Motorcycle grand prix racing’s 1000th event did not disappoint, as the 2023 MotoGP French Grand Prix at Le Mans delivered plenty of drama. 

Ducati enjoyed a stellar weekend in France, picking up victories in the sprint race and the grand prix courtesy of Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi, while it locked out the podium in the grand prix.

Martin’s sprint win seemingly unlocked something as he backed it up with a podium in the grand prix to cap off his best weekend results since his maiden GP win at the Styrian round in 2021. And Bezzecchi proved his title credentials with a dominant grand prix victory on his year-old VR46-run Ducati, closing to within a point of championship leader Francesco Bagnaia after he was taken out in an early collision.

Elsewhere, Marc Marquez returned as Honda put its new Kalex chassis through its paces. The frame seemingly brought a step forward in performance as Marquez qualified second and was on course to finish there in the grand prix before a late crash.

He was much happier than Fabio Quartararo, who complained again about Yamaha’s lack of horsepower and has now decided to revert to his 2021 settings, while stewarding remained a topic of discussion as a meeting between Freddie Spencer and the riders ultimately came to nothing.

Here are the 10 things we learned from the 2023 MotoGP French GP.

1. Bezzecchi’s modesty defies his genuine title credentials