The most popular meeting each year, the Grand Prix de France is hosting MotoGP this week for the sixth round of the season. An unmissable event in the spring, which brings together Systematically more than 100,000 spectators on Sunday and more than 200,000 over the entire weekend. This year again, the public will support the PFrench islands, Fabio Quartararo and Johann Zarco, both noticed performance authors in recent weeks.
GPs of France
As the classic weekend program wants, the departure of the Sprint MotoGP race will be given on Saturday at 3 p.m., then the main race of the Grand Prix de France will start on Sunday at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
| Date | Séance | Schedules |
|---|---|---|
| Friday May 9 | Free tests 1 | 10h45 – 11h30 |
| Testing | 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. | |
| Saturday May 10 | Free tests 2 | 10h10 – 10h40 |
| Qualifications | 10h50 – 11h30 | |
| Course sprint | 15h00 | |
| Sunday May 11 | Warm-up | 9h40 – 9h50 |
| Course | 14h00 |
Find the program at your time here.
How to follow the Grand Prix de France?
The channels of the Canal+ group are the official MotoGP broadcaster in France and, this week again, they will broadcast the entire program. The weekend will start on Canal+ Sport 360, with the trials and qualifications of the three categories Friday and Saturday, then the Sprint MotoGP race, Saturday at 3 p.m. On Sunday, this channel will also broadcast the Warm-up of the queen category and then the Moto3 races at 11 a.m. and Moto2 at 12:15 p.m. It will be necessary to switch to Canal+ Sunday for the MotoGP race whose departure will be given at 2 p.m.
Le Mans circuit
Built in 1965 and host of its first Grand Prix de France in 1969, the Bugatti circuit of Le Mans has welcomed the world elite without interruption since 2000, after a parenthesis (1996-1999) resulting from the serious accident of Alberto Puig. It is already guaranteed to stay on the calendar until 2031.
With a length of 4.185 km, it is a complete circuit, with a very fast first turn but also a series of slow turns which, in the compromise that the technical teams must operate, tend to take over. The layout has a total of nine right turns and five on the left, interspersed with short straight lines.
Its stop-and-go character gives pride of place to braking stability, maneuverability in direction of steering and traction. The reagents are indeed essential, much more than advanced speeds, the record of which has 40.3 km/h less than that of Mugello.
Characteristics of the track:
-| Construction | 1965 |
| Length of the track | 4,185 km |
| Track width | 13 m |
| Turns | 5 left – 9 right |
| Longer straight line | 674 m |
| Pole position | left |
| MotoGP race distance | 112,995 km (27 tours) |
| Distance from the Sprint race | 54,405 km (13 tours) |
The route of the Bugatti circuit for the Grand Prix de France
Records in force:
| Best time in racing | E. Bastianini | 1’31″107 | 2024 |
| Pole record |  J. Martín | 1’29″919 | 2024 |
| Record V-max | B. Binder | 325.8 km/h | 2023 |
| Average speed record | J. Martín | 167.5 km/h | 2024 |
The winner of the GP of France
It is Jorge Lorenzo which holds the greatest number of MotoGP victories at Le Mans, five successes obtained between 2009 and 2016. The Spanish pilot then shone with Yamaha, for whom Sarthe was a friendly field. It must be said that from the creation of MotoGP, in 2002, and until 2019, the victories of the GP of France shared almost exclusively between Yamaha and Honda. Almost ? Yes, because there was the memorable 2007 edition, with the triumph of the Suzuki of Chris Vermeulen under the flood, unforgettable for anyone who suffered this shower.
But for five years, the list has evolved like the trend taken by MotoGP, to the glory of Ducati but with a different winner each year. Danilo Petrucci, then Jack Miller, Enea Bastianini, Marco Bezzecchi And finally Jorge Martín in turn won the Italian manufacturer at Le Mans. In addition, there are two victories for Sprint for the 2024 world champion, who will be absent this year, and pole positions Ducati in the last three editions.
Show lovers are generally served with this event, often disturbed by the weather, as in 2021 where the pilots had to make a change of incredible motorcycle while the circuit was swept by gusts of wind and showers. Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo had then won a French double podium, but the public is still waiting for them on the highest step to celebrate them as it should be.
Le Mans often reserves many surprises, but Marc Márquez hopes to experience a linear Grand Prix and thus reconnect with success in Sarthe, six years after his last. Unless Alex Márquez continues on his momentum or Pecco Bagnaia makes the wheel turn …
The last polemen and winners of the GP of France:
Next race: Grand Prix of Great Britain (May 23 – 25)
MotoGP calendar
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