Martin fends off Marquez, Bagnaia to win French GP

Just like the Spanish GP two weeks ago, all the podium finishers at LeMans were riding Ducatis. However, the podium order was al- new in France with Jorge Martin winning both the Sprint and feature races this time around.

1. M. Marquez overtakes Bagnaia on last lap to finish P2
2. Home hero Fabio Quartararo crashes out while running sixth 
3. Bagnaia’s deficit to Martin in the championship grows

Podium battle at Le Mans

Francesco Bagnaia got a picture-perfect start and as he has done many times now, he managed to hold onto that lead for the majority of the race. Jorge Martin, the man touted to be Bagnaia’s teammate next year, was running second for much of the feature-length race but a decisive manoeuvre in the closing laps saw him wrestle the lead from the reigning world champion.

At that point, Bagnaia was running in second place and that was the case until the last lap when Marc Marquez (who also finished on the podium in the Sprint race) overtook the factory Ducati rider to claim a second place finish. 

Quartararo, Acosta crash out

Despite the performance challenges that the Yamaha M1 is enduring in recent times, Frenchman Fabio Quartararo managed to make his way into the top six. Unfortunately for the home crowd and Yamaha, the 2021 MotoGP world champion crashed out while he was running in sixth place. 

Rookie Pedro Acosta, who has been very impressive this season, had a good run in the French GP initially and had already overtaken a few riders ahead of him. But he too, suffered a lowside and had to retire.

2024 MotoGP championship standings

With this victory, Jorge Martin cements his lead in the standings. He now holds a 38-point advantage over Bagnaia, who is trailed by Marc Marquez and teammate Enea Bastianini, both of whom have only a 1 point deficit to him.

2024 French GP results