Ducati’s Jack Miller enjoyed his second MotopGP victory in a row after successfully navigating a dramatic flag-to-flag clash at Le Mans.
There was further delight as both Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo celebrated on their home rostrum in second and third respectively, with the Pramac rider securing the second consecutive one-two for the Bologna manufacturer.
The warmest conditions of the weekend greeted the MotoGP class as preparations ramped up ahead of the 27-lap FrenchGP with the riders having faced just one dry session all weekend, thanks to Friday’s FP2. As the grid lined up, the race was declared dry but the building cloud had already begun to cool the Bugatti circuit and the possibility of a flag-to-flag was at the back of everyone’s mind.
Local hero, Quartararo launched from pole, Maverick Viñales and Miller alongside from the front row but it was the Bologna bullet who took the holeshot as the lights went out. A great start fired Takaaki Nakagami up to fourth from the Repsol Hondas of Marc Marquez and Pol Espargaro with Valentino Rossi battling Petronas team-mate Franky Morbidelli for seventh before the younger Italian went down in pain at turn 11 and Rossi dropped to 13th.
Alex Rins was up to fifth by lap two in the aftermath of the previous altercation, Espargaro having fallen to 10th as his elder brother advanced to seventh, with Joan Mir in hot pursuit. Viñales was now out in front as Miller spilt the factory Yamaha’s and Rins made a move stick on Nakagami for fourth but as the fourth lap got underway the rain arrived.
Quartararo took his opportunity to lead as his teammate dropped to fourth but Miller was already threatening the M1’s wheel before pushing through halfway round. The Frenchman was back in charge as lap five began, the pitlane frantically preparing the change of machines as the rain intensified in the second half of the track. Miller ran wide as the conditions deteriorated and the bikes began to flood into pitlane.
It was Marquez now out in front as Mir crashed just before entering the pits, his Suzuki teammate hitting the deck on his out-lap after swapping bikes. Quartararo trailed the Honda as the race action resumed, Miller five-seconds behind in third but the Ducati rider had a double long lap penalty looming, alongside his teammate Pecco Bagnaia, for speeding in the pitlane.
Nakagami returned to fourth as he settled into the wet settings with Zarco fighting Alex Marquez behind for fifth. Espargaro had recovered to seventh with 20 laps to go, Viñales sitting eighth before Marquez was flicked from his Honda at turn 14.
Quartararo returned to the front from Miller and Nakagami as his countryman moved up to fourth. The younger Marquez heading the Espargaro brothers, with Aleix seven-tenths in front, while Rossi sat eighth from Viñales and Danillo Petrucci.
Miller continued to chase the Frenchman despite despatching his two long lap penalties in quick succession, with Quartararo being issued a penalty of his own for pulling in to the wrong garage during the bike swap carnage. The Ducati took charge on lap 12 and pulled a four-second gap as the final penalty was taken with Lorenzo Savadori’s Aprilia going up in smoke shortly after. Miguel Oliveira was the next to crash out at turn three having found himself inside the top-10, with his teammate Brad Binder currently circulating in 12th.
Zarco was upping the pace at the halfway stage as Rins crashed out for the second time at turn three. The Frenchman promoting himself to third on the next lap as he dispatched Nakagami, with a 13-second gap now the task ahead. Marquez began to catch his LCR teammate for fourth as Petrucci split the Espargaro brothers in seventh. Viñales, Bagnaia and Rossi circulated on the edge of the top-10 as the second Aprilia tumbled down the times and he too retired with a technical issue.
10 laps to go and Zarco had cut the gap to his countryman to under seven-seconds as the Pramac rider made the best of his medium/medium wet tyres. Miller and Quartararo riding with alternating medium/soft combinations with the Ducati man seeming to signal to the pitwall that his soft rear was starting to suffer.
Marquez’ difficult weekend came to an untimely end as his Repsol found the gravel yet again, this time at turn six, as the LCR duo came under fire from the rapidly advancing KTM of Petrucci.
Clearing blue skies illuminated the Le Mans circuit as the final seven laps began, Zarco now on the wheels of Quartararo as he threatened the struggling Yamaha, before dispatching him on the start/finish straight for a Ducati one-two.
Five to go and both Petrucci and Bagnaia were through on Nakagami, the Ducati rider scalping the KTM for fifth before heading directly after Marquez for fourth, and succeeding down the straight next time around.
The hard charging Ducati maintained his pace as he hunted down the final podium position, cutting four-seconds to the M1 in just one lap, despite running wide at turn eight, with six left to catch and two laps remaining. Quartararo’s front soft tyre shredding as the race counted down.
Hopes of a double French podium, however, were rewarded as Bagnaia ran out of time, Quartararo finding the flag with 1.7s in hand.
Two Ducatis and two Frenchmen shared the podium as Miller took his second win in as many races, followed by a delighted Zarco and relieved Quartararo. Bagnaia claimed an impressive comeback to fourth after starting 16th with Petrucci claiming fifth from the LCR duo of Marquez and Nakagami.
Espargaro completed the trio of Hondas in eighth with Iker Lecuona and Viñales rounding out the top-10. Rossi came home comfortably ahead of his younger brother, Luca Marini, in 11th and 12th with Binder, Enea Bastianini and Tito Rabat claiming the remaining points. Morbidelli concluding the standings four laps down.
