Fabio Quartararo will need to be “very clever” to win French GP

The local hero knows he can’t beat the Ducatis on outright pace, but hopes to outwit them on what could be a drizzly Sunday at Le Mans

Fabio Quartararo says he and the factory Yamaha team will have to be “very clever” to convert pole position into victory in tomorrow’s French Grand Prix at Le Mans.

The home favourite was outgunned by three Ducatis in today’s sprint despite taking an early lead. But the longer race on Sunday, combined with expected cooler temperatures and possible showers, will give him hope.

“First of all, it’s going to be different tyres – especially at the rear because we know very well that the soft tyres won’t last, at least for us,” Quartararo told Canal+ after the sprint. “We're going to have to be very clever, try and see what we can do. But [changing weather] could be positive.”

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In a separate press briefing, Quartararo added that he would race with a hard front and medium rear on Sunday, following a sprint in which he experienced a “big drop” from the soft rear. He added that he expected most of the field to go the same way in terms of grand prix rubber.

Given the performance deficit of his Yamaha compared to the Ducatis, Quartararo was philosophical about his sprint result. The M1 has come a long way since the beginning of 2025, at least in the 2021 world champion’s hands.

“We did a smart race and we got the best result we could get. To be disappointed with a fourth position is positive. [For sure] we [enjoy fighting] in the first positions more than… fighting for 10th or 12th position at the beginning of the season.”

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Another positive for Quartararo was his continued form in qualifying. He took his second consecutive 2025 pole with a lap he described as “probably the best lap of my career”.

As in the previous round in Spain, Quartararo responded to an early Q2 lap by Marc Marquez with a charge on his second run.

“I know very well that from the first run to the second run we always have a little something more. The track [gets] a little bit better [for us] because we have a little lack of grip compared to the others.

“We [have noticed that] Mark had a lot of chatter at the front in the last sector on his second run. Because I think they [Ducati] have a little too much grip compared to us. But for us, it's perfect.

“I didn’t know my lap was a pole position. I knew I was going to improve on my time from the first run, but it was really a spectacular time.”