Daniel Holgado has re-established a comfortable advantage at the head of the 2023 Moto3 World Championship standings after securing his second win of the season at Le Mans.

The Spaniard led from almost start-to-finish at the head of a busy seven rider chasing pack led by a determined Ayumu Sasaki, Holgado resisting the Japanese to the flag by a mere +0.150 with Jaume Masia completing the podium.

Having started the event holding a slender four point advantage over Diogo Moreira, Holgado's win coupled with his rival's retirement after a crash means the Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider has extended his advantage out front to 21 points over Ivan Ortola.

Starting alongside pole man Sasaki on the front row of the grid, Holgado's better getaway would see him grab the hole-shot into Turns 2 and 3. Though the Japanese rider struck back down the hill at Turn 6, Holgado quickly responded to reclaim the initiative come the end of the opening lap.

From here Holgado remained largely in control, despite Sasaki and Jaume Masia maintaining pressure on the leader during stints spent behind in second place. Sasaki briefly rallied on lap 12 to slipstream through into the lead on the run to Turn 1, but Holgado quickly recovered the position at the chicane.

With the front group splintering into three separate pairs as the chequered flag neared, Sasaki raised the pressure on Holgado as they entered the final lap but couldn't find a gap to punish through the latter turns.

Keeping it neat to the flag, Holgado crossed the line with little margin to spare over Sasaki, the Husqvarna IntactGP rider notching up a welcome first podium of the season following crashes out of leading positions in Argentina and the USA.

Having counted himself among the lead fight for much of the race, Jaume Masia spent the final stages pre-occupied with the attentions of Ortola, the Leopard Honda rider keeping the COTA and. Jerez race winner at bay to collect his third straight podium.

After David Alonso's breakthrough podium in Spain, it was the turn of his GASGAS Aspar team-mate Ryusei Yamanaka to take the spotlight this time, the Japanese rider hustling his way into a career-best equal top five finish in Moto3.

Deniz Oncu tussled with the leaders during the early stages before being beaten down to sixth place at the flag, while Xavier Artigas and Alonso completed the top eighth after both benefiting from Moreira's high-side out of seventh at the penultimate corner on Lap 11.

Jose Antonio Rueda and Stefano Nepa came home ninth and tenth, with Joel Kelso, Kaito Toba, Tatsuki Suzuki, David Salvador and Colin Veijer picking up the remaining points' paying positions.

Of the Brits, Scott Ogden failed to finish after high-siding at Turn 7 on lap nine, while Joshua Whatley brought it home for 22nd.

CLICK HERE to view the 2023 Moto3 World Championship standings after the French Moto3 [Round 5 of 20]

French Moto3 | RACE RESULTS