LE MANS: MotoGP championship leader Jorge Martin of Pramac Racing led from start to finish to win the French Grand Prix sprint on Saturday, while Gresini Ducati's Marc Marquez finished second with a heroic ride after starting 13th on the grid.
While reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia had a poor start and fell outside the top 10, Marquez flew off his mark, making up nine places to sit fourth by the end of the opening lap while Marco Bezzecchi moved up to second.
Things got worse for Ducati's Bagnaia, who came into the pits with a problem and retired from the sprint, while Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro - who had moved up to third - was given a double long-lap penalty by race stewards for a jump start.
That allowed Marquez to move up to third and although he was a second away from Bezzecchi the VR46 Racing rider was under pressure and suddenly lost control, crashing with four laps to go to give Marquez a free look at race leader Martin.
But Marquez ran out of time in the 13-lap sprint as Martin claimed victory to extend his lead in the championship, while Maverick Vinales finished third. - Reuters