French MotoGP, Le Mans - Sprint Race Results

* Rookie

Jorge Martin has taken his first MotoGP win since 2021 with a confident victory in the Le Mans Sprint race.

The Pramac Ducati rider was joined on the podium by KTM’s Brad Binder plus Ducati’s reigning champion and early race leader Francesco Bagnaia.

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Starting fifth, Martin was up to second behind pole starter Bagnaia at turn 1, then took the lead from the fading title leader into the same chicane four laps later.

Martin promptly pulled a 1.5s lead, an advantage he was able to grow despite proven Sprint winner Binder snatching second from Bagnaia soon after.

But Bagnaia - who waved a hand at Marquez after being nudged by the #93 during a pass at the first chicane - regrouped from his loss of speed, getting the better of Marquez and Luca Marini for third and almost catching Binder by the chequered flag.

Starting his first race since Portimao, and first ever with Honda's new Kalex chassis, Marquez chased Marini’s VR46 Ducati to the line.

Martin’s team-mate Johann Zarco was the only French rider to reach the finish, in sixth.

Fellow home star Fabio Quartararo, starting just 13th on the grid, dropped to 16th on the opening lap but had fought his way into the points when he crashed from eighth place in the closing pages.

Friday leader Jack Miller was another high-profile faller, sliding out of third at the apex of the Garage Vert corner on lap 2, punching the gravel trap in frustration.

All riders used the soft rear tyre, with most also picking the soft front and only Aleix Espargaro the hard.

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Marc Marquez has finally been cleared to make a MotoGP return this weekend after being ruled out of Argentina, COTA and Jerez due to a delicate thumb fracture when he lost control under braking and collided with Miguel Oliveira in the Portimao season-opener.

Earlier this week, the MotoGP Court of Appeal also confirmed that Marquez will not need to serve the double Long lap penalty he received for causing that incident, having overturned the FIM Stewards attempt to shift the penalty from ‘Argentina’ to Marquez’s next race back.

The eight-time world champion is 80 points behind reigning champion and 2023 title leader Francesco Bagnaia, but with 592 points still available (92 more than the entire 2022 season) under the new Sprint (12 points) + GP (25) race weekend format.

Danilo Petrucci is returning to MotoGP action in place of the injured Enea Bastianini, riding for the same factory Ducati team with which he won in the wet at Le Mans in 2020.

After leaving MotoGP as a full-time rider following a tough year at Tech3 KTM in 2021, Petrucci competed in the Dakar and MotoAmerica before a one-off MotoGP ride for Suzuki at Buriram last season.

The Italian, 32, is currently eleventh in the World Superbike standings with a best finish of fifth place for Barni Ducati.

Bastianini, who broke his shoulder when he was taken down by Luca Marini in the Portimao sprint race, attempted to return at Jerez but withdrew due to the pain.

Miguel Oliveira is missing after suffering a left shoulder dislocation and fracture when he was caught up in Fabio Quartararo’s opening lap accident in Jerez.

Oliveira, who previously missed Argentina due to hip injuries from the impact by Marc Marquez’s Honda at Portimao, is being replaced at RNF by Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori.

Team-mate Raul Fernandez, who underwent arm pump surgery following Jerez, tried to ride in Practice 1 but withdrew from the remainder of the weekend after just three laps.

GASGAS Tech3’s Pol Espargaro remains absent due to his multiple injuries in Portimao and is again replaced by KTM test rider Jonas Folger.