Winners and losers from MotoGP’s dramatic French Grand Prix

Even his previous employer Ducati must be looking at the Spaniard in awe. Just 12 months on from his contract saga and an injury-hit 2025 season that damaged his reputation in MotoGP, Martin is back at the top step of the podium - and firmly on course to fight for the championship again.

Loser: Marco Bezzecchi

Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing

Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing

On paper, this was Bezzecchi’s highest-scoring weekend since Brazil, as he finished on the podium in both races and bagged a healthy total of 27 points. But this was also the first time this season that he struggled to feel comfortable on the bike and was completely outgunned by another Aprilia rider. While his defeat in the Spanish GP can be put down to Ducati’s superiority, there was nowhere to hide at Le Mans with Aprilia sweeping the podium.

To Bezzecchi’s credit, he executed a perfect sprint race to overcome a weakness that has been hurting him since the start of last year. The Italian needed to score regularly on Saturdays in order to keep his team-mate at bay. But with Martin upping his game in France, Bezzecchi is now under even more pressure from his team-mate and will have to pull something special out of the bag to remain Aprilia’s number one rider.

Winner and loser: Marc Marquez

If that highside looked scary on TV, one can only imagine what Marquez went through as he was thrown violently from his Ducati heading into Turn 14. The image of Marquez limping in the pits and struggling to maintain balance was a stark reminder of the physical toll MotoGP takes on its riders.

But even Marquez couldn’t help but admit that the timing of the injury actually worked in his favour. After flying back to Madrid overnight, Marquez underwent surgery on not only the broken foot, but also the shoulder that has been troubling him since last year’s Indonesian GP. So, instead of waiting until after Barcelona, he was able to bring forward the planned operation and immediately begin rehabilitation.

Marquez’s revelation that a screw had become dislodged on his battered shoulder cast his record-breaking Q1 lap in a new light. But at the same time, the injury - and the enforced absence from racing - marks the final nail in the coffin of his title challenge. Even if he is able to rejoin the grid at the Italian GP later this month, he might be facing a significant 100-point deficit to the Aprilias at the front.

Winner: Fabio Quartararo

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

You can always count on Fabio Quartararo outperforming the machinery at his disposal, but he is on the ‘winners’ list for a different reason. For the first time this season, he was able to manipulate the brakes on the M1 the way he wanted to - something that came in handy as he tried to keep the soft tyres alive till the end. This improved feeling, if it continues for the rest of the season, will help Quartararo survive what could be a long season for him.

The credit for that small but significant step goes to Yamaha, and the Frenchman duly repaid the faith by delivering the marque its best finish of the year. Jumping up to second early on, he did not have the pace to stay with the frontrunners and did drop firmly in the midfield. But while the likes of Alex Marquez, Bagnaia and Joan Mir crashed out for various reasons, Quartararo stayed upright to finish sixth on what is regarded as the slowest bike on the grid. In just one weekend, Quartararo scored more points than Yamaha accumulated in the opening four rounds.

Loser: Alex Marquez

Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing crash

Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing crash

After the highs of Jerez, Alex Marquez had another unremarkable weekend in Le Mans, where he failed to make much of an impression. While he looked quick in practice on Friday, a fiercely competitive qualifying left him 10th on the grid and he never truly recovered from there. Saturday ended with an eight-place finish and a measly two points, but things got worse on Sunday when he crashed out on lap 2.

When the Gresini rider described it as a “stupid mistake” after he lost the front at Turn 2 early in the race. He was fortunate to walk away from the incident without injury as his head hit the asphalt before he slid onto the gravel.

With Fabio di Giannantonio finishing fourth, Bagnaia fighting for the podium until his late crash and Marc Marquez performing strongly until his mid-weekend exit, Alex Marquez was arguably the fourth-fastest Ducati rider at Le Mans.

Winner: Ai Ogura

Ai Ogura, Trackhouse Racing

Ai Ogura, Trackhouse Racing

Ai Ogura’s maiden podium finish in MotoGP had been a long time coming. Since the season opener in Thailand, Ogura has been threatening to mix with the frontrunners, particularly with his late-race pace. Only poor qualifying sessions were holding him back.

While one-lap performance remains a weakness for him (he hasn’t qualified higher than sixth this year), he was able to pick up his rivals one after the other to grab an excellent third place at Le Mans. In fact, if the race had been a lap or two longer, he might have even challenged the factory Aprilia of Bezzecchi for second.

His charge through the field ultimately secured the podium lockout Aprilia had been yearning for. But even for Ogura himself, it was a significant achievement as he became the first Japanese rider since Katsuyuki Nakasuga to finish a grand prix inside the top-three.

Remarkably, he has now moved up to fifth in the championship, ahead of his more experienced team-mate Raul Fernandez, and just 16 points behind Pedro Acosta.

Read Also:

Jorge Martin seals comeback from nightmare 2025: 'I'm as proud as when I won the world title'

Marc Marquez undergoes double surgery after nasty French GP crash

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