Jack Miller got the holeshot from second on the grid at the start of the race, but soon dropped behind polesitter Bagnaia on the sister factory Ducati and the fast-starting Gresini bike of Bastianini in third, paving the way for a two-horse race for victory.
Bastianini started piling pressure on the Spanish GP winner in the second half of the race, with the two circulating just a few tenths away from each other on the 4.1km circuit.
With seven laps to go, Bastianini made a move going into the Dunlop chicane, only for Bagnaia to reclaim the position a few corners later.
However, Bagnaia would throw away all his hard work by running wide at Turn 8, before falling off his bike at Turn 14 at the end of the lap.
With Bagnaia out of the picture, Bastiania cruised to a 2.7s victory over the sole remaining factory Ducati of Miller, adding to his victories in the Qatar season opener and the Americas GP at Austin.
Aprilia star Aleix Espargaro hung on to his fourth podium finish of the season after resisting the advances of reigning champion Fabio Quartararo during the second part of the race.
Yamaha rider Quartararo initially slipped to the lower reaches of the top 10 with a poor getaway from fourth on the grid, but was able to recoup some of the lost places – although was denied a home podium finish by just over a tenth of a second by title rival Espargaro.
Countryman Johann Zarco finished fifth on the Pramac Ducati after recovering from a three-place grid penalty, repassing the top Honda of Marc Marquez towards the end of the race.
LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami equalled his best result of the season so far in seventh, finishing ahead of Brad Binder on the sole surviving KTM. Binder’s teammate Miguel Oliveira and Tech 3 duo Raul Fernandez and Remy Gardner all failed to finish the race.
The top 10 was completed by VR46’s Luca Marini and Maverick Vinales on the second Aprilia, as Pol Espargaro had to settle for 11th after having to slow down his Honda to avoid hitting the stricken KTM of Oliveira.
Suzuki endured a nightmare outing with both Alex Rins and Joan Mir crashing out of the race while running inside the top 10, just days after the Japanese manufacturer announced it plans to quit MotoGP after 2022.
2022 MotoGP French Grand Prix: Full race results
MotoGP French GP: Bastianini claims third win of 2022 after Bagnaia crashes out
Quartararo “by far not the favourite” for the 2022 MotoGP title
WEC drops GTE Pro class for 2023
De Vries lands last-minute Le Mans 24 Hours drive
How the DTM has come back stronger from its Norisring nadir
Miller joins KTM for the 2023 MotoGP season
“Saved” Catalan MotoGP weekend “important” for Marquez’s future
Miller “doesn’t understand” his “s**thouse” Barcelona MotoGP race
Espargaro’s last-lap Barcelona MotoGP blunder “a nice gift” – Zarco
The human importance of Marquez’s latest enforced MotoGP absence
OPINION: Marc Marquez will likely sit out the remainder of the 2022 MotoGP season to undergo a fourth major operation on the right arm he badly broke in 2020. It is hoped it will return him to his brilliant best after a tough start to the season without a podium to his name. But it’s the human victory that will far outweigh any future on-track success he may go on to have
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Autosport, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock left by Suzuki’s decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki’s sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. Autosport analyses what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP’s Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How Honda’s praise for its 2022 MotoGP bike has turned into doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads – caused by the discrepancy in its riders’ feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022
Why Quartararo’s Portugal win wasn’t only vital for his MotoGP title hopes
Fabio Quartararo got his MotoGP title defence off the ground in the Portuguese Grand Prix as a dominant first win of 2022 rocketed him to the top of the standings. While a significant result in terms of his title hopes, it has come at an even more important time in terms of his 2023 contract negotiations
How a MotoGP legend is preparing for an unexpected comeback at Goodwood
Wayne Rainey, who’s paralysed from the chest down, will ride his 1992 500cc world championship-winning bike again at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. The American motorcycle legend explains how he’s preparing to thrill on his first visit to the famed hillclimb
The MotoGP rookie fighting two fronts in his debut year
Darryn Binder has found himself in the unenviable position as MotoGP’s most under-pressure rookie in 2022 having made the step directly from Moto3 with a reputation as an over-aggressive rider. This hasn’t been an easy thing to shake at the start of the season, but he believes tangible progress is being made
