Francesco Bagnaia’s surprise pole at Le Mans sends Neil Hodgson reeling — How are the struggles still there?

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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 reacts to Francesco Bagnaia’s French GP pole lap

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.”