Zarco surprisingly triumphs at Le Mans ahead of Marc Marquez. Bagnaia and Alex fall

Surprise at Le Mans: Johann Zarco wins the French GP. The Lcr Honda rider, team led by Lucio Cecchinello, wins his home race after numerous surprises. Penalties galore, intermittent rain and continuous bike changes: there is everything in the sixth act of the MotoGP World Championship. Ducati's winning streak ends after 22 races, although they still complete the podium. Marc Marquez, second, forcefully extends his lead in the World Championship, taking advantage of his rivals' falls. He now has 22 points over his brother Alex and 51 over Bagnaia. Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini) takes third place at Le Mans.

As has already happened in many previous editions, the weather becomes the protagonist. The rain, already present in the final part of the Moto2, returns just before the start. The riders arrive on the grid with bikes equipped with slick tires, but the downpour becomes insistent and, at the end of the reconnaissance lap, everyone returns to the pits to switch to the wet set-up. The start is thus postponed by 10 minutes. Furthermore, the race is shortened, going from 27 to 26 laps. Another twist: during the second formation lap, the Marquez brothers, Di Giannantonio, Morbidelli, Quartararo, Binder, Acosta and Aldeguer return to the pits to switch to slicks again. All these riders, however, serve a double long lap penalty by virtue of the new regulation that penalizes any bike changes before the start.

Anything goes in the first ten laps. The first dramatic turn of events occurs after a few meters: Bastianini ends up on the ground, involving Mir and Bagnaia in the fall. Pecco manages to restart, but the race is now compromised. He will finish sixteenth. Quartararo, on the other hand, seems to be in control. Fabio leads the Grand Prix until he has to serve the first of the two long lap penalties. The Frenchman, however, exaggerates in his attempt to recover and slips, saying goodbye to his hopes of victory. In the meantime, between the fourth and seventh laps, all the riders serve the penalty, but a new downpour of rain invites the protagonists to return to the pits again to definitively switch to the wet bike. New change and the rankings are turned upside down once again in a few minutes.

This series of pit stops leaves Zarco in the lead, having started immediately on rain tires and ended up in the back after a terrible start. Miguel Oliveira is second, but soon gives way to the Marquez brothers. Everyone expects Marc to make a splash, but once he gets second place, the Spaniard doesn't seem to be able to close the gap on the leader, who, in turn, drives with millimetric precision. Indeed, it's Johann who extends his lead over the eight-time world champion. The positions seem to crystallize, but, with five laps to go, Alex Marquez slips twice, retiring from the race. Acosta thus inherits the podium, but only for a short time: on the penultimate lap Aldeguer snatches third place. No hesitation for Zarco who races towards his second MotoGP success. Certainly the best day for him.