2025 French WorldSBK: Race 1 LIVE UPDATES

Bulega now back to fourth as Sam Lowes gets through at turn six.

The warm-up lap is underway in Magny-Cours ahead of WorldSBK Race 1. 21 laps coming up.

The general theme of the 2025 season has been Bulega versus Razgatlioglu, and then the rest behind them.

It seems to be the same this weekend, although Sam Lowes has perhaps distinguished himself from the rest of the pack and is the favourite to take the final spot on the podium or even try to push the two ahead. He starts third this afternoon.

Fourth on the grid is Alex Lowes, who has enjoyed the Bimota's agility this weekend but has struggled more in braking.

Andrea Iannone starts fifth, but hasn't been in the top-six since Race 1 at Cremona.

Yari Montella has a career best qualifying in sixth place. If he stays put over the course of the 21 laps, he will beat his best finish in WorldSBK by one place.

The battle for third in the championship is covered by 16 points between Danilo Petrucci, Andrea Locatelli, and Alvaro Bautista. Petrucci starts seventh today but ahead of his rivals: Bautista is only 14th on the grid, and Locatelli starts second-last after crashing in Superpole.

Garrett Gerloff also crashed in Superpole and will start from the very back of the grid.

Nicolo Bulega qualified second this morning and is chasing a first win since Race 2 at Most back in May.

The Italian comes into this weekend 26 points behind Razgatlioglu in the riders' standings and looking to end the BMW rider's nine-race win streak. He won both Sunday races here last year when Razgatlioglu was out through injury.

Toprak Razgatlioglu starts from pole position for the third time in a row in 2025 in Race 1 after setting a new lap record in Superpole.

The BMW rider had never qualified on pole at Magny-Cours before this morning, but he has eight wins at the French track.

A victory today would of course take him to a total of nine at Magny-Cours, this would tie him with Jonathan Rea for wins at the venue.

Riders are arriving on the grid now ahead of Race 1 after their sighting lap.

Welcome back to live coverage of today's WorldSBK action from the 2025 French Round. Race 1 will be coming  up in less than 20 minutes at 14:00 local time.

2025 French WorldSBK - Superpole Result

Razgatlioglu goes again and into the 1:34s with a 34.930. That looks like pole position.

35.282 gets Sam Lowes back onto the front row.

Razgatlioglu and Bulega over the line in quick succession.

1:35.018 for Razgatlioglu for provisional pole, 35.142 for Bulega for P2.

Still a minute to go.

Sam Lowes up to third and Vierge to seventh with their latest laps, Vierge bumped back to eighth by Gardner who goes P6.

First flying lap in from Bautista but he's only 14th after a mistake at the penultimate corner.

Razgatlioglu has sat up out of his first flying lap on his second run. Not entirely sure why, just sat up in the middle of turn three.

Bulega on his way back to the pits now after what was a slightly extended first run. Razgatlioglu, on a more usual schedule, just heading back out now for his second run with van der Mark, 4th at the moment, in-tow.

Bulega now on provisional pole, 1:35.357 for a new lap record.

Yellow flags have caused disruption for some riders on the first run it seems. 

Bulega down in 16th, Bautista with no time set, think Razgatlioglu - currenlty 2nd - only did one valid flying lap.

Alex Lowes onto the top of the times with a 1:35.446, 0.2s advantage for the Bimota rider and only 0.018s behind Bulega's lap record.

Garrett Gerloff has also gone down. No time set for the American.

Looks like a hand injury for Locatelli, he's being treated trackside behind the barriers. Turn three he's gone down, on entry - fast one there.

Razgatlioglu with a big mistake in braking in the penultimate corner, a 1:35.662 to open the times for the Turkish rider. P1 for now.

Early crash for Andrea Locatelli on his first flying lap. That could be very costly for the Italian.