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Maverick Vinales claims French Grand Prix victory to leapfrog Valentino Rossi in MotoGP standings

Rossi crashed out on the final lap 

Sunday 21 May 2017 20:12 BST
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Maverick Vinales is now leading the World Championship
Maverick Vinales is now leading the World Championship

Maverick Vinales claimed victory in the French Grand Prix to overtake Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi at the top of the MotoGP World Championship.

Rossi, a seven-time champion, led the standings before the race but crashed out on the final lap as he battled with Vinales for the race win.

That left the path clear for the Spanish rider to cross the line in first place while French rookie Johann Zarco followed him home for his first podium finish for the Tech 3 Yamaha team.

Honda's Dani Pedrosa was third while Britain's Cal Crutchlow finished fifth.

Vinales now leads the standings with Pedrosa in second place and Rossi has slipped to third in the table. Fourth is reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez, who crashed out on lap 18 in France.

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