MotoGP French GP Qualifying: Martin Shatters Lap Record to Secure Pole Despite Crash-Filled Session

In an eventful qualifying session at the French GP, Enea Bastianini’s impressive performance in Q1 hinted at a record-breaking pace to come.

Jorge Martin delivered on that promise by setting a blistering lap time of 1m29.919s, smashing the Le Mans circuit record and securing pole position despite a late crash.

While Martin’s pole position was undisputed, the closing moments of Q2 saw several crashes, including Martin himself at Turn 4 and Francesco Bagnaia at Turn 9.

Behind Martin, Bagnaia secured second place, with Maverick Vinales completing the front row for Aprilia.

Q1 also saw its share of drama as Marc Marquez narrowly missed out on qualifying, knocked out by Miguel Oliveira after encountering late yellow flags and surviving a scare at Turn 2.

Martin’s dominance continued into Q2, with his early flying lap setting another lap record at 1m30.141s. Despite a crash on his subsequent attempts, Martin’s pole position remained unchallenged.

Fabio Di Giannantonio and Marco Bezzecchi secured fourth and fifth respectively for VR46 Ducati, with Aleix Espargaro in sixth for Aprilia.

Tech3 GasGas’s Pedro Acosta qualified seventh, though his final flying lap was disrupted by a slow Fabio Quartararo.

Speaking of Quartararo, the home favorite provisionally qualified eighth, with Franco Morbidelli in ninth and Bastianini in tenth after experiencing technical issues.

Jack Miller, despite a crash, managed eleventh place, while Oliveira, who ended Marquez’s qualifying hopes in Q1, secured twelfth.

Marquez, starting thirteenth, narrowly avoided a major incident at Turn 3 but faced further setbacks due to late yellow flags caused by crashes for Augusto Fernandez and Johann Zarco.

Further down the grid, Joan Mir qualified eighteenth, followed by Takaaki Nakagami, Augusto Fernandez, and Luca Marini. Brad Binder will start from the back due to bike issues during Q1.

Despite the crashes and setbacks, Martin’s pole position stands as a testament to his exceptional performance in a crash-strewn qualifying session at the MotoGP French GP.