MotoGP French Grand Prix qualifying - Start time, how to watch & more
Johann Zarco topped Friday practice for Pramac Ducati at the MotoGP French Grand Prix at Le Mans. Here’s how and when to watch qualifying.
Ahead of his home round, Zarco’s 1m31.747s was enough to beat fellow countryman Fabio Quartararo to top spot in second practice and complete a French 1-2.
Quartararo’s factory Yamaha team-mate Maverick Vinales slotted into third place ahead of impressive Repsol Honda rider Pol Espargaro, as Franco Morbidelli rounded out the top five on his two-year-old Yamaha M1 for the Petronas SRT squad.
Miguel Oliveira led the KTM charge in sixth place ahead of Spanish GP winner Jack Miller, who faded slightly after a fall having topped the damp morning session for Ducati.
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A downbeat Marc Marquez claimed eighth place for Repsol Honda just in front of a resurgent Valentino Rossi on the Petronas SRT, with the veteran Italian buoyed by recent test gains, as Takaaki Nakagami held the final provisional automatic Q2 spot for LCR Honda.
Suzuki duo Alex Rins and Joan Mir, as well as MotoGP world championship leader Francesco Bagnaia, will all be hoping for dry conditions for Saturday morning’s FP3 to have the chance to fight for the top 10 spots and guaranteed Q2 places ahead of qualifying.
Reigning champion Mir admitted he doesn't expect to be in contention for victory on Sunday, but said on Friday he was confident of turning his weekend form around to challenge for a top-five placing.
Maverick Vinales, Yamaha Factory Racing after his crash
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
What time does qualifying start for the French MotoGP?
Qualifying for the French MotoGP is set to start at 1:10pm BST (2:10pm local time), using the regular Q1 and Q2 sessions format. Qualifying takes place directly after the 30-minute FP4 session which is set to start at 12:30pm BST (1:30pm local time).
The fastest 10 MotoGP riders on the FP1-2-3 combined timesheet automatically head into Q2, with the rest of the riders entering Q1 of qualifying. The two riders who are fastest in the 15-minute Q1 session will progress into Q2 to compete with the top 10 from practice. Q2, which also lasts 15 minutes, decides who gets pole position and the qualifying order for the front four rows of the grid.
Date: Saturday 15th May 2021
Start time: 1:10pm BST (2:10pm local time)
How can I watch qualifying?
In the United Kingdom every MotoGP practice, qualifying and race is broadcast live on BT Sport.
French MotoGP qualifying will be broadcast on BT Sport 2, with the programme starting at 11am BST to also cover qualifying for the Moto3, Moto2 and MotoE classes.
MotoGP qualifying and the race will take place after Moto3 but before Moto2 and MotoE this weekend.
TV Channel: BT Sport 2
Start time: 11:00am BST
MotoGP also offers its own live online video streaming service which is available to stream in the UK.
For the first time since 2013, MotoGP will be shown live on free-to-air television in the UK. However, only the French MotoGP race day will be broadcast live on ITV4, with qualifying remaining live on BT Sport 2 and MotoGP’s online video streaming service.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
What's the weather forecast for qualifying at Le Mans?
Wet, cool and windy weather conditions are forecast for qualifying at Le Mans on Saturday afternoon, with a high of 16 degrees Celsius – four degrees colder than qualifying for the Spanish GP last time out.
MotoGP French Grand Prix FP2 Results
| Cla | Rider | Bike | Laps | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Johann Zarco |
Ducati | 21 | 1'31.747 | |
| 2 | Fabio Quartararo |
Yamaha | 16 | 1'31.842 | 0.095 |
| 3 |  Maverick Viñales |
Yamaha | 22 | 1'32.136 | 0.389 |
| 4 | Pol Espargaro |
Honda | 23 | 1'32.137 | 0.390 |
| 5 |  Franco Morbidelli |
Yamaha | 21 | 1'32.279 | 0.532 |
| 6 |  Miguel Oliveira |
KTM | 20 | 1'32.296 | 0.549 |
| 7 |  Jack Miller |
Ducati | 20 | 1'32.361 | 0.614 |
| 8 | Marc Marquez |
Honda | 19 | 1'32.632 | 0.885 |
| 9 | Valentino Rossi |
Yamaha | 24 | 1'32.669 | 0.922 |
| 10 |  Takaaki Nakagami |
Honda | 20 | 1'32.711 | 0.964 |
| 11 | Alex Rins |
Suzuki | 18 | 1'32.762 | 1.015 |
| 12 | Francesco Bagnaia |
Ducati | 12 | 1'32.800 | 1.053 |
| 13 | Joan Mir |
Suzuki | 22 | 1'32.908 | 1.161 |
| 14 | Aleix Espargaro |
Aprilia | 12 | 1'32.946 | 1.199 |
| 15 | Iker Lecuona |
KTM | 20 | 1'33.040 | 1.293 |
| 16 |  Brad Binder |
KTM | 20 | 1'33.117 | 1.370 |
| 17 | Alex Marquez |
Honda | 22 | 1'33.204 | 1.457 |
| 18 | Tito Rabat |
Ducati | 22 | 1'33.361 | 1.614 |
| 19 | Enea Bastianini |
Ducati | 16 | 1'33.536 | 1.789 |
| 20 | Lorenzo Savadori |
Aprilia | 21 | 1'33.985 | 2.238 |
| 21 | Luca Marini |
Ducati | 20 | 1'34.147 | 2.400 |
| 22 | Danilo Petrucci |
KTM | 19 | 1'34.520 | 2.773 |
| View full results | |||||
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