Manuel González, the Moto2 world championship leader, set the pace in the first free practice session of the French Grand Prix at the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans. The Spanish rider, known as ‘Manugas’, clocked 1:35.858 and 1:35.359 on his early fast laps to top the timesheets.
Not all riders enjoyed similar fortune. Czech rider Filip Salac (Kalex) faced a delayed start due to front brake system issues, and when he finally hit the track, he crashed at turn three without completing a single lap.
As the session reached its midpoint, Spanish rider Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) edged ahead of González by just 32 thousandths of a second. Belgian Barry Baltus (Kalex) was 46 thousandths behind, while Australian Senna Agius (Kalex), winner at Jerez, trailed by 55 thousandths. Agius then became the next benchmark with a lap of 1:34.941, but Baltus soon bettered that with a 1:34.887. The championship leader responded by setting a 1:34.740, putting him back on top.
This progression made it clear that Moto2 riders had launched their final time attack of the session, yet none could beat González’s fastest lap. Izan Guevara came closest, finishing 83 thousandths behind. Italian Celestino Vietti (Boscoscuro) then overtook both Baltus and Agius, with Spanish rider Daniel Holgado (Kalex) securing sixth place.
