Motorsport TechnologyJorge Martin won out in a classic race to overcome championship leader Marco Bezzecchi to triumph in the French GP at Le Mans.
In victory, Martin won his first MotoGP since the 2024 Indonesian Grand Prix and it was also the first podium lock-out for Aprilia in MotoGP.
“I am truly happy,” said Martin on the official Aprilia website. “At the start, I didn’t think I’d be able to battle for the win, but I never let up.
“Aprilia is giving me what I need and my confidence is growing day by day. Now it is important to continue working in this direction to improve even more.”
“He’s pulling the best out of myself”🎙️ – @88jorgemartin
Martinator appreciates his teammate is pushing him to the max 🦾#FrenchGP 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/qfQ7W8eovr
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) May 10, 2026
It was Bezzecchi who made the better start from his front row slot, leading Fabio Quartararo as Francesco Bagnaia lost ground from his pole position.
Drama on lap 2 saw Spanish GP winner Alex Marquez crash out of contention whilst Bezzecchi began to stretch his lead at the front, Martin still 1.6s adrift approaching half distance.
From 8th to P1, overtaking three riders in one corner! 🤯
No wonder @88jorgemartin has won the best overtake of the #FrenchGP 🇫🇷#MotoGP pic.twitter.com/4NrEsNpbD2
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) May 12, 2026
The race then took another twist when Bagnaia lost control of the front end coming into Turn 3 with 11 laps remaining, handing Martin a lifeline.
With four laps remaining, the battle was well and truly on and late on the brakes into Turn 3 to audaciously snatch the lead.
And that’s how it finished, Ai Ogura making it a brilliant 1-2-3 for Aprilia and becoming the first Japanese podium finisher since 2012.
“It was a good weekend overall, despite the difficulties,” added Bezzecchi. “I’m pleased because I took a spot on the front row in qualifying and finished on the podium in the sprint race and in the long race.
“I tried to stay focused and to ride without making mistakes. I gave one hundred percent, but Jorge had a little more.”
And for team boss Massimo Rivola, the historic Le Mans hat-trick was a day that will go down in the annals of MotoGP history.
Starting from the third row of the grid is no issue for Martinator who returns to winning ways 🔁
But there was a lot of other amazing stuff that happened in the #FrenchGP 🇫🇷 race 🤩#MotoGP pic.twitter.com/ixUhrf0YE8
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) May 11, 2026
“It was a historic day with three Aprilias on the podium for the first time,” said Rivola.
“It is particularly thrilling to see Jorge so strong here in Le Mans, where exactly one year ago, he thought he might be leaving us, and it’s also great to see Marco so competitive and mature.
“And then, seeing Ai’s podium is also a relief after what happened in Austin. Noale’s racing division is doing a truly extraordinary job and I think this is proper recognition for a working team led so admirably by Fabiano Sterlacchini.”
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