Francesco Bagnaia hits peak form at Le Mans and can’t hide his satisfaction

Francesco Bagnaia sounded positive after practice at the French Grand Prix, feeling like he’d found his limit early in the weekend. The two-time MotoGP champion has had a rough start to 2026, but Friday at Le Mans offered some encouragement.

After four rounds, Bagnaia sits ninth in the championship with 34 points and is already 67 behind early leader Marco Bezzecchi of Aprilia. It’s been a difficult stretch, but Friday gave Ducati something to build on.

He’s only finished two of those races, with his best result being P9 in America. While he’s managed podiums in the last two Sprints – both second-place finishes – his pace over full race distances has still left plenty of questions.

Ducati saw something to build on this time out, though, as Johann Zarco led the way for LCR in practice at Le Mans. Bagnaia finished third overall and was well ahead of teammate Marc Marquez, who ended up back in P13 and will have to go through Q1.

Francesco Bagnaia pleased after hitting his limit in French GP practice

Ducati’s new fairing, which Bagnaia first tried out during the post-race test at Jerez, was aimed at improving the front-end feel of the Desmosedici GP26. He believes those upgrades have started to pay off at Le Mans, helping him find his “limit” during practice.

Zarco posted a 1:29.907 to lead Friday’s pre-qualifying session, just ahead of VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio and Bagnaia’s 1:30.045. Gresini’s Alex Marquez also put up a 1:30.045 on his own GP26, slotting into fourth.

Bagnaia said via Moto.it: “Let’s wait and see. It went well, we worked well, the conditions were good today, and the work we did in testing today helped me a bit.

“I’m happy with the feeling I had. I pushed myself to the limit, and that’s something that’s really satisfying – understanding why, and reaching the limit is exciting. Overall, it’s been a positive day from the morning onwards, improving step by step. I’m happy.”

Pecco Bagnaia admits he destroyed the new fairing after the late Le Mans crash

Bagnaia’s day didn’t go off without a hitch. The two-time champion crashed at Turn 6 late in the session, disrupting Marquez’s final flying lap. The crash came as Bagnaia pushed for an even quicker time and ended up in the gravel.

The incident could have further repercussions, too. Bagnaia isn’t sure if Ducati will have a replacement ready for his GP26 after he “destroyed” the one he had during the crash.

“Things were already going well, and that one made me feel a bit better,” Bagnaia added. “So, it’s a positive. I destroyed it. I hope we’ll have one for tomorrow, too. But if it rains, we won’t use it.”

Read more: