The opening day of MotoGP action at Le Mans was a good one for French fans as Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo led t🦹he way. 

Zarco was fastest with a time of 1:31.747s, whi🌼le Quartararo was less than a tenth b꧋ack for Monster Energy Yamaha. 

Both riders have already shared the podium this season in Qatar which was described as a ‘special🍌 occasion’ by the pair - words once again used by Quartararo to sum up his thoughts today.

Quartararo said: "It's🌸 special because I think that to see two French riders in the top, it's not that we are six or seven French riders and we see two on top. It's that there are two of us, and we are two on top. 

"I think that is a great feeling for France and I think that we show our potential with two diff🌳erent bikes, and I think that ဣit's nice to see two French riders on top."

Like his team-ma🍒te Maverick Vinales, Quartararo♕ came to the fore during FP2 as the conditions changed from wet to dry. 

And while that was a positive, Quartararo also has a cold tyre issue liꦬke Vin꧟ales which led to a crash.

Quartararo was one of nine crashers during the day in the premier class and slid off at the Dunlop chicane as di𝔍d Vinales. 

"I think first of all that the pit limiter is way too far from where we start from the pit lane. So it's not great, I think we need to put it way more close, and yes, it's so difficult 🍬to warm up the tyre," added Quartararo.

"But you know, my pace was good straight away after. In my fast ✤lap I had a yellow flag and that lap was way faster than the one I did 31.8, it was a 31.5 or something. 

"But happy, because straight away after the crash the pace was great, and I'm feeling good on the b🐲ike."

While admitting to feeling a little ‘strange’ and ‘d💜ifferent’ following his surgery, Quartara🥀ro said the arm ‘feels good’ in general.

The F🀅renchman added: "I felt different, a little bit strange. I was a little bit more anxious in FP2, be🀅cause in FP2 everyone was with new tyres and pushing straight away because maybe it was going to rain. 

"It was a good lap time - it was not a time attack, but just a new 💞tyre with the fuel anꦚd I was quite impressed with my lap time. The arm feels good, a little bit strange, but it's OK."