MotoGP 2025 French Grand Prix: Preview

Written by Finn Glover, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri

The fame-stepped Le Mans | Credit: MotoGP

Bonjour et bienvenue au Le Mans! MotoGP returns to the legendary Le Mans for the latest installment of what is turning out to be a blockbuster 2025 season, for the French Grand Prix. 

A track steeped in history, battles and storylines, where else could you want to continue the unadulterated drama from Jerez? The championship gap stands at just one point, and the brotherly battle for the championship lead is beginning to brew and bubble even more.

The French Grand Prix: Bugatti Circuit

From above: The Le Mans ‘Bugatti Circuit’ | Credit: MotoGP

It’s not quite the Circuit de la Sarthe, but the Bugatti Circuit provides an equal and twisty challenge for MotoGP riders and teams alike. A staple on the calendar since the turn of the century, it has provided some of MotoGP’s greatest moments, and in recent years, has thrown up some of the most extraordinary fan scenes for homeboy hero Fabio Quartararo. 

At 2.6 miles and 14 corners, the track is one of MotoGP’s shortest, yet provides a harsh challenge, as it blends a mix of high speed, flowing corners and heavy braking zones, providing a great opportunity to lunge up the inside, and likely go wide. 

Whilst it remains a relatively flat layout, the track’s unforgiving nature and narrow racing line provide some character. The infamous ‘Dunlop Section’, consisting of turns 1-3, provides a momentous challenge at the start of the lap, quickly going from a supremely fast turn one to an extremely tight and narrow first chicane, the recipe for drama. 

Also home to the 24-hour motorbike race, the track is relatively used and known for the riders. But the spring French weather always provides an unpredictable challenge for the riders, with two of the last five French Grands-Prix being flag-to-flag wet weather races. 

Past Results 

The 2024 edition of the French Grand Prix was an all-out Ducati war! | Credit: MotoGP

Ducati have won the last five editions of the French Grand Prix, even in their adolescent stage before their pre-2023 dominance. Yet, all five editions have been won by a different Ducati rider, and neither Francesco Bagnaia nor Marc and Álex Márquez have been on the winners list onboard Italian machinery. 

Yet before the pandemic, Le Mans was a Marc Marquez hunting ground, with the Honda rider claiming three wins from 2014-19. The track also holds good omens for Alex Marquez, with the Spaniard claiming his first-ever MotoGP podium at the circuit in a sodden edition in 2020.

Last time out, it was now-Aprilia rider Jorge Martin to claim a superlative victory, battling relentlessly with the Ducati barrage of Marc Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia. But the race, and the sprint, was characterised by the six-time MotoGP champ, who cycled through the field after a lowly grid position of 13th to claim a double podium.

Further to this, with the track always being held in its traditional mid-May slot, the form guide is often pretty accurate. And, if this is anything to go by, then the ‘other’ manufacturers will be seeing warning signs, after the recent resurgence of the likes of Yamaha and KTM in Jerez. 

For Bagnaia, Le Mans hasn’t been the happiest of hunting grounds | Credit: MotoGP

Bagnaia has certainly not had the best of fortunes here, falling in both 2022 and 2023, and falling foul to Marc Marquez’s superlative ride in 2024, overtaken in the last sector on the final lap. A rider who has gone well around the venue is Pramac’s Jack Miller, who claimed his first win here in 2017, and his first for Ducati in 2021. 

Key Notices

Chantra will miss the French Grand Prix. | Credit: MotoGP

Thai rider Somkiat Chantra will miss the French Grand Prix, the rookie recovering from arm pump surgery. Whilst he will not be replaced, Honda will field another test rider following the success of Aleix Espargaró in Jerez, with former LCR Idemitsu rider, Chantra’s former bike-holder, Taka Nakagami, returning to the series in Le Mans.

After his awful Lusail crash, Martín’s disastrous season will continue, the Spaniard missing yet another round, and Italian Lorenzo Savadori standing in once again for the reigning champion.

But... Oliviera is back for Pramac! | Credit: MotoGP

Returning, however, is Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira. After being knocked down by Fermín  Aldeguer back in Termas, he will finally return after over a month of being injured, replacing ex-GASGAS rider Augusto Fernández.

After the drama-filled Jerez extravaganza a fortnight ago, the championship complexion has changed again, with Álex now taking the lead over his brother by just a singular point, after his first-ever win in the class last time out. Bagnaia is 20 points back, still in touching distance, but for the rest of the pack, it’s a long road back to the front of the field.

They may be far off the front, but the manufacturer battle is raging ever more for second place. From Yamaha in second to Aprilia in fifth, the gap is just nine points, with any one incident or overtake decisive in determining the big-money outcome in the manufacturers. 

Can Quartararo go one step further and take victory in Le Mans? | Credit: GPone.com

So, what a race weekend we have in store! Can Álex Márquez capitalise and take another win following his Jerez success? And can Quartararo follow suit in maintaining his sizzling Spanish form, particularly in front of his home crowd?

Or will Marc Márquez bite back and reignite his unadulterated form prior to the pandemic? Tune in to find out, with lights out at 1 pm BST on Sunday, 11th May!