MotoGP heads to Le Mans on the back of that brilliant battle at Jerez

2024 MotoGP World Championship
Round Five – Michelin Grand Prix de France
Preview / Schedule

After a truly spectacular battle between Pecco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez at Jerez, we are fully charged-up for MotoGP’s visit to France this week at the historic Le Mans circuit.

The Le Mans circuit was built in 1965, just a few kilometres from the city of Le Mans. MotoGP made its first visit to the iconic French track in the late sixties, and it remained a fixture until 1996. After some safety modifications, the 4.2km-long circuit was added back to the calendar in 2000.  Last month, the circuit hosted the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which was won by the Suzuki of Yoshimura SERT Motul.

The Bugatti Circuit of Le Mans is narrow in places, relatively hilly, and extends to 4.185 km. Made up of nine right turns and five left turns, it is characterised by two straights: one passing the pits, with a length of 674 metres, and a shorter second one ‘Chemin aux Bœufs’, before turns 7 and 8.

After the anguish and turmoil Marquez has lived through since Jerez 2020, his second place in Jerez was celebrated with more verve than many of his 59 premier class victories. His first dry-weather podium since 2022, and his first with Ducati, while frantically chasing hard the defending World Champion who is on the new model of that bike, made it a glorious day for Marc and his fans.

The outright glory though, of course, belonged to Bagnaia. The defending champ dug deep to fend off the many determined challenges from Number 93, to firmly underscore his status as top dog.

Francesco Bagnaia

“After the last race weekend at Jerez and the test, I arrive at Le Mans pretty confident. All the conditions are there for us to be fast right from the start. We have always been competitive in France, and even last year in the race, we had a good pace and were fighting for the win. Unfortunately, I was unlucky and had to retire due to a crash after being hit by another rider. The only big unknown, as always, will be the weather, but, in any case, we will work to be ready to face any conditions.”

Championship leader, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), was looking down the barrel of a potentially monumental points advantage on Sunday in Jerez, but a crash out of the lead and the win for Bagnaia, leaves him nursing a much-reduced 17-point lead.

It’s still very much Martin’s lead, however, and he’s got a little breathing space to try to iron out those scrappy moments and build it back up. Can he? Le Mans has never really been his track, but he’s the points-leader for a reason and this season that’s from improved consistency more than pure explosive pace at every venue. And he wants this very badly.

Meanwhile, Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), was right back in the mix at Jerez – something that could be key after the Spanish GP was a tough one last season. As the Paddock heads for somewhere that was the opposite – Le Mans, a track he absolutely ruled in 2023 – Bezzecchi is likely feeling a lot more ready to rumble than he was on the tails of a tough pre-season.

Marco Bezzecchi

“I can’t wait to get back to the track, I’m really excited after the great race in Jerez, it was needed for the whole Team! Le Mans is notoriously a track where I have always been very strong, in all categories. I like the track, last year I won, one of the best races of my career. Let’s continue to work, we have done good things over the last weekends and let’s have fun.”

Elsewhere on Ducati machinery, Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) will be happier to have beaten Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) to fourth place in Jerez, but both feel they belong closer to the podium, and Bastianini to the win, after he’d previously had the advantage on Bagnaia.

Enea Bastianini

“I’m happy to be back at Le Mans, where I couldn’t race last year due to injury. It’s definitely a friendly track since I managed to get a win there in 2022. After the Jerez test, I came home happy and satisfied: I am confident that what we tried will help us both here and in the next races. I can’t wait to get on track with the goal of getting back into the fight for the podium”.

Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) has been building pace, but will want decent Sunday results – and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) is looking for more as well, after his team-mate got back on the podium at Jerez.

Fabio Di Giannantonio

“Le Mans is a fantastic track, I like it a lot. In Moto3 I almost won a race (in 2018, he crossed the finishing line first, but was penalized for a previous cut at the first chicane, thus finishing in fourth place), but in general I’ve always been quite strong here. Last year I had already struggled less than other weekends and this year, considering all the work we are doing with the Team and the sensations from the latest tests, we can be there with in the strongest guys.”

At KTM and GASGAS, there’s plenty to talk about, and first, it has to be rookie, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3). Another notable result for Acosta was a Sprint podium at Jerez in front of a rapturous crowd, with the stage seemingly set for Sunday. But a big crash in Warm Up, and then some adventures during the race saw him forced to fight back from down the order to finish in the top ten.

Pedro Acosta

“We are arriving in France with a lot of things learnt from Jerez. After four rounds, we knew the areas where we had to improve on, and the test helped us a lot in that sense, so I think that we are heading to France in a much better position. Le Mans is a circuit that I like, and it is also the home Grand Prix for the Tech3 team, so we will try to do our best, starting with improving our qualifying on Saturday, and trying to get a good grid position. I’m really looking forward to racing there, in front of a crowd that loves motorcycling to the max!”

Meanwhile, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) will want a smoother weekend after a couple of expensive tumbles of late, but Sunday at Jerez saw the South African take another good haul of points. He’s not here for that, though; he’s here for glory.

For Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), it’s a case of finding that staying power at the front, and for Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) it’s all about trying to replicate his storming performance to fourth in France last year.

After his showstopper at COTA, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) had a tougher race at Jerez. Conditions in qualifying put Aprilia on the back foot, then he was (one of many) Sprint crashers, and then he got beaten by Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing) on Sunday. But the Spanish GP probably isn’t a benchmark to judge COTA as an outlier. That will likely come at venues like Catalunya, Silverstone, Misano, Phillip Island, and… Le Mans? It wouldn’t be a shock to see Viñales pulling out another ace from his deck in France. He knows what it takes to win at the venue, and being under some serious pressure.

For Aleix Espargaro, it’s been a tough season so far, and Le Mans offers The Captain the next opportunity to start rebuilding.

Just as at Trackhouse, it seems Oliveira did just that in Jerez. He came home as the top Aprilia in the GP race and will want to build on that as the silly season starts to ramp up, putting some pressure on the factory riders. Team-mate, Raul Fernandez, also found some positives in Jerez, but more will be sought in Sarthe, as he aims for a regular top ten.

Davide Brivio – Trackhouse Racing

“We arrive in Le Mans, another classic race after Jerez, continuing the European part of the season. We will keep the momentum going after we found improvements in Austin and also, I feel, that Jerez was a positive round for us as we were able to confirm some gains, both in the race weekend and the test on Monday. We have to continue this work with both our riders and all our crew so that we keep fine tuning our settings and processes. I see Miguel and Raul getting more and more familiar with their bikes and being more comfortable and although both riders missed Le Mans last year – Miguel with injury and Raul needing treatment for arm pump – we will go to France ready to fight for more performance and excited about the first French Grand Prix for Trackhouse.”

Yamaha had a hard Jerez, although there was a surprise result – and Yamaha would agree after a tough qualifying – in the Sprint for Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) with a P5, despite his penalty. Sunday was no easier, though, as El Diablo could only rescue a single point after starting right near the back, and team-mate Alex Rins was ahead of him as well.

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“At the Jerez Test we were able to review some new items. Our engineers are working hard to prepare for the bike update that’s expected soon. Our team and riders are very keen to try these items again at the private Mugello test after the French GP. This year, we started changing our approach, and we will use each GP weekend to try to improve the bike. This is a very important race weekend for Fabio as it’s his home GP. The French fans always give him great support. These fans and also the organisers of the French GP are one of the best in the world, creating a very nice atmosphere from the very start of the round on Thursday all the way to the end, which makes the entire team go the extra mile.”

At Le Mans, there will be the standard goals: Improve their pace, work on that Qualifying speed, and get a better position on the grid so you’re not fighting through traffic. But it’s also home turf for France’s first ever premier class World Champion, and Quartararo will want to reward the crowd’s devotion – and most definitely beat his team-mate this time around.

At Honda, there was talk of a new direction at the Jerez Test, and their riders put in plenty of laps. Honda will be hoping it can start to dig up and move forward, although there were some positives from the Jerez weekend, which saw Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) finish as top Honda in P12, ahead of both factory Yamahas.

Joan Mir

“Finally when we look at what happened in Jerez we have to be content, we achieved the maximum that we could. Doing the same again this weekend is the goal. Le Mans is a different kind of track with lots of slow speed corners, so we need to work to setup for that as much as possible. It’s true it has been a bit of a tricky track for me in the past but we approach with our goals and our plan this weekend.”

Still, Mir, team-mate Luca Marini, Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR), and Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) want more. For Zarco too, a late crash in the Sprint robbed him of some good points, and Sunday saw some scuffles hampering his progress – so he’ll be pushing hard on home turf to give the French fans a proper show.

Luca Marini

“Another opportunity for us to make improvements. Myself and my team are giving our maximum to make progress and we enter the French GP weekend with the same intensity. It’s important to stay focused and make the most of every opportunity we are presented. The weather in Le Mans can be quite wet and cold, so let’s see what we can achieve.”

The fans at Le Mans will most definitely reciprocate as the packed grandstands prepare to welcome MotoGP back to Sarthe. It’s a classic for a reason, and with rivalries bubbling, the Championship gap closing, and track records tumbling for some interesting reasons, you don’t want to miss it.

MotoGP Championship Standings

Moto2

It took a little longer than many thought it would, probably himself included, but Fermin Aldeguer (Folladore SpeedUp), finally bagged a full-fat 25 points on home turf to kick his title-chase up a gear. It was a flawless performance from the Spaniard, who now sits 15 points behind our new Moto2 World Championship leader – Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing).

The American trumped Aldeguer to the Moto2 ride of the day  (depending who you ask, of course) in Jerez, when he came storming from P11 on the grid to finish just 1.2s behind the race winner. Roberts’ third consecutive P2 finish means he’s the first American to lead a Grand Prix World Championship since the late Nicky Hayden in 2006, and at Le Mans – a track he likes – it might be that first win he’s craving after an impressive run of three P2s on the bounce.

Meanwhile, following a P4 in Jerez, former standings leader, Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI), is now five points adrift of the Moto2 summit, and heading to a track he won at in 2021 in the lightweight class… so the target will be clear.

It’ll be more than just the top three in the Championship who will be challenging at the front, though. Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2) scored his second podium of the season in Jerez, and is now in P4 overall, ahead of Alonso Lopez (Folladore SpeedUp), who needs to rebound after a DNF.

Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) won in France last year, and he will be hoping his Spanish P7 can be the catalyst he needs to properly get going in 2024.

Moto2 rookie, Senna Agius, has outperformed his team-mate so far this season but will desperately want to add to his championship points tally in France.

Moto2 Championship Standings

Moto3

There won’t have been many people expecting anyone other than David Alonso (CFMoto Gaviota Aspar) to win the Spanish GP. But that’s not how motorcycle racing plays out sometimes, and a surprise crash out the lead saw his pace insufficent to the task. Instead, a rising star from The Netherlands won for a second time in Moto3, as Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) oozed class on his way to beating David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) by 0.045s, propelling the Dutchman to P3 in the standings before landing in Le Mans.

Veijer sits one place ahead of Jerez’s third-place finisher, Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI), and one place behind 2023’s French GP winner, Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3). After a crash in Q2, the Spaniard had to settle for P7 on Sunday. But it’s a result that extended his advantage over Alonso, as the latter “only” climbed his way back up to P11. Five points are better than zero, but the Colombian will be seeking to bury the disappointment in France… as Veijer and Ortola look to keep cutting the gap to the leading duo after their own early season dramas.

Aussie Joel Kelso is right in that mix also, sitting equal fourth on points with Ortola, after his best-ever start to a Moto3 season.

Kelso’s countryman, Jacob Roulstone, will be looking to consolidate his top ten position in the championship standings, in what is proving as a stellar rookie season for the teenager.

Moto3 Championship Standings

MotoE

Reigning World Champion Mattia Casadei (LCR E-Team) is back in the hot seat, leading the standings thanks to two podiums in Portugal, but it’s just a single point in it at the top as Hector Garzo (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE) looms close following two second places at Round 1. And there are some key contenders looking to hit back against both.

The first will be Nicholas Spinelli (Tech3 E-Racing), who won Race 1 on the Algarve and then crashed out of the second. He also arrives from that blockbuster WorldSBK win. Eric Granado (LCR E-Team), who crashed out the lead in Race 1 and then fought for the podium before being forced to settle for fourth in Race 2, is another who’ll want a lot more in France. Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team), a winner last year at Le Mans, likewise.

Meanwhile, Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE) is looking for his mojo after a tougher first round, although his 2023 French GP proves his ability to bounce back. He crashed out the first race in an incident he got a Long Lap for and then came out swinging in Race 2, despite that, to take his first win of the year.

Riders who boasted some mojo in Portugal were the likes of Lukas Tulovic (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE) and Kevin Zannoni (Openbank Aspar Team), with the duo sitting P4 and P5 in the Championship ahead of a date with Le Mans. Tulovic is just two points adrift of Spinelli and will be hunting a first MotoE rostrum since his 2021 Austria win. Will that come this weekend? Or can he attack for the podium?

Two more eight-lap races are coming up in Le Mans as the electric class returns to action at a legendary venue.

Le Mans MotoGP Schedule AEST

2024 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar (Updated)

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