10:15
Marc Marquez believes the lap record will go in this Q2 session. If Q1 was anything to go by, this could be a very tight session indeed.
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, 2025 French MotoGP
© Gold and Goose
2025 French MotoGP - Sprint as it happened
Coverage of qualifying and the sprint at the 2025 MotoGP French Grand Prix as it happened
The 2025 MotoGP French Grand Prix weekend continues on Saturday with qualifying and the 13-lap sprint.
Alex Marquez comes into the first race day of the weekend leading the championship by a point following his victory at the Spanish Grand Prix two weeks ago.
But all eyes will be on his older brother Marc Marquez, who has won every sprint in 2025 so far and topped both of Friday's practice sessions having run an updated chassis. Fastest outright, the factory Ducati rider also showed the strongest long running pace.
French fans will be hopeful of something special from Fabio Quartararo, after the Yamaha rider was second on Friday and was also looking quick on race pace. He will start on pole.
Pecco Bagnaia admitted on Friday he can't find what he needs from the 2025 Ducati and needs to adapt himself to the bike now. He is in the hunt for the podium at Le Mans, but concedes he is not going to be fighting Marc Marquez.
KTM could be in for another strong showing this weekend as Maverick Vinales continues to show promising pace on his RC16.
Championship leader Alex Marquez didn't have an explosive lap in practice on Friday, but the Gresini rider's race pace is strong, as is team-mate Fermin Aldeguer.
Qualifying begins at 9:50am GMT, while the sprint is at 2pm GMT.
10 May 2025
10:14
Q2 group
Your pole fighters are:
- M.Marquez
- Quartararo
- Vinales
- Bagnaia
- Aldeguer
- A.Marquez
- Acosta
- Morbidelli
- Miller
- Bezzecchi
- Fernandez
- Zarco
10:13
Good effort that from Raul Fernandez. That's his first Q2 appearance since Thailand. Hasn't been inside the top 15 on the grid since.
10:11
Tight Q1. Just 0.298s covering the top eight.
10:09
Johann Zarco tops Q1
Zarco and Fernandez top Q1 and advance to Q2.
Binder misses out in 13th ahead of Rins, Mir, Marini, Di Giannantonio, Bastianini, Ogura, Oliveira, Savadori, Nakagami.
10:08
Chequered flag
Chequered flag is out. Binder misses Q2 by 0.010s at present.
10:06
Confirmation from Dorna that Q2 will start at 10:20am GMT.
10:06
Fernandez finds a 1m30.431s to go up to second with just two minutes to go.
10:05
Zarco now takes over top spot with a 1m30.399s, with Rins 0.056s behind in second.
10:05
But that is immediately bested by Fernandez on a 1m30.584s. Bastianini back up to second.
10:04
Di Giannantonio goes top with a 1m30.892s.
10:03
Miguel Oliveira looks to be really struggling with stability on his Pramac Yamaha. Twice now he's had big shakes on the way into Turn1/2.
10:02
To get into Q2, your probably going to have to get to a 1m30.1s, 1m30.0s, given the lap record has been reset at 1m29.855s yesterday and is expected to be beaten again today.
09:58
Green flag
Only a brief stop. Session has resumed.
09:57
Alex Rins still fastest from Enea Bastianini, Raul Fernandez, Miguel Oliveira, Brad Binder, Johann Zarco and Lorenzo Savadori.
No times yet or Luca Marini, Takaaki Nakagami, Joan Mir, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Ai Ogura.
10m18s on the clock when this session resumes.
09:56
Big job coming for Trackhouse as Ogura's bike has overheated with it being on its side while the engine was still running.
09:55
Red Flag
Session has been stopped while the marshals retrieve that crashed Aprilia. The engine was still running.
09:54
Yellow flags are out because of that crash at Turn 9 for Ogura, who just lost the front chasing Binder.
09:54
Crash - Ai Ogura
Ogura has gone down. He's ok, but that's a disaster for his Q2 hopes.
09:53
Alex Rins goes top with a 1m30.946s.
09:50
Green Flag
The Q1 shootout is go!
09:49
Alex Rins will needs to dig deep given the form of Yamaha stablemates Fabio Quartararo and Jack Miller so far this weekend.
09:48
VR46 will be hoping it has found what it has needed for Fabio Di Giannantonio as he is in danger of being the only Ducati not in Q2 - and he's on a factory bike.
09:48
Brad Binder was left in Q1 after a late crash in Practice yesterday. The KTM has been going well at Le Mans in the hands of Acosta and Vinales, so he'll be one to watch in this session.
09:47
As you can see from that list, all Hondas are in this session but Zarco and Marini were quite unlucky not to get into the top 10 at the end of Practice.
So, expect one of them to get through in this 15-minute Q1.
