Red Bull Motorsports
MotoGP
Now presenting Jack Miller’s wet-weather guide to MotoGP™ domination
In incredibly challenging dry-wet-dry conditions, Ducati's Jack Miller claims a sensational victory ahead of home hero Johann Zarco in a dramatic flag-to-flag French MotoGP™.
Part of this story
Amid some of the most challenging conditions seen in recent MotoGP™ history, it was Ducati's Jack Miller who mastered the dry, then wet and then dry conditions, shrugging off two long lap penalties to win his second Grand Prix in a row and signal his intent for the 2021 MotoGP™ crown.
The mixed and windy conditions witnessed throughout practice and qualifying prevailed on race day, as the 22 MotoGP™ riders lined up on a dry 4.1km Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans for round five of the 2021 MotoGP™ championship. After 27 laps of dry-wet-dry conditions, it was the Ducati Lenovo's Miller who headed home Johann Zarco, who continued his excellent season on the Pramac Ducati.
Miller, who won the previous round in Spain, started from third on the grid and made the best getaway on a dry track to lead the opening lap, pursued by pole-sitter Fabio Quartararo and the sister Yamaha of Maverick Viñales.
Marc Márquez set the pace early on in the race
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
On lap three the first spots of precipitation were felt in the pit lane, as the three breakaway riders were soon joined by the Suzuki of Álex Rins and Honda's Marc Márquez. Two laps later the slick tyre-shod bikes were all slithering around the Bugatti Circuit as the rain intensified and the circuit became treacherous.
As the field pitted to swap to their spare bikes equipped with wet weather tyres, it was Márquez who emerged in the lead at the beginning of lap six, followed by Rins, who immediately crashed out at turn three. That promoted Quartararo to second and Miller to third, with Ducati's Zarco profiting from the chaos to move into fifth.
Miller was hit with a double long lap penalty following a pit lane speed limit violation, but the real news came on lap eight, when Márquez was thrown from his bike at Turn 14 and out of the lead. The six-time premier class champion was able to rejoin, but his fall promoted Takaaki Nakagami to third place as the top Honda.
Miller kept his wet tyres together well during the dry final stages
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
By lap 11, Miller had shrugged off his double penalty and a brief trip into a gravel trap to reel in leader Quartararo, narrowing the gap just as the French rider himself was punished with a long-lap penalty. Miller quickly made his move and pulled away, gapping Quartararo by over four seconds.
Behind the lead battle, Zarco was right with Nakagami in the fight for the final podium position and with 13 laps to go he made his move, swooping uphill into the braking zone for the third turn.
There was more weather-related drama with 10 laps remaining, as uncertainty emerged regarding the drying track conditions and whether it would be wise for the teams to switch back to the dry weather configured bikes.
Those decisions proved moot as the race entered the closing laps. Despite the fact that the sun was shining on the Bugatti Circuit, drying the track surface and causing more problems for the leaders' rapidly deteriorating wet tyres, it seemed that the rubber might just last the race distance.
Johann Zarco celebrated another podium on home soil
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
Zarco caught compatriot Quartararo to snatch second place with six laps left and soon became a major threat to Miller's lead, eating into the Australian's advantage to trail by just five seconds with three laps remaining. Miller kept his head calm and his tyres intact however to win his second MotoGP™ race in a row and the third of his career.
Behind Miller, Zarco sealed a stellar afternoon at his home Grand Prix to head home fellow French rider Quartararo and confirm his third runner-up finish of the season. Like Miller, he remains well in contention for the Riders' Championship.
Finishing fifth, Danilo Petrucci scored his best result of the season on board the Tech3 KTM Factory Racing machine, finishing ahead of Álex Márquez, who also enjoyed his season-best finish on the LCR Honda. Other riders who survived the conditions to enjoy stand out results included Honda's Pol Espargaró, who claimed eighth, and Petrucci's KTM team-mate Iker Lecuona in ninth, equalling his best result in the premier class.
MotoGP™ of France results
- Jack Miller (AUS) – Ducati
- Johann Zarco (FRA) – Ducati
- Fabio Quartararo (FRA) – Yamaha
- Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) – Ducati
- Danilo Petrucci (ITA) – KTM
- Álex Márquez (ESP) – Honda
- Takaaki Nakagami (JPN) – Honda
- Pol Espargaró (ESP) – KTM
- Iker Lecuona (ESP) – KTM
- Maverick Viñales (ESP) – Yamaha
Part of this story
