Zaccone grabs pole from Granado by just 0.009

The first electric pole of the year goes to the #61, with Granado and Gutierrez on the chase as Casadei crashes in Q2 and Garzo gets sidelined from Round 1.

The 2025 FIM MotoE World Championship started with some drama and the timesheets are close as ever, with pole decided on Friday by just 0.009s. Alessandro Zaccone (Aruba Cloud MotoE Team) pipped Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) to the top in Q2 at the Michelin Grand Prix of France, with Oscar Gutierrez (MSI Racing Team) completing the front row.

GARZO OUT, CASADEI DOWN
Reigning World Champion Hector Garzo (Dynavolt Intact GP) didn’t make it quite to the first qualifying of the season as the #1 was sidelined after a crash earlier in the day. He was declared unfit due to a cut on his right elbow sustained during the incident so he’ll have to watch the first 50 points of the year go on offer without him. We wish him a quick recovery!

Meanwhile, Mattia Casadei (LCR E-Team) has an uphill struggle although not quite of that magnitude, with the #40 crashing in Q2 and left to start 10th after not setting a lap. The crash was a low drama lowside, but a bent handlebar put paid to any improvements.

POLE GOES TO ZACCONE
The decisive laps came in around halfway through the Q2 session, with Gutierrez bettered by Granado and then Zaccone. From there on in, no one could threaten the top three, leaving Andrea Mantovani (KLINT Forward Factory Team), Kevin Zannoni (Power Electronics Aspar Team) and his teammate Jordi Torres forced to settle for Row 2 – and Mantovani having come through Q1.

The third row comprises Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE), who topped Q1 and was the other graduate, top rookie Lorenzo Baldassarri (Dynavolt Intact GP), and Maria Herrera (KLINT Forward Racing Team), who went straight through to Q2 on one of her best MotoE Fridays so far.

One notable name missing is multiple race winner Nicholas Spinelli (Rivacold Snipers Team MotoE), who didn’t make it through Q1 after the session was red flagged with 90 seconds left. He’s p11, just behind Casadei.

That’s a wrap on Friday. The grids are set, the anticipation is rising… ready for Round 1? Tune in for Race 1 at 12:15 (UTC +2) on Saturday, before Race 2 at 16:10!

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