The Italian, winner of the previous Grand Prix in Spain after a difficult start to the season, even set a track record in the final qualifying laps.
Facing the drivers of the Italian manufacturer, Quartararo, reigning world champion, will especially try to get ahead of Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) on Sunday, his closest rival in the general classification.
Only seven points separate the two drivers.
On the Bugatti circuit of Le Mans, the Spaniard will start just ahead of the Frenchman, in third position.
But the Yamaha rider is reassured: "he is fast, but I have the impression that on the rhythm, I have something more".
"Nothing is lost, we really have the potential to fight for victory," he said.
Even if the rain were to spoil the party?
“I am confident in the dry or in the wet, we will see, although I hope it will be on a dry track,” he replied.
Behind the Niçois, the Italian Enea Bastianini (Ducati-Gresini) will start 5th and the other Frenchman from MotoGP, Johann Zarco (Ducati-Pramac), 6th.
Fabio Quartararo riding his Yamaha after testing for the French GP at Le Mans, May 14, 2022 JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER AFP
The Spaniards Joan Mir (Suzuki), Alex Rins (Suzuki) and Jorge Martin (Ducati-Pramac) will complete the third row of this 7th race of the season, the start of which is scheduled for Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
- Chain records –
Zarco, best time at the end of the first three free practice sessions combined, had taken the new track record in the morning, a record that has continued to fall since the start of the weekend.
In the second practice session on Friday, Enea Bastianini was the first driver of the weekend to break this record set by Zarco himself in 2018.
Bagnaia and Quartararo also held him for a few moments on Saturday morning before he fell back into the hands of the 31-year-old from Cannes… to end up in Bagnaia's after qualifying on Saturday.
In front of an audience totally committed to their cause – some 100,000 spectators are expected on Sunday – the two French drivers will now try to snatch victory on Sunday.
The French Grand Prix is one of those that traditionally attracts the most spectators during the MotoGP season, success of French riders or not.
If Quartararo is aiming for the tenth victory of his career in the premier class, Zarco will try to win his first success in MotoGP on Sunday.
The performance would be remarkable in many respects because for the time being, Pierre Monneret (Gilera) is the only French driver to have won in France, it was in Reims in 1954. At the time, the races were were still competing with 500cc two-strokes instead of the current 1000cc four-strokes.
Johann Zarco riding his Ducati-Pramac during French GP testing on the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans, May 14, 2022 JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER AFP
Off the tracks, MotoGP announced on Saturday that Qatar, which since 2007 has traditionally hosted the opening round of the MotoGP season, will not open the 2023 season due to works around the circuit.
"The Lusail international circuit will undergo major renovation and remodeling work in the paddock and its facilities in general for 2023," the organization explained on Saturday.
The Qatari round, however, is expected later in the year.
© 2022 AFP