Grand Prix of France

The Grand Prix of France is one of the most coveted races in MotoGP, and the French GP at Le Mans as it is also known has roots dating back to the debut running in 1951.

It was not at the Le Mans-Bugatti track at the Circuit de la Sarthe that the maiden French GP as part of the 500cc world championship was held, though. Instead, the premier class made its inaugural voyage to France with a visit to the triangular Circuit Les Planques in Albi, Tarn.

The 1951 French Grand Prix would mark the only time the race was staged at the Circuit Les Planques. After that, the 500cc world championship took the French GP to seven tracks until Le Mans became the permanent circuit in 2000 and throughout the MotoGP era since 2002.

History of the MotoGP Grand Prix of France

Alfredo Milani has the unique honour of being the sole rider to ever win a French Grand Prix as part of a 500cc world championship at the Circuit Les Planques, with the Italian’s triumph on a Gilera bike in 1951. It even marked Milani’s first race victory in the 500cc championship.

France only had to wait until the third running of the French GP in 1954 to see a home rider stand victorious, also at the first meeting held at Reims-Gueux. After Briton Geoff Duke won the first French GP at Rouen-Les-Essarts in 1953, Pierre Monneret won at Reims on a Gilera.

Gilera bikes won each of the first four French Grands Prix as part of the 500cc championship before MV Agusta bikes took charge when the race moved to the Circuit de Charade in 1959. John Surtees even became the first rider to win back-to-back French GPs in 1959 and 1960.

Giacomo Agostini won the first French Grand Prix held at Le Mans in 1969

But after Gary Hocking won the 1961 French GP, the 500cc world championship did not visit France again until 1969. Yet MV Agusta bikes were still the machines to beat and won three in a row thanks to Giacomo Agostini – including the first French GP held at Le Mans in 1969.

It was not until the 1973 French Grand Prix and the first staged at Paul Ricard that a Yamaha won thanks to Finnish rider Jarno Saarinen. After that, only an MV Agusta win at Charade in 1974 through Phil Read interrupted a period of dominance for Yamaha and Suzuki in France.

Barry Sheene for Suzuki and Kenny Roberts with Yamaha in particular took ownership of the French GP between 1976 and 1980, securing three and two wins each. Roberts also won the first Grand Prix of France staged at the Circuit Paul Armagnac in Nogaro for Yamaha in 1978.

Some normality even finally arrived in 1983 as the French Grand Prix started to rotate each season between Le Mans and Paul Ricard until 1989. It was also a period of sheer American dominance as Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson and Randy Mamola tasted glory each season.

British, American, Australian and Spanish riders have dominated the French Grand Prix

American dominance of the French GP also continued until 1994 when Australian icon Mick Doohan won four in a row with Honda. Kevin Schwantz and Wayne Rainey had ensured the USA had a winner at the French GP as it started to rotate between Le Mans and Paul Ricard.

Yet after Britons, Americans and Australians essentially dominated in France from 1974 until 1997, it was a Spaniard who won the final two editions of the French Grand Prix held at Paul Ricard with Alex Criville in 1998 and in 1999. Criville also won for Honda at Le Mans in 2000.

Le Mans became the permanent home of the French Grand Prix in 2000 and has enjoyed an uninterrupted place on the 500cc and, from 2002, MotoGP calendar since. Unlike the tracks to have also held the French GP thus far, Le Mans has witnessed lots of Spanish dominance.

While Sete Gibernau secured back-to-back wins in 2003 plus 2004 and Jorge Lorenzo did the same in 2009 plus 2010, no span yet beats 2012 to 2019 for Spanish success. Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, Marc Marquez and Maverick Vinales saw that only Spaniards won at Le Mans.

Le Mans becoming a circuit better suited to Ducati than Yamaha or Honda from 2020 meant the period of Spanish success at the French Grand Prix came to an end. The Bologna Bullets took charge in Le Mans, with a mixture of riders even reaching the top step of the rostrum.

What is the Le Mans-Bugatti Circuit like?

The Circuit de la Sarthe’s Bugatti track, which has solely staged the French Grand Prix since 2000, was built in 1965 inside part of the existing 24-hour endurance circuit. It is a tight and twisty track that tests a rider’s ability to brake late and accelerate hard, even using first gear.

MotoGP made Le Mans the series home for the Grand Prix of France in 2000 after stringent safety improvements were made after Spanish rider Alberto Puig crashed during practice in 1995 at 270km/h (168mph). Puig sustained a season-ending leg break after hitting a barrier.

Strong rear traction is key to stringing together a quick lap of the Le Mans-Bugatti Circuit on a MotoGP bike, with accelerating out of the double-right hander at Turns 13-14, at the T3-4 chicane, the swooping T6 and T7, the tight T8, the T9-10 chicane and T11 vital on every lap.

Overtaking is also possible on almost any lap into T3, T6, T7, T8, T9, T11, T13 and even T14 – making the French GP one of the most must-watch races on the MotoGP calendar each year.

Winners of the MotoGP French Grand Prix

Below, MotoGP News has listed every premier class rider to win the Grand Prix of France…