Pecco Bagnaia after the crash: "This bike is hard to understand"

On MotoGP Friday at Le Mans, the fastest time bears the signature of the home rider Johann Zarco, on the Honda. But Ducati bunches up at the top, with Fabio Di Giannantonio second and Pecco Bagnaia third, followed by Alex Marquez. Still, the Desmosedici GP26 has yet to convince its riders, and Aprilia remains a strong threat.

In pre-qualifying on French soil, Pecco Bagnaia managed to place himself ahead of his teammate Marc Marquez (forced into Q1), a rather rare event since the Cervera superstar joined the factory Ducati garage. But a crash for the Turin native at Turn 6 brought out a yellow flag that cut short Marc’s final time-attack attempt, leaving him 13th. Valentino Rossi’s protégé brought a new aerodynamic package to the track, the result of work carried out in the Jerez test. However, it’s still too early to declare victory.

Initially, all six Ducati riders started the season with the 2024 fairing. Now, the side fairings have been replaced on the four GP26s, while the winglets remain unchanged. Marc Marquez has fitted the 2025 side fairing, while Alex Marquez, Pecco Bagnaia, and Fabio Di Giannantonio were the first to homologate the new 2026 side fairing.

The conditions riders will find in qualifying and in today’s MotoGP Sprint won’t be comparable to yesterday’s. "It was a good start, so I’m satisfied. But Saturday will be completely different!" warned the two-time MotoGP champion. The crash allowed him to understand the limits of this bike he still can’t manage at its best: "This bike is difficult to understand!".

Eyes are also on Di Giannantonio, who has had a strong start to the championship and is so far Ducati’s best rider in the overall standings. In the afternoon pre-qualifying he lapped under 1:30 for the first time, though Zarco snatched the best lap by just 10 thousandths. "I’m satisfied with today’s result because it wasn’t easy: we started the day testing some aerodynamic components and it’s never easy to be fast when trying things like that".

Starting from the front row will be crucial to aim for the Le Mans podium, and the Roman rider is absolutely determined to keep his winning streak going. "It’s a fantastic moment; I’m trying to enjoy it as much as possible. But it’s no fluke; I’ve been working for a long time to reach this level together with the team. It’s the result of a lot of hard work". The GP26 is starting to respond well, but the Borgo Panigale riders are still not fully convinced. Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi have earned direct access to Q2 and will be lurking. "I think Aprilia is still a step ahead of us at the moment," concluded “Diggia.”

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