The MotoGP season continues this weekend, as the action comes from France. The race will be held at the Circuit Bugatti in Le Mans, and is the seventh race on the calendar. It has already been an excellent start to the campaign, but which driver will be able to continue their impressive start to the season with victory in France?
Grand Prix Du France Details & Winners
The Grand Prix Du France has been a regular fixture on the MotoGP calendar since being introduced in 1959. However, it has been competed with a variety of different names due to sponsorship reasons. It has also been held at a number of different tracks around France, with Paul Ricard, Magny-Cours, Clermont-Ferrand and Reims-Gueux all hosting the race throughout its history. However, it has been held at Le Mans since 2000 after the track at Paul-Ricard was no longer set to be used in MotoGP.
The most successful driver in the history of MotoGP in this race is Jorge Lorenzo, who has won the Grand Prix Du France on six occasions. His latest victory came in 2016, which was the second straight year that he had won the race. Honda are the most successful manufacturer across all categories, as they have won the Grand Prix Du France a staggering 52 times.
Yamaha are the next most successful with 40 victories. Last year’s winning rider was Jack Miller, which was the second straight year that Ducati had been the winning manufacturer. Danilo Pertrucci’s win in 2020 also ended a run of eight straight years that Spanish drivers had claimed the top prize in MotoGP at the Grand Prix Du France.
Leading Contenders
The BetXchange betting for the weekend is likely to be headed by Fabio Quartararo. The Frenchman will have home advantage this weekend, as the defending MotoGP world champion looks to extend his advantage at the top of the Riders’ standings. He has already won one race this year, as he finished as the winner of the Portuguese Grand Prix. He has also finished on the podium on two further occasions, as he finished second in both the Indonesian Grand Prix and Spanish Grand Prix. His lead at the top of the standings currently stands at seven points.
His main competition this weekend is likely to come in the form of Spanish rider Aleix Espargaro. He has been in excellent form throughout the season for Aprilla Racing, and won the Argentine Grand Prix earlier in the season. He has bounced back to some solid form over recent weeks, after finished third in both the Portuguese Grand Prix and Spanish Grand Prix.
Grand Prix De France Prediction
A chance could be taken on Spanish rider Joan Mir this weekend for Team Suzuki Ecstar. The rider has enjoyed a very solid start to the season, and has finished in the top ten on all races that he has finished. He has only failed to finish once, as he retired in the Portuguese Grand Prix. But, he bounced back well finishing sixth in the Spanish Grand Prix.
Prediction:
