* Rookie

Marco Bezzecchi wins a dramatic French MotoGP at Le Mans ahead of Jorge Martin, with home hero Johann Zarco promoted to the podium after a late mistake by Marc Marquez.

Meanwhile, an incident early in the race saw title leader Francesco Bagnaia and Maverick Vinales scuffle in a gravel trap.

Vinales tried to overtake Bagnaia for third on entry to the Turn 9 chicane, but the Ducati rider was able to cut back under at the apex. Their lines then crossed, causing an initial impact that unbalanced them both, before a second heavier clash sent them down in the gravel.

A furious Vinales ran over to remonstrate with Bagnaia, pushing and shoving at the Italian who responded in like. The pair were separated by marshals and later shared a scooter ride back to the pits.

A scarier incident occurred when Luca Marini saved a lowside with his elbow out of the turn 4 and was hit by Alex Marquez. Fortunately, both walked away.

Bezzecchi narrowly avoided that clash and went on to take the lead at the midway stage for his second MotoGP victory of the season, leaving Marquez, Martin and Zarco to scrap over second.

An exhausted Marquez then lost the front of his Kalex-Honda on the penultimate lap, as he was being passed by Martin.

Rookie Augusto Fernandez took a memorable fourth, with Fabio Quartararo salvaging seventh, on a day when Just 13 riders reached the finish.

Jack Miller had wrested the early lead from Marquez, but both were passed by Bezzecchi – who had narrowly avoided his team-mate during the earlier clash with Alex Marquez - by the halfway stage.

While Marquez tried to pursue the young Italian, Miller was clearly struggling, eventually losing out to a queue of riders behind - including Jorge Martin, Johann Zarco, rookie Augusto Fernandez and Aleix Espargaro.

Miller’s team-mate and sprint runner-up Brad Binder was next to pass, but received a long lap penalty for a shortcut when trying to pass the Australian when he straightlined the chicane.

Binder had already fought his way up from 16th on lap one after being pushed wide by contact. Worse was to follow for Miller, who crashed out in the closing laps for a double Le Mans DNF.

Martin tried to pass Marquez, in the same place as the earlier Bagnaia-Vinales clash, with six laps to go, but Marquez repeated Bagnaia’s tactic and took it back on the exit.

Marquez continued to outsmart Martin, bringing Zarco back into the podium battle with 3 laps to go.

Marc Marquez was finally 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 in the 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.

Danilo Petrucci was 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 was 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, was 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 was again replaced by KTM test rider Jonas Folger. Espargaro hopes to return next time out at Mugello, in June.

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