Fabio Quartararo Secures Pole Position at French Grand Prix

Fabio Quartararo smashed the lap record to secure pole position for the French Grand Prix, beating Marc Marquez in a thrilling qualifying session.

Fabio Quartararo shattered the lap record on home soil to claim pole position for the French Grand Prix, edging out Marc Marquez. In front of a packed crowd at Le Mans, Quartararo delivered a stunning performance to secure the top spot.

Marquez had set the pace early in Q2, building on the lap record he broke during Friday's practice. However, Quartararo was unstoppable, pushing the limits to snatch pole position and delight his home fans.

Fabio Quartararo secured pole position, completing a lap in 1:29.324 minutes. The home crowd erupted in celebration, singing “La Marseillaise,” France's national anthem, as Quartararo urged them to calm down.

“It was amazing to get this pole position, thanks to all the fans supporting us,” Quartararo said. “It's a really important pole position, but we need to get the points later and on Sunday,” he added, highlighting the importance of converting his strong qualifying performance into a successful race.

Fabio Quartararo's pole position marked a significant milestone, as it was the first time since his 2021 championship-winning season that he had secured back-to-back poles. He had also topped qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix.

“Fabio rode in an incredible way, he deserves this pole position in front of his fans,” Marc Marquez said. “He was doing a superb job in Jerez (at the Spanish Grand Prix) too,” Marquez added, acknowledging Quartararo's strong form.

Fabio Quartararo expressed satisfaction with his performance. “But I'm happy with my pace and starting on the front row was my main target,” he said, highlighting his focus on strong race positioning.

World championship leader Alex Marquez secured third place, while his teammate Fermin Aldeguer qualified fifth, earning a spot on the second row alongside Maverick Vinales of KTM Tech3 and Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati.