Honda’s Joan Mir led a dramatic and damp Sunday morning warm-up at the 2025 French MotoGP, setting the pace in tricky conditions before a late red flag brought the session to an early close.
Mir clocked a time just 0.072s quicker than Sprint race winner Marc Marquez, as riders navigated a drying Le Mans circuit that could face more rain ahead of this afternoon’s main event.
The session was halted moments before the chequered flag when Alex Marquez crashed and his Gresini Ducati needed to be retrieved. The Spaniard, a key podium contender, walked away unharmed.
Franco Morbidelli and French favourite Johann Zarco completed the top four, while local hero and pole-sitter Fabio Quartararo ended the session in 15th despite sporting a special Yamaha livery for his home race.
Francesco Bagnaia, still reeling from his Sprint race crash, struggled for pace and finished a lowly 20th after an off-track excursion.
The Yamaha riders continue testing a new engine and updated chassis parts carried over from the Jerez test, while Pedro Acosta returns to action just weeks after arm pump surgery.
Fellow surgery patient Somkiat Chantra remains sidelined, while Jorge Martin — still recovering from injury — is replaced again by Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori.
Miguel Oliveira is back on the Pramac Ducati following a three-race absence, and Takaaki Nakagami makes a one-off return for Honda in a wild-card outing.
Ducati, having matched Honda’s all-time streak of 22 consecutive GP wins, will aim to make history today with a potential 23rd straight victory — if the weather doesn’t throw a wrench into the plans.
With the threat of further rain looming, fans at a packed Le Mans — who helped set a record-breaking attendance of 297,471 last year — are bracing for an unpredictable and potentially chaotic French Grand Prix.
