Vinales wins, while Rossi spins in thriller race in Le Mans MotoGP

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Maverick Vinales came out fighting and lucky as he dominated the MotoGP field to claim a sensational victory at the Grand Prix de France. With this, he sealed Yamaha’s 500th Grand Prix win. For teammate Valentino Rossi who also showed a blistering pace while keeping up with Vinales in the last round at the Le Mans Bugatti Grand Prix race circuit, it was bad luck at the end when he unfortunately suffered an unlucky fall on the last lap.

Vinales was strong right from the beginning of the 28-lap French round. Starting from pole, he flew off the line to take the holeshot and slotted into second as he dived into turn 3, behind Johann Zarco of Monster Yamaha Tech 3. The Spaniard was on the case, shadowed by his teammate. With 22 laps Vinales made a textbook move on the satellite Yamaha rookie to take over the lead.

While Vinales held on to his P1 position, despite Rossi rapidly approaching him. He was leading on the last lap, when the Doctor crashed out of the race, allowing him to bring his YZR-M1 over the finish line, 3.134s ahead of his closest rival.

Vinales' first place earns him 25 points. This puts him on 85 points and in the lead in the championship standings, 23 points ahead of Rossi in third place. The 500th Grand Prix win also sees the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team hold the lead in the Team standings by 21 points, with a total of 147 points, whilst Yamaha remains the top manufacturer in the Constructor's Championship by a 13 point margin, with 108 points.

Home hero Zarco came in second behind, while Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) completed the podium after an awesome slice through the field. The MotoGP paddock will next hit Italy on June 4, 2017.