Jorge Martin took his earl weekend success in practice, qualifying and the sprint race and finished off a perfect race weekend with a win in the French Grand Prix at Le Mans today. Martin solidified his place at the top of the riders championship table extending his lead over Francesco Bagnaia to 38 points. After losing out on points in the sprint Bganaia came back with a vengeance in the the grand prix after claiming a hard fought P3. Marc Marquez impressed again with his second podium of the weekend finishing P2 again for Gresini Racing. Martin was not available for comment however Marquez offered his post race thoughts.
In Gresini Racing’s 1000th race Marc Marquez was able to double down on his success in the sprint to again claim P2 behind Jorge Martin. Marquez said, “It was an excellent start, even though it wasn’t as good as yesterday’s. There was more time today to put together a comeback and our pace was strong. I lost a bit of time with Diggia and even before that with Viñales, who is definitely not an easy one to pass. Then, when I bridged the gap to Martin and Bagnaia I was expecting the latter to attack but in the end he didn’t, so I gave it a try. I had something more in the last lap so I took a gamble, and it worked.” With the back to back P2 finishes Marques moves to P3 just 2 points shy of Francesco Bagnaia in the the championship race.
Misfortune For Pedro Acosta
Rookie Gas Gas rider Pedro Acosta had a good race building up until a slight mistake cost him a chance at a podium in the grand prix. Acosta was fighting in P5 and attempted a move on Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) at turn eight. Unfortunately he lost the front of the bike and went sliding off of the track. The bike suffered some damage and Acosta was eventually retired from the race.
Afterward he said, “Not a bad weekend overall. After the Sprint we made a big step with the setting of the bike and my feeling at this track. I made a good start and there were many guys making mistakes. Anyway, it’s another year of no results here: it is becoming a tradition! So, let’s take this ‘back’ at the next one.” In his rookie season Acosta had found a rhythm that currently sees him in P6 in the championship. A feat no one expected from a MotoGP rookie.
Bastianini Finding Himself Again
Although Enea Bastianini didn’t find himself on the podium this weekend. The Italian did score two P4 finishes to finishes with a good chunk of points for Ducati Lenovo. After an unfortunate early season injury in 2023 Bastiainini has gotten off on a better foot in 2024 with hopes of championship contention. Right now the man to beat is Jorge Martin but Bastianini will have some work to do if he is going to challenge for the top spot.
Full French Grand Prix Results
Championship Standings