Marc Márquez claimed his sixth consecutive Sprint race win at Le Mans on May 10, 2025, finishing ahead of Fabio Quartararo and brother Alex Márquez. The factory Ducati rider timed his attack to perfection and pulled clear in the second half of the race, leading a dominant Ducati 1–2–3 with rookie Fermín Aldeguer taking a maiden podium.
As the lights went out, it was Márquez who grabbed the holeshot from the front row, but he ran wide into the opening chicane, allowing Quartararo to slide past and ignite the home crowd. Behind them, a fast-starting Francesco Bagnaia launched into fourth, only for his race to end on Lap 2 with a crash at Turn 3.
With Bagnaia out, Quartararo pressed his advantage. The Yamaha rider opened a lead of nearly a second after the opening two laps, thrilling the packed French grandstands. But Márquez regrouped and began closing the gap, clocking the fastest lap as he reeled in the #20 Yamaha. By Lap 4, Márquez was latched onto Quartararo’s tail, and the battle was on.
Into the chicane on Lap 6, Marc showed Fabio a wheel and made a move — only for Quartararo to return serve immediately on the exit. The crowd roared, but the resistance was short-lived. A few corners later at Garage Vert, Márquez attacked again and made it stick. Alex Márquez was impatient to squeeze past Quartararo as well and nearly ran into the back of the Yamaha.
From that point, Marc controlled the race. He steadily edged clear while Alex eventually dispatched Quartararo as well, using a strong exit from the final corner to make the move into Turn 1 on Lap 8. With the lead duo away, Quartararo fell into the clutches of an aggressive Fermín Aldeguer. The rookie, already impressing with top speed, didn’t hold back. On Lap 10, the pair rubbed elbows through Turns 3 and 5 before Aldeguer muscled past at Museum corner. Quartararo was forced to stand the Yamaha up to avoid contact and ceded the final podium spot.
While that battle raged, the KTMs of Pedro Acosta and Maverick Viñales were closing fast, benefiting from the slowing pace of the Yamaha. Viñales attacked Acosta on multiple occasions but couldn’t quite find a way through — though his pace suggested he may be a podium threat come Sunday’s main event. In a last-lap twist, Acosta crashed on the final corner while holding off Vinales. He remounted but rejoined in 19th, a poor reward for such a strong race. That gifted Viñales fifth, who finished just behind Quartararo and ahead of Johann Zarco and a charging Fabio Di Giannantonio — who climbed from 17th on the grid to eighth.
Marc Márquez cruised across the line ahead of the Gresini Ducatis of Alex Márquez and Aldeguer to seal Sprint victory number six in a row and take over the championship lead. He looks to be hard to beat in the feature-length race as well, but as we’ve seen this year, nothing is certain in MotoGP.
Marc Márquez reflected on his performance, stating, "The start was super fast. Fabio was pushing a lot, and I thought, ‘Okay, I can’t follow that pace at the beginning.’ But then I saw he had to slow a little, and I started feeling better and better. In the final laps, I was riding well—maybe pushed a bit too much on the last lap—but overall I’m feeling good. Let’s see if we can finish the job tomorrow.”
His brother, Alex Márquez, expressed satisfaction with his performance: "This morning we made a really good step, and I was able to ride a bit better. I got a good start and stayed calm. Later I had some issues, but I managed to hold on and do my best to close the gap. I’m really happy to be here today. It’s a good result for us.”
Fermín Aldeguer, who achieved his first podium finish, shared his excitement: "I feel incredible. It’s a dream for me to be here with the two brothers. I have to say thank you to the whole team because they’ve helped me a lot. We have the speed, but we still need more experience and consistency. Really happy to be here.”
The Le Mans Sprint race results were as follows: 1st Marc Márquez (Ducati), 2nd Alex Márquez (Ducati), 3rd Fermín Aldeguer (Ducati), 4th Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), 5th Maverick Viñales (KTM), 6th Johann Zarco (Honda), 7th Fabio Di Giannantonio (Ducati), 8th Alex Rins (Yamaha), 9th Joan Mir (Honda), 10th Raúl Fernández (Aprilia).
In terms of championship standings, Marc Márquez leads with 151 points, closely followed by Alex Márquez with 149 points. Francesco Bagnaia sits in third with 120 points, while Fabio Quartararo is in sixth with 56 points. The competitive nature of this season has kept fans on the edge of their seats, and with the main event looming, the excitement is palpable.
The 2025 MotoGP season has been nothing short of thrilling, with Márquez’s dominant performance setting the tone for the rest of the year. As teams prepare for the upcoming races, all eyes will be on the Ducati riders, who have proven to be formidable contenders. The stage is set for an exhilarating continuation of the championship, with every race promising to deliver high-octane action.
