French MotoGP, Le Mans - Full Qualifying Results

Full Qualifying results and grid line-up for the Saturday Sprint and main Sunday race at the French MotoGP at Le Mans, round 5 of 20 in the 2023 world championship.
Francesco Bagnaia, MotoGP, French MotoGP, 12 May
Francesco Bagnaia, MotoGP, French MotoGP, 12 May
French MotoGP, Le Mans - Full Qualifying Results
PosRiderNatTeamTime/DiffLapMax
1Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP23)1'30.705s9/9317k
2Marc MarquezSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+0.058s8/9315k
3Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.137s8/8315k
4Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.279s8/8315k
5Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)+0.318s7/8317k
6Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.415s4/7313k
7Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.468s9/9318k
8Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.570s8/8313k
9Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP22)+0.593s8/8312k
10Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.740s7/7311k
11Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.818s4/7314k
12Augusto FernandezSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)*+0.891s6/8310k
 Qualifying 1:     
13Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)1'31.366s3/8312k
14Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)1'31.545s8/8308k
15Fabio Di GiannantonioITAGresini Ducati (GP22)1'31.718s9/9313k
16Joan MirSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)1'31.81s8/8306k
17Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)1'31.886s6/8307k
18Alex RinsSPALCR Honda (RC213V)1'31.959s7/8311k
19Danilo PetrucciITADucati Lenovo (GP23)1'32.092s8/9315k
20Lorenzo SavadoriITARNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)1'32.41s7/8313k
21Jonas FolgerGERTech3 GASGAS (RC16)1'33.605s8/8307k

* Rookie

Fastest Friday time:
Jack Miller AUS KTM 1m 30.950s

Official Le Man MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 30.450s (2022)
Fastest race lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 31.778s (2022)

Ducati's reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia takes pole position for the French MotoGP at Le Mans ahead of Marc Marquez, taking part in his first qualifying since the Portimao opener, and Luca Marini.

KTM's Friday leader Jack Miller, Pramac Ducati's Jorge Martin and Aprilia's Maverick Vinales will form row two.

Vinales was holding pole with three minutes to go but had to surrender the position when his RS-GP began stuttering in pit lane as he departed for his final run. 

More drama at Aprilia followed when team-mate Aleix Espargaro suffered a 300km/h fall through the first corner, fortunately walking away.

The yellow flags cleared for the final minute when Marquez, chasing Martin, shot from third to first on the new Kalex chassis.

But Bagnaia saved his best for last and put his factory Ducati into pole position by just 0.058s ahead of the Repsol Honda rider.

Marquez was forced to walk back to the pits after a problem on his practice start, the Spaniard thus joining Vinales, Miller and Bagnaia in suffering a mysterious engine issue this morning.

There was more qualifying woe for Fabio Quartararo, who failed to advance past Qualifying 1 for his home round - after losing out to Luca Marini and a brilliant performance by rookie Augusto Fernandez - and will start this afternoon's Sprint and Sunday's main race from just 13th on the grid.

Remote video URL

Marc Marquez has finally been cleared to make a MotoGP return this weekend after being ruled out of Argentina, COTA and Jerez due to a delicate thumb fracture when he lost control under braking and collided with Miguel Oliveira in the Portimao season-opener.

Earlier this week, the MotoGP Court of Appeal also confirmed that Marquez will not need to serve the double Long lap penalty he received for causing that incident, having overturned the FIM Stewards attempt to shift the penalty from ‘Argentina’ to Marquez’s next race back.

The eight-time world champion is 80 points behind reigning champion and 2023 title leader Francesco Bagnaia, but with 592 points still available (92 more than the entire 2022 season) under the new Sprint (12 points) + GP (25) race weekend format.

Danilo Petrucci is returning to MotoGP action in place of the injured Enea Bastianini, riding for the same factory Ducati team with which he won in the wet at Le Mans in 2020.

After leaving MotoGP as a full-time rider following a tough year at Tech3 KTM in 2021, Petrucci competed in the Dakar and MotoAmerica before a one-off MotoGP ride for Suzuki at Buriram last season.

The Italian, 32, is currently eleventh in the World Superbike standings with a best finish of fifth place for Barni Ducati.

Bastianini, who broke his shoulder when he was taken down by Luca Marini in the Portimao sprint race, attempted to return at Jerez but withdrew due to the pain.

Miguel Oliveira is missing after suffering a left shoulder dislocation and fracture when he was caught up in Fabio Quartararo’s opening lap accident in Jerez.

Oliveira, who previously missed Argentina due to hip injuries from the impact by Marc Marquez’s Honda at Portimao, is being replaced at RNF by Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori.

Team-mate Raul Fernandez, who underwent arm pump surgery following Jerez, tried to ride in Practice 1 but withdrew from the remainder of the weekend after just three laps.

GASGAS Tech3’s Pol Espargaro remains absent due to his multiple injuries in Portimao and is again replaced by KTM test rider Jonas Folger.

Read More

Subscribe to our MotoGP Newsletter

Get the latest MotoGP news, exclusives, interviews and promotions from the paddock direct to your inbox