Practice for Round 5 of the 2026 MotoGP season, the French Grand Prix, concluded at Le Mans on May 8. Johann Zarco led with a 1:29.907, with Fabio Di Giannantonio 0.010 seconds behind and Francesco Bagnaia 0.138 seconds adrift.
Zarco secured the fastest time at his home event in the closing stages, just one hundredth of a second ahead of Di Giannantonio. Third-placed Bagnaia and fourth-placed Álex Márquez both recorded a 1:30.045, with the final classification placing them third and fourth respectively. Mir finished fifth, giving Honda two riders in the top five.
The battle at the top was far from straightforward. Di Giannantonio, Zarco, Mir and Bagnaia each took turns at the head of the timesheets; Martín crashed at Turn 9 early in the session, while Raúl Fernández suffered a mechanical failure that left his bike in flames. Bagnaia also crashed on his final flying lap, but his earlier time was enough to keep him in the top three.
Less than 0.3 seconds covered the ten riders who qualified directly for Q2, with all five manufacturers represented. Acosta returned to the pits to change bikes after a crash and ultimately held on to the final qualifying spot in tenth; Marc Márquez was unable to improve his time in the closing stages and finished 13th. The other French rider, Quartararo, was only 17th, meaning both he and Márquez will have to make it through Q1 first on Saturday.
2026 MotoGP Round 5 French Grand Prix Practice Results
| Position | Number | Rider | Team | Best Lap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Johann Zarco | Castrol Honda LCR | 1'29.907 | 23 |
| 2 | 49 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | VR46 Racing Team | 1'29.917 | 23 |
| 3 | 63 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati Team | 1'30.045 | 22 |
| 4 | 73 | Álex Márquez | Gresini Racing | 1'30.045 | 26 |
| 5 | 36 | Joan Mir | Honda Team | 1'30.092 | 27 |
| 6 | 89 | Jorge Martín | Aprilia Racing | 1'30.128 | 23 |
| 7 | 72 | Marco Bezzecchi | Aprilia Racing | 1'30.177 | 28 |
| 8 | 42 | Álex Rins | Yamaha Team | 1'30.195 | 21 |
| 9 | 79 | Ai Ogura | Trackhouse Racing | 1'30.196 | 25 |
| 10 | 37 | Pedro Acosta | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 1'30.196 | 21 |
| 11 | 23 | Enea Bastianini | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | 1'30.274 | 24 |
| 12 | 33 | Brad Binder | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 1'30.288 | 26 |
| 13 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Ducati Team | 1'30.371 | 24 |
| 14 | 25 | Raúl Fernández | Trackhouse Racing | 1'30.417 | 22 |
| 15 | 43 | Jack Miller | Pramac Racing | 1'30.428 | 26 |
| 16 | 10 | Luca Marini | Honda Team | 1'30.463 | 25 |
| 17 | 20 | Fabio Quartararo | Yamaha Team | 1'30.469 | 27 |
| 18 | 21 | Franco Morbidelli | VR46 Racing Team | 1'30.670 | 24 |
| 19 | 11 | Diogo Moreira | Honda LCR | 1'30.723 | 22 |
| 20 | 7 | Toprak Razgatlıoğlu | Pramac Racing | 1'31.328 | 20 |
| 21 | 54 | Fermín Aldeguer | Gresini Racing | 1'31.434 | 17 |
| 22 | 94 | Jonas Folger | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | 1'32.450 | 21 |
Results source: Official MotoGP Practice timing sheet (© MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, 2026).
