Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco achieved a historic home victory at the French Grand Prix, securing a long-awaited home win in his 150th MotoGP race start.
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Johann Zarco delivered an unforgettable performance at Le Mans on Sunday, becoming the first Frenchman in 71 years to win the French Grand Prix. The LCR Honda rider’s bold decision to start on wet tyres amid uncertain conditions proved pivotal, as he stormed through the chaos to clinch a stunning home victory in front of over 120,000 delirious fans.
Zarco crossed the line nearly 20 seconds ahead of Ducati’s Marc Marquez, with Gresini Racing’s Fermin Aldeguer taking third and celebrating his first-ever MotoGP podium. The race, plagued by unpredictable weather, saw multiple bike swaps, a red flag before lights out, and crashes that shook up the grid.
Starting 17th after narrowly avoiding a first-lap collision, Zarco kept his composure as rain turned the track into a strategic minefield. While other riders struggled to adapt, many swapping between wet and dry setups, Zarco steadily picked off competitors before taking the lead and never looking back.
The win marked the first French triumph at Le Mans since Pierre Monneret in 1954. Zarco, now 34, celebrated the historic moment with a backflip off the trackside barrier as the home crowd roared in approval.
Fans had arrived hoping for a victory from polesitter and 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo, but it was Zarco who gave them reason to celebrate. Quartararo crashed out on lap four while leading, triggering a wave of disappointment in the grandstands. Zarco’s triumph also snapped Ducati’s record-breaking 22-race winning streak, handing Honda a rare and symbolic win in the premier class.
“There are no words to express what I felt today,” Zarco said. “We didn’t expect to win, and doing it on home soil is something truly incredible and emotional. It was a long and intense race, but the strategy we applied as a team really paid off. I took a gamble, as the forecast predicted rain, and today, we made the right call.”
The drama began even before the lights went out. After the warm-up lap, riders darted into the pits to switch to wet setups as rain began to fall. Quartararo narrowly avoided an early fall on the slippery surface, and confusion followed as several riders changed bikes again during the sighting lap. Many accepted the double long-lap penalty to avoid running wet tyres on a drying circuit.
Once underway, Saturday’s sprint winner Marc Marquez briefly led before Quartararo surged ahead. Behind them, crashes took out key contenders Francesco Bagnaia and Joan Mir, while Alex Marquez and his brother Marc tussled for the top spot.
But both Marquez brothers returned to the pits for wet tyres just as rain intensified, leaving Zarco, who had started on wets from the beginning, with a clear advantage.
Zarco controlled the race from there, delivering a strategic masterclass that brought Honda back to the top step of the podium and etched his name into French motorsport history.
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