Luca Marini topped the first practice session at Le Mans on his Honda, finishing ahead of Pedro Acosta in second. Home hero Johann Zarco impressed with P3. Fabio Di Giannantonio placed fourth, while the Marquez brothers and Pecco Bagnaia struggled to break into the top positions.

MotoGP revenue grew 25 percent to 94 million dollars in the first quarter of 2026, Liberty Media’s earnings report revealed. Total Q1 revenue rose from 75 million dollars last year, driven by increased race promotion fees and new sponsorship deals, though operating costs jumped from 65 million to 78 million dollars. MotoGP posted a quarterly loss of 24 million dollars after amortisation and depreciation, unchanged from Q1 2025, despite the championship generating 573 million dollars and a 54 million dollar profit across the full 2025 season.

Francesco Bagnaia admitted it is a pretty difficult time for Ducati in general at Le Mans, saying the GP26 is nervous under braking and no longer the machine where you brake really hard, come in really hard and stay there. Bagnaia said the bike tends to move a lot and riders must be extremely precise. He still believes in the potential to run at the front, saying he always arrives at a Grand Prix believing he can fight.

Alex Marquez arrived at Le Mans looking to rediscover the consistency that defined his standout 2025 campaign , following his emotional back-to-back victory at Jerez. His Jerez win moved him to within three points of brother Marc in the championship, creating one of the most compelling storylines of the 2026 season. The brothers live and train together and Marc acknowledged at the Jerez test that Alex will be one of his main title opponents in 2026.

Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo faced the Le Mans press conference together as the two French riders with the most to prove at their home Grand Prix. Zarco returns as the defending Le Mans winner after his 2025 victory in a rain-interrupted race, while Quartararo heads into the weekend with small but genuine improvements from the Jerez test on the Yamaha V4. Both riders admitted the crowd expectations at Le Mans add an extra layer of pressure unique to a home race.

Marc Marquez made clear at the Le Mans Thursday media session that he will never blame the bike for his problems in 2026, saying a Ducati won at Jerez which means the machine is capable of winning and fighting for the title. He admitted he is struggling in left-hand corners that were once one of his biggest strengths, but insisted the onus is on him to find ways to improve. He has scored just 57 points in four rounds.

Marc Marquez confirmed new Ducati upgrades will be raced at the French Grand Prix at Le Mans, saying he cannot think about the championship without first improving some aspects of his game. He told media he has the speed in moments but lacks the consistency needed for a title challenge, insisting he needs to fix a few things before the championship becomes the focus. New parts brought to Le Mans may be visible as early as Friday.

Marc Marquez has admitted he "cannot think about the championship" until he finds the consistency that defined his 2025 title-winning campaign. Despite two Sprint victories this year, the factory Ducati star trails leader Marco Bezzecchi by 44 points after crashing out of the Spanish GP. Marquez teased that technical upgrades from the successful Jerez test will be raced this weekend at Le Mans to fix his front-end struggles. 

Fabio Quartararo has dismissed the pressure of his ongoing win drought ahead of his home race at Le Mans. The 2021 World Champion, who has already signed a blockbuster move to Honda for 2027, stated he has "nothing to prove" to critics. Instead, the Frenchman is focused on his own recovery and finding personal satisfaction within Yamaha’s challenging V4 development project.