Martin Wins French MotoGP, Narrows Championship Gap
Jorge Martin won the French MotoGP, his first victory in 588 days, narrowing the championship lead of teammate Marco Bezzecchi to one point.
Mehmet Şahinoğlu ·
Martin Wins French MotoGP, Narrows Championship Gap
Jorge Martin secured his first MotoGP victory since 2024 at the French Grand Prix on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Le Mans, France, closing the championship gap to his Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzecchi. Martin, starting from seventh on the grid, overtook Bezzecchi with three laps remaining to claim the win, his first in 588 days.
The victory places Martin within one point of championship leader Bezzecchi asourceser five rounds of the season. Aprilia achieved a historic podium sweep, with Ai Ogura of the satellite Trackhouse team finishing third, marking the first time a Japanese rider has been on a MotoGP podium in 14 years.
Ducati experienced a challenging race, with reigning champion Marc Marquez absent due to a fractured foot and polesitter Francesco Bagnaia crashing out from second place on lap 16.
Martin capitalized on Bagnaia's retirement, moving into second position before systematically reducing a nearly three-second deficit to Bezzecchi. The intense battle between the two Aprilia factory riders culminated in Martin's decisive pass.
The result underscores Aprilia's strong performance early in the 2026 season.