Oh my goodness! The Michelin® Grand Prix of France was another weekend of high emotions, and drama before the Grand Prix had even started! The crowd at Le Mans was incredible – cheering and singing so loudly that you could hear from watching at home on TV. I’m not sure it’s possible to write a review that does it all justice, but here we go!

As always, here’s a reminder of the categories – Rider of the Weekend (not necessarily the rider who left the weekend with the most points, but somebody who really impressed), Most Improved (either throughout the course of the weekend, from one weekend to another, or perhaps over a longer period of time), Best Overtake (this one feels obvious), Head-in-Hands Moment (a moment from either the Sprint or the Sunday race that left me shouting “NO!” at the screen), and Best in Show (the overall best rider from the weekend).

Rider of the Weekend: An often overlooked rider in my opinion, but nobody could overlook him this weekend – Johann Zarco absolutely deserves this, as the first French premier class rider to win his home race since 1954. Zarco and the LCR Honda team made the right calls with tyres, and once the race had started, he consistently made the right decisions. Absolute magic for the fans, for Zarco, and his parents (apparently his Mum had never attended a MotoGP race before? She has to come to all of them now!)

Most Improved: I’ve written a lot about Fermín Aldeguer so far this season in my Weekend Reviews, and I’m happy to see him in this spot this time out. He performed amazingly across the weekend, and dealt with the pressure well. Achieving his first Sprint and Sunday race podiums at the same weekend, Aldeguer is clearly learning a lot, and I’m looking forward to see what else he can do this season as he continues to develop as a MotoGP rider.

Best Overtake: Technically two overtakes, but the sequence of Marc Marquez overtaking Fabio Quartararo for 1st on Lap 6 of the Sprint, and Quartararo immediately passing him back, with the cheers of the French fans making the moment feel even more brilliant of course.

Head-in-Hands Moment: Whilst the fans did get their fairytale ending in the form of Johann Zarco’s victory, you could audibly hear their disappointment when Fabio Quartararo crashed out of Sunday’s race whilst running in 2nd.

Best in Show: Whilst most riders performed at least one bike swap (and some even choosing to do so after the warm-up lap), with the help of his team, Johann Zarco made a decision (which proved to be the correct one it seems), and stuck with it. He wasn’t pressured by what any other riders were doing, and his commitment to the decision, combined with his determination and concentration during the race mean he’s definitely my Best in Show (and who doesn’t enjoy a Zarco backflip?!)