Guintoli was born on 24 June 1982. He spent the formative years of his professional career competing in the 250cc Grand Prix World Championship, primarily utilizing private machinery.
Guintoli made his Grand Prix debut in 2000 at the French Grand Prix, riding a Honda for Equipe du France. Although he qualified 24th, he retired early due to a mechanical issue. In 2001, he secured a full-time seat with Equipe du France - Scrab GP on an Aprilia 250, finishing 14th in the championship with a season-best fourth place at the Dutch Grand Prix.
In 2002, Guintoli transitioned to a test rider role for Yamaha. During this period, he made his MotoGP debut as a replacement rider for Yamaha Tech 3 at the Czech Republic Grand Prix, qualifying 21st and finishing 17th. He returned to the 250cc class in 2003 with Campetella Racing, where he achieved his first podium with a third-place finish in wet conditions at Assen. He remained in the 250cc class through 2006, consistently finishing in the championship top ten in 2003, 2005, and 2006.
Guintoli moved to the MotoGP class full-time in 2007 with the Tech 3 Yamaha team. Despite breaking his collarbone during early testing, he earned the title of best MotoGP rookie that year. His season was highlighted by a fourth-place finish at the Motegi Grand Prix, which marked the best result for a Dunlop-shod 800cc motorcycle. In 2008, he joined the Alice Team to ride a Ducati Desmosedici, finishing 13th in the standings with a season-best sixth place at the German Grand Prix.
After losing his MotoGP seat, Guintoli moved to the British Superbike Championship (BSB) in 2009 with Worx Crescent Suzuki. He won his debut race at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit. However, his season was interrupted by a major accident at Donington Park involving Josh Brookes, resulting in a broken tibia and fibula.
Guintoli moved to the Superbike World Championship (WSBK) full-time in 2010 with Suzuki, later joining Liberty Ducati in 2011. He secured his first WSBK victory at Assen in 2012. In 2013, he joined the Aprilia factory team, finishing third in the championship. His peak achievement arrived in 2014 with Aprilia; after a season-long battle, he secured the world title by winning both races at the final round in Losail.
In 2016, while riding for the factory Yamaha World Superbike Team, Guintoli suffered a severe crash during the round at Imola. The accident resulted in several broken bones and forced him to miss ten races. He returned at the end of the season to secure the team's first podium of the year in Doha.
Guintoli's 2014 World Superbike title ended a 24-year drought for French riders in the category. In 2021, he added to his international record by winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Bol d'Or, and the FIM Endurance World Championship title with Yoshimura-Sert Suzuki.
Guintoli has maintained a long-term association with Suzuki, serving as their MotoGP test and development rider until the brand's withdrawal from the series in 2022. In this capacity, he made occasional wildcard appearances and served as a replacement rider, notably filling in for the injured Alex Rins in 2017.
In 2024, Guintoli was contracted as a test rider for the BMW Motorrad World Superbike team operated by Shaun Muir Racing. Outside of motorcycle racing, Guintoli has expressed ambitions to compete in automobile endurance racing, aiming to become the first person to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans on both two and four wheels.
In addition to his world titles, Guintoli's endurance success includes a victory at the 2010 Doha 8 Hours with Suzuki SERT. For the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship, he is scheduled to partner with Naomichi Uramoto and Hannes Soomer for the AutoRace Ube Racing Team.
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