Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci battled it out for second place as Ducati avoided the Formula One technique of deploying one driver for team advancement.
Dovizioso placed second, not without a fight from his teammate Petrucci who at points of the race nipped second position.
In the past, Ducati have occasionally signalled to the weaker rider in the championship to fall back from fighting their teammate.
This strategy is often used in F1, where a pilot will be told to ease up and allow their teammate to advance without pressure to maximise points.
In 2017, Ducati were accused of sending Jorge Lorenzo coded messages in the final two races of the season to let his then teammate Dovizioso pass.
On both occasions, Lorenzo ignored orders.
The approach is not welcomed by riders or fans in motorcycle racing as it takes away the true nature of racing.
F1 differs largely from MotoGP as the pilot and team are connected by radio and team orders have always been a part of the sport.
Communication in MotoGP is limited to the pit board, visible once per lap when the rider passes through the track straight.
The pit board often signals rider position, the lap number and time remaining in the race.
When Dovizioso was asked post-race if Ducati should have instructed Petrucci to hang back, Dovizioso said: “If you are in F1, yes. But in our championship, no.”
“If you want to take the maximum [points] maybe it can be a good idea, but in our sport most of the time it's not like this,” Dovizioso continued.
The Ducati teammates were unable to catch race leader Marc Marquez, who created a comfortable gap midway through the French GP.
Australian rider Jack Miller, who started on the front row of the grid, hunted Marquez down for the first few laps.
Miller placed pressure on the Spaniard and led the French GP at points, but eventually fell back to fourth position behind Marquez, Dovizioso and Petrucci.
Dovizioso remains at second place in the championship as his home race approaches.
The Italian GP will be held on Sunday, June 2, 2019, which also happens to be the Festa della Repubblica.
French GP Results (Round 5)
- Marquez (SPA) - Repsol Honda
- Dovizioso (ITA) - Ducati
- Petrucci (ITA) - Ducati
- Miller (AUS) - Pramac Ducati
- Rossi (ITA) - Monster Yamaha
- Pol Espargaro (SPA) – Red Bull KTM Factory
- Morbidelli (ITA) - Petronas Yamaha
- Quartararo (FRA) - Petronas Yamaha
- Crutchlow (GBR) - LCR Honda
- Rins (SPA) - Suzuki Ecstar
- Lorenzo (SPA) - Repsol Honda
- Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Factory Aprilia Gresini
- Zarco (FRA) - Red Bull KTM Factory
- Syahrin (MAL) - Red Bull KTM Tech3
- Oliveira (POR) - Red Bull KTM Tech3
- Mir (SPA) - Suzuki Ecstar (+ 1 lap)
DID NOT FINISH
- Abraham (CZE) - Reale Avintia Ducati
- Bagnaia (ITA) - Pramac Ducati
- Iannone (ITA) - Factory Aprilia Gresini
- Nakagami (JPN) - LCR Honda
- Vinales (SPA) - Monster Yamaha
- Rabat (SPA) - Reale Avintia Ducati
