The Madrid native won ahead of South African Brad Binder (KTM) and reigning Italian world champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), who started from pole position.
Transalpine Luca Marini (Ducati-VR46) finished fourth ahead of Spanish returnee Marc Marquez.
On the other hand, Fabio Quartararo, who had climbed from 13th to 8th place, fell four laps from the finish, to the chagrin of tens of thousands of French fans present at the Bugatti circuit.
Martin, who had started only in fifth position, made a superb comeback and had no difficulty overtaking Bagnaia before going it alone in the second half of this sprint race.
His runner-up also defied the odds to win another podium in the sprint, two weeks after his victory in Jerez. Binder, relegated to tenth on the grid, made an excellent start and took advantage of the fight between Marquez and Bagnaia to grab second place after a superb overtake.
Fabio Quartararo at Le Mans on May 13, 2023 © JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP
The South African also took the opportunity to climb back to second place in the world championship standings, still dominated by Bagnaia. The reigning world champion now has 94 points, compared to 71 for Binder and 68 for Marco Bezzecchi, who took seventh place on Saturday.
© 2023 AFP