Johann Zarco triumphs amid chaos and backflips, Marc Marquez takes lead - The Story of Grand Prix France in Le Mans

Johann Zarco triumphed on Sunday at Grand Prix France in Le Mans, and even treated his adoring crowd to a celebratory backflip. The race was perhaps the best of the 2025 MotoGP season so far, but former world champion Francesco Bagnaia suffered the ignominy of back-to-back first-lap crashes. The leaderboard remains unchanged, as second place for Marc Marquez helped him extend his lead.

‘Zarco’s wait is over! France’s wait is over!’ - Frenchman triumphs in front of home crowd

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Le Mans has been a classic setting for top-level racing for more than a century, and the latest instalment came on Sunday afternoon with a victory for France’s very own Johann Zarco in incredible circumstances.

The previous round had seen Alex Marquez leapfrog his brother Marc when he won in Spain, and all eyes were on the Spanish brothers ahead of another appearance, with little apparent hope of a French winner - there had not been one at a French MotoGP since 1954.

However, Grand Prix Spain hinted at some hope for French riders, with Fabio Quartararo taking an unexpected pole, only to give up the lead at the Sprint and the full-length event the following day.

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Marquez arrives in ominous form

Marc Marquez sets all-time Le Mans record at Grand Prix France free practice

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Ducati Lenovo’s Marc Marquez appeared to be on course for another win when he started brightly in practice, scoring the fastest time in track history, even before he had tweaked his bike to the desired set-up.

It was, though, Quartararo again, and this time his pole had a greater context than merely his resurgent form after an impressive career over the years.

Quartararo felt 'on the limit' to smash expectations and take Le Mans pole

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The Frenchman was fastest again, and the Le Mans crowd, thronging the circuit from Thursday evening, had a chance to dream about one of their compatriots taking a win at Le Mans.

Bagnaia suffers Sprint disaster once more

'Bagnaia has crashed' - Italian's struggles continue at Grand Prix France Sprint Race

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There was, though, more than one heartbreak in the Sprint.

On the first lap, Ducati Lenovo’s former world champion Francesco Bagnaia endured another wretched Sprint, going off early as he failed to properly warm up his tyres.

The Italian was aware that as the Marquez brothers continued to excel and race aggressively, he needed to do something decisive to make a break for the lead and challenge the two Spaniards. Unfortunately for Bagnaia, he pushed harder than his bike could handle and after spinning off, he was unable to restart. He would have to wait for Sunday to improve his position.

Quartararo, too, ultimately failed to give the home crowd what they wanted. Marc Marquez bided his time and pushed on Lap 4, and after the Frenchman gamely battled back to regain the lead, he gave it up for good.

Marquez makes it six from six Sprints

Marquez regained the world championship lead with the win, while the polesitter took fourth place. Alex Marquez was second, and Fermin Aldeguer came third for a BK8 Gresini Ducati 2-3. Quartararo was fourth for Monster Yamaha.

Highlights: Marquez regains championship lead with Grand Prix France Sprint victory

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Sunday begins with high drama

While Saturday was not short of action, Sunday was the main event, and few would have expected the drama to follow.

We were given a hint of the chaos to come when rain struck before the end of the formation lap, and with more than 10 bikes pitting to change tyres - and bikes - the race was reset. The pack was roughly split, with some riders opting for slicks, others for wets, as the competitors gambled for advantage with a mixed forecast giving little clue as to what was the right way forward.

As riders had to take long laps to account for their changes of tyres, there was controversy and uncertainty from the off.

Bagnaia was struck down once more on the first lap, but with more laps left to make a play for points, the Italian rejoined the pack and hoped that things would break in his favour if rain and delays gave him a way through.

‘I think it’s Pecco!’ - Bagnaia suffers another Le Mans crash at Grand Prix France

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Instead of Bagnaia, though, it was Zarco of Castrol Honda who managed to take the lead as others pulled back. The veteran Frenchman, 34, had his parents in attendance to ramp the pressure up, but he boasted wet tyres as others struggled in the conditions.

He quickly built up a lead of around 10 seconds, which he would go on to double in the final lap, as Marc Marquez and - behind him - brother Alex attempted to chase him down.

Quartararo out again

Before the race reached its conclusion, Quartararo suffered another disappointment as he was taken out by slippery track conditions, sliding out into the gravel.

Quartararo’s day did not improve after the race came to a close, as the stewards handed him a €2000 fine and a suspension from the first 10 minutes of FP1 in the next race at Silverstone for "behaving in an irresponsible manner, disobeying direct instructions from marshals and causing potential danger".

After Quartararo's exit, all the attention of the home crowd focused on their best hope, the unlikely leader, Zarco.

'He's gone!' - Quartararo crashes out of Grand Prix France

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Zarco is an enigmatic rider at the best of times, and has made his name for underwhelming qualifying efforts that are then mitigated by strong rides from within the pack. This time, Zarco managed to improve his rhythm and performance as he led from the front, expertly managing his frayed tyres in changing weather conditions.

Behind his visor he may well have been driving relaxed, but he did not betray any hint of celebration until the final moments of the last lap, waving to a thrilled crowd.

He then, of course, treated the cheering spectators to a thrilling backflip, with tears in his eyes as he took in his triumph.

'This will crown it!' - Zarco lands spectacular backflip to celebrate Grand Prix France triumph

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Speaking after the race, TNT Sports pundit Michael Lavery was thrilled for Zarco, saying: "Today it was the magic of Le Mans that brought out the brilliance of Johann Zarco and the fairytale was written."

His colleague Sylvain Guintoli was even more emotional.

Guintoli recounted the history of MotoGP in France and the relative dearth of success at Le Mans for his compatriots, and after saying the excitement and celebrations meant he was struggling to get his words out, he revelled in a special moment at Le Mans - not just for Zarco, but French racing as a hole.

He said: "[It is] the biggest attendance ever, more than 300,000 people over the weekend, and we get a French winner. And it was a thriller as well. The race was unreal. I’ve lost my voice.

"I don’t know what to say. It’s like a fairytale. I want to say a big thank you to Johann for making it happen."

'The pinnacle' - Guintoli revels in 'fairytale' Zarco win at Grand Prix France

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'It's just magic' - Zarco thrilled with win

For his part, Zarco recognised that he enjoyed a rare triumph. Not just a home MotoGP win, but one by such a margin that he had the freedom to wave to his supportive crowd.

He said: "But okay, the last lap, I had a 20-second advantage. I began to really not lean on the bike, just go through the corners. In the last sector, I began to wave to say hello to the crowd, because I was seeing flags moving a lot. That was nice to get this possibility to say hello to the fans before the end of the race. It’s very special."

‘I began to think I can win the race’ - Zarco reveals the ‘focus’ needed to win Grand Prix France

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The results mean that Marc Marquez moved to 171 points, 22 clear of his nearest challenger, and brother, Alex. Bagnaia sits in third, 51 points off the pace. Zarco is in sixth, 99 points behind the current championship leader.

Next up, the season moves to the United Kingdom, with the action starting at Silverstone on Friday, May 23 and concluding on Sunday, May 25.

Watch and stream the 2025 MotoGP season live on TNT Sports and discovery+

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