MotoGP Grand Prix of France 2014 Results: Winner, Standings and Reaction
May 18, 2014
Marc Marquez produced yet another masterclass to win from pole at the Grand Prix of France to make it five MotoGP victories on the spin, with Valentino Rossi and Alvaro Bautista joining him on the podium.
With victory came another broken record for the 21-year-old, as he became the youngest ever rider to win five consecutive MotoGP races.
Marquez looks untouchable every time he takes to his bike, however, it was far from smooth sailing this time around for the Honda man.
An early mistake saw Marquez lagging in 10th after lap one, but such is the nature of the young Spaniard that he rallied back to take victory by 1.486 seconds.
Marquez found himself in the middle of a mid-pack traffic jam in the early stages, forcing him wide to avoid Pol Espargaro and Jorge Lorenzo, but the way that he came back nothing short of stunning.
Once he reached second place behind Rossi, it was a case of when rather than if he’d take first place, but the Italian made it far too easy for Marquez—running wide to allow the Spanish sensation to sneak through.
Rossi’s place in second was briefly under threat from Bautista, but he just about managed to hold on to keep up the pace with MotoGP's top two, as we see below:
| 2014 MotoGP Updated Standings | |||
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Points |
| 1 | Marc Marquez | Honda | 125 |
| 2 | Dani Pedrosa | Honda | 83 |
| 3 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | 81 |
| 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 53 |
| 5 | Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha | 45 |
| 6 | Stefan Brad; | Honda | 39 |
| 7 | Pol Espargaro | Yamaha | 38 |
| 8 | Aleix Espargaro | Forward | 37 |
| 9 | Bradley Smith | Yamaha | 34 |
| 10 | Alvaro Bautista | Honda | 26 |
| 11 | Andrea Iannone | Ducati | 25 |
| 12 | Nicky Hayden | Honda | 23 |
| 13 | Hiroshi Aoyama | Honda | 21 |
| 14 | Scott Redding | Honda | 18 |
| 15 | Yonny Hernandez | Ducati | 16 |
| 16 | Cal Crutchlow | Ducati | 15 |
| 17 | Karel Abraham | Honda | 9 |
| 18 | Colin Edwards | Forward | 7 |
| 19 | Danilo Petrucci | ART | 2 |
| 20 | Hector Barbera | Avintia | 2 |
| MotoGP.com | |||
Espargaro enjoyed an excellent ride to come fourth, two places ahead of Lorenzo, who stuttered round and rarely looked comfortable with the Le Mans Bugatti track.
The form of Lorenzo will undoubtedly return, but striving for middle places will be a worrying reality for the 2010 and 2012 MotoGP World Champion.
Stefan Bradl also enjoyed a strong race after recovering from arm surgery to finish seventh, but the day, once again, belonged to Marquez.
Following the race, the Spaniard said that he was too calm in the opening exchanges, but was thrilled to have recovered to claim a hard-fought victory—as reported by BBC Sport:
"In the first two corners I was too calm. I need to be a little more aggressive like last year. Today was a little bit harder than the other races. Five victories in a row is not easy so we're going to enjoy the moment."
It was a moment that almost didn’t arrive for the talented rider, though he certainly got his wish of wanting his victories to be more competitive after a string of “easy” Grand Prix wins, per AutoSport.com.
Next up for Marquez is the Italian Grand Prix in Tuscany, where the Spanish have dominated since the turn of the decade.
A hat-trick of Lorenzo victories after a Dani Pedrosa triumph make up the last four years of action at the Mugello Circuit, but with Lorenzo performing unconvincingly this season, there may be a new Spanish champion on the way.
No rider has ever romped to six Grand Prix victories in succession, per MotoGP, but based on Sunday’s race, Marquez has what it takes to do just that even in the darkest of circumstances.
It’s the time when the MotoGP season usually heats up, but with the Spanish rider in this kind of form, it’s set to be a one-sided season throughout.