at Le Mans.
Marini and KTM’s Pedro Acosta moved to the top after fitting new rubber for the final minutes.
However, VR46 Ducati's Fabio di Giannantonio - who led most of the session - then had a lap time reinstated, moving the Italian into second place, as the fastest rider to stick with old rubber.
LCR Honda's 2025 winner Johann Zarco delighted the home fans with fourth and also set his best time on used tyres.
Trackhouse team-mates Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura, plus KTM's Brad Binder, broke into the top ten with new tyres.
Alex Rins claimed top Yamaha honours in sixth on old rubber.
Further back, reigning champion Marc Marquez began the weekend in ninth for Ducati Lenovo, with Aprilia's title leader Marco Bezzecchi just 14th.
As rumoured, Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo took to his home track using last year’s Inline4 tri-plane front wing, after reporting improved front-feeling at the Jerez test.
Franco Morbidelli had to sit out the opening five minutes as punishment for not leaving the track as soon as he became aware that his bike was smoking during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.
FP1 took place in dry and sunny conditions, but the weather is forecast to deteriorate throughout the weekend, setting up the possibility of another rain-affected grand prix after last year’s emotional victory by Zarco.
Tech3’s Maverick Vinales continues to be sidelined after shoulder surgery and has been replaced by Jonas Folger, returning to grand prix action for the first time since 2023.
2026 French MotoGP, Le Mans - Free Practice (1) Results | ||||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff | Lap | Max |
| 1 | Luca Marini | ITA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | 1'30.857s | 15/18 | 319k |
| 2 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP26) | +0.054s | 14/19 | 319k |
| 3 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.208s | 18/19 | 318k |
| 4 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +0.252s | 17/19 | 318k |
| 5 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) | +0.367s | 18/19 | 317k |
| 6 | Alex Rins | SPA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.445s | 17/20 | 315k |
| 7 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP26) | +0.470s | 15/20 | 319k |
| 8 | Ai Ogura | JPN | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) | +0.503s | 19/20 | 319k |
| 9 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Ducati Lenovo (GP26) | +0.531s | 20/20 | 319k |
| 10 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.537s | 20/21 | 316k |
| 11 | Joan Mir | SPA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +0.539s | 16/17 | 317k |
| 12 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +0.591s | 12/18 | 321k |
| 13 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP25) | +0.655s | 19/19 | 317k |
| 14 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) | +0.675s | 11/21 | 322k |
| 15 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) | +0.676s | 18/20 | 322k |
| 16 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP26) | +0.690s | 15/17 | 317k |
| 17 | Jack Miller | AUS | Pramac Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.729s | 19/19 | 313k |
| 18 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.731s | 18/20 | 313k |
| 19 | Diogo Moreira | BRA | Pro Honda LCR (RC213V)* | +0.976s | 6/19 | 320k |
| 20 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +1.035s | 18/18 | 312k |
| 21 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | TUR | Pramac Yamaha (YZR-M1)* | +1.759s | 12/19 | 312k |
| 22 | Jonas Folger | GER | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +3.241s | 18/18 | 313k |
* Rookie
Official Le Mans MotoGP Records:
Best lap: Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha, 1m 29.324s (2025)
Fastest race lap: Enea Bastianini, Ducati, 1m 31.107s (2025)
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