Dubois shakes off knockdowns and stops Wardley to win WBO heavyweight title
Daniel Dubois shakes off knockdowns to claim WBO heavyweight title against Fabio Wardley.
Francesco Bagnaia secured pole position for the 2026 French Grand Prix at Le Mans, marking his first pole since the Malaysian Grand Prix last year. Neil Hodgson expressed surprise at Bagnaia's impressive performance.
Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images
Francesco Bagnaia has claimed pole position for the 2026 French Grand Prix, breaking a rough patch of form, although Neil Hodgson admitted he was caught off guard by the Italian’s impressive lap.
It’s Bagnaia’s first pole since the Malaysian Grand Prix last year, and he made it count in front of a packed crowd at Le Mans.
He’ll be joined on the front row by fellow factory Ducati rider Marc Marquez, who had to come through Q1 before setting a new lap record at Le Mans.
While covering qualifying at the French Grand Prix for TNT Sports, Gavin Emmett and Neil Hodgson pointed out that Bagnaia’s pace has been missing in action over recent rounds.
Hodgson added: “We shouldn’t joke, but his run of form has been very confusing.”
Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images
Sylvain Guintoli echoed those thoughts but also pointed out that it was good to see the two-time world champion showing some positive signs again, even if it’s just for one weekend.
“It’s good to see that he’s backing it up from the Jerez test, he’s obviously found something there, and brought it with him here,” the former MotoGP rider told viewers.
“He was quick yesterday, had good pace, managed to do well in the time attack yesterday, and today, he’s been able to replicate it. It was a great, great lap time, and yeah, Pecco is back on form.
“We’ve not seen much of Pecco’s results lately, so it’s great to have him back in the mix. With that pole position now, he’s got a great chance of making it count, at least for the Sprint. We’ve got a real battle on.”
Bagnaia's pole position is significant as it marks his first since the Malaysian Grand Prix last year, indicating a potential turnaround in his performance.
Marc Marquez, another factory Ducati rider, joined Bagnaia on the front row after setting a new lap record at Le Mans.
Bagnaia has been experiencing a rough patch of form prior to claiming pole position, which makes this achievement noteworthy.
Neil Hodgson admitted he was caught off guard by Bagnaia's impressive lap, highlighting the unexpected nature of the performance.
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Michael Laverty also spoke about how Bagnaia appears to be getting back to the level that brought him success in previous seasons, pointing out that the Italian’s renewed confidence under braking stood out most.
He continued, “Obviously, we want to see a double world champion fight like a double world champion. He looked a shadow of his former self over the last year, and even at the start of the season, we thought that over the winter, they would put things right.
“But he’s just looked all at sea over the opening four rounds of the season. He’s turned up here after the test in Jerez; they’ve obviously unlocked something.
“He’s changed the aero body a little bit this weekend, more downforce, maybe changed the balance of the bike. But he looked better in the braking zones, better, and turning, better in consistency, and he delivered another pole.
“And that’s what, when Pecco was in his championship-winning seasons, he could do, he could extract a bit more grip out of the tyres, find that last tenth of a second.”
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