Johann Zarco became the first French rider in 71 years to win the French Grand Prix, as his clever choice to start on wet tyres paid off in front of over 120,000 fans at Le Mans on Sunday. The LCR Honda rider took full advantage of a chaotic race where rain caused riders to switch bikes multiple times. Zarco crossed the finish line almost 20 seconds ahead of Marc Marquez (Ducati), with Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Racing) taking third for his first MotoGP podium.
Zarco had a rough start, finding himself down in 17th place on the first lap after going off track and nearly colliding with another rider. But as the rain caused confusion, he steadily worked his way through the field, took the lead, and stayed in front for the rest of the race.
He is the first Frenchman to win at Le Mans since Pierre Monneret in 1954. The 34-year-old celebrated with a back-flip in front of the cheering crowd, who had hoped to see fellow Frenchman and 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo take the win from pole position. But it was Zarco who gave the fans a reason to celebrate.
His win also ended Ducati’s 22-race winning streak, giving Honda a rare victory. “Hard to believe, I still don’t understand what’s happening,” Zarco said. “The last laps felt very long. It’s just magic because with the rain tyres at the start, we had to stay in control.”
The race was first red-flagged after all the riders came into the pits following the warm-up lap. They had all started with dry tyres but quickly realised the track was too slippery. After swapping to wet bikes, many riders came back in again on the sighting lap to switch once more as the rain eased, risking time penalties instead of racing on a drying track.
Marc Marquez, who had won Saturday’s sprint race, led early on, before Quartararo took the lead and pulled away. Meanwhile, Marc’s brother Alex Marquez battled for second place. Behind them, Francesco Bagnaia and Joan Mir both crashed at turn three, with Mir retiring from the race.
Quartararo’s hopes ended on lap four when he crashed at the final corner, drawing gasps from the crowd. The Marquez brothers later returned to the pits again to switch to wet tyres, which allowed Zarco, who had started on wets, to take a strong lead.
Marc Marquez later called it a “crazy race,” especially the first part. “But Johann was faster today,” he said. “I pushed for two laps, saw he was pulling away, so I just tried to manage my pace.”
With eight laps to go, Zarco’s team advised him to slow down and stay safe. Fans in the stands were thrilled, even in the rain, though some were clearly nervous as they hoped he could finish the job.
As the rain got heavier, Alex Marquez crashed out of third place at turn three. This allowed KTM’s Pedro Acosta to move into the top three, but Aldeguer overtook him near the end to finish third.
“I wasn’t sure I could fight today because I don’t have much experience in the wet,” Aldeguer said. “But after a few laps, I felt better and had great pace. I’m really happy – my first podium.”
