MotoGP French GP: Jorge Martin wins sprint after rocket start, Marc Marquez crashes

Jorge Martin did all the hard work at the first corner, then cruised home at Le Mans

Factory Aprilia rider Jorge Martin vaulted from eighth place on the grid to claim the lead at the first corner and win his second sprint race of 2026 at Le Mans on Saturday.

While the Spaniard celebrated the fruits of an incredible getaway and first corner, leading home Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) and Aprilia team-mate Marco Bezzecchi, his countryman Marc Marquez crashed spectacularly late in the race as his troubled season continued.

Martin's start was among the most amazing seen in living memory. Not only did he have a great getaway from the third row, but his work at the first corner was breathtaking. Seemingly out of position on the outside under braking for the Dunlop chicane, Martin barely seemed to notice team-mate Bezzecchi leading Bagnaia on his inside. Conventional thinking would suggest they were comfortably ahead of him in the queue for the tricky, accident-prone funnel.

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team crash

Photo by: Marc Fleury

But Martin simply aimed at the second apex of the chicane, and arrived there with timing that was nothing short of perfect. He showed up on that apex just a whisker ahead of Bezzecchi and the rest, claiming a dramatic early lead. From there he controlled the race, and was never threatened as he kept his lead mostly between one and two seconds throughout proceedings.

Bezzecchi, probably shocked to see his fellow Aprilia in front of him at the first corner, was unable to hold on to second place for long. He made a mistake at Musee on lap three and that was enough to allow Bagnaia past him. That was also that as far as the battle for the runner-up medal was concerned, with Bagnaia riding an undramatic race to come home behind Martin.

Bezzecchi also kept it steady and faced no threats as he brought his machine home in third place – just his second sprint finish of the season.

French Grand Prix - Sprint results

SPRINT

All Stats

Cla	Rider	#	Bike	Laps	Time	Interval	Points
1	J. Martin Aprilia Racing Team	89	Aprilia	13	19'46.830		12
2	F. Bagnaia Ducati Team	63	Ducati	13	+1.107 19'47.937	1.107	9
3	M. Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing Team	72	Aprilia	13	+2.786 19'49.616	1.679	7
4	P. Acosta Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	37	KTM	13	+3.808 19'50.638	1.022	6
5	F. Quartararo Yamaha Factory Racing	20	Yamaha	13	+4.402 19'51.232	0.594	5
6	J. Mir Honda HRC	36	Honda	13	+4.630 19'51.460	0.228	4
7	A. Ogura Trackhouse Racing Team	79	Aprilia	13	+5.670 19'52.500	1.040	3
8	A. Marquez Gresini Racing	73	Ducati	13	+6.608 19'53.438	0.938	2
9	D. Moreira Team LCR	11	Honda	13	+10.368 19'57.198	3.760	1
10	J. Zarco Team LCR	5	Honda	13	+11.771 19'58.601	1.403
View full results