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Jorge Martin took pole position for the Austrian MotoGP at the Red Bull Ring, beating Marc Marquez by 0.015 seconds. The pair arrived tied atop the championship standings on 274 points, although Marquez held the official lead on countback because he had more wins. Pedro Acosta completed the front row in third, while Francesco Bagnaia recovered from Q1 to seventh on the grid and Johann Zarco also advanced with the same Q1 lap time.

In Saturday’s final practice, Marquez set the pace with a 1:29.663 lap in damp conditions after overnight rain left wet patches on the track. He finished 0.202 seconds clear of Martin, with Acosta third, Fermin Aldeguer fourth and Bagnaia fifth. Marquez then crashed at Turn 1 in the closing minutes, his 12th crash of the 2026 season, though Ducati said his bike was not significantly damaged. Fabio Quartararo, Alex Marquez, Enea Bastianini, Zarco and Raul Fernandez rounded out the top 10.

Friday practice belonged to Acosta, and KTM opened the weekend with a 1-2 as Pol Espargaro took second. Martin was third after switching to his spare Aprilia because of an early technical problem, and Marc Marquez placed fourth. Reports on Acosta’s benchmark differed in the source material, with one listing his best lap as 1:29.851 in the opening session and another giving 1:28.371 in the longer afternoon practice, but both accounts had him on top in Friday running.

Jorge Martin took pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, beating championship rival Marc Marquez by 0.015 seconds with a lap of 1:27.917. Martin, who earned his third pole of the season, will start from the front of the grid alongside Marquez, with KTM’s Pedro Acosta third. Martin and Marquez arrived at the weekend tied on points, although Marquez held the official championship lead on countback because he had more wins.

The qualifying order behind the front row put Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi fourth, Ai Ogura fifth and Alex Marquez sixth, while Francesco Bagnaia advanced through Q1 to take seventh. Fabio Di Giannantonio, Fabio Quartararo and Johann Zarco also came through Q1, and there were no penalties on the Sprint starting grid. The 14-lap Sprint was scheduled for 3 p.m. local time, 2 p.m. in the UK.

Friday practice pointed to a tight weekend. Pedro Acosta topped both practice sessions at KTM’s home race, with KTM running 1-2 in FP1 as Pol Espargaro finished second. Martin was third in FP1 after switching to his spare Aprilia because of a technical problem, while Marquez ended that session fourth. Marquez then led FP2 in damp conditions before crashing at Turn 1, though he still finished the session 0.202 seconds ahead of Martin. Bagnaia struggled on Friday and was sent to Q1, while Alex Marquez also crashed in qualifying after running through the gravel.

Pedro Acosta set the pace across Friday’s MotoGP practice at the Red Bull Ring, leading both sessions for KTM with a best lap of 1:28.381 and giving the factory a clean sweep at its home Austrian Grand Prix. He won FP1 in 1:29.851, ahead of Pol Espargaro, Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez and Johann Zarco, then headed the afternoon session over Fermin Aldeguer, Ai Ogura, Marc Marquez and Martin. Results from the afternoon were still provisional pending the protest and appeal period, and Bagnaia ended the day 18th. On Saturday, Marc Marquez went fastest in a damp final practice with 1:29.663, 0.202 seconds ahead of Martin, after overnight rain left wet patches on the circuit. Acosta was third, followed by Aldeguer and Francesco Bagnaia, while Alex Marquez crashed at Turn 1, was unhurt and returned to finish eighth.

Tony Arbolino also delivered a strong weekend in Moto2, topping Friday’s dry FP1 in 1:33.074 before going fastest again in wet but drying FP2 on Saturday with a 1:41.066 lap on his REDS Fantic Racing Kalex. In Saturday’s session, Xabi Zurutuza was second, 0.801 seconds behind, ahead of Aron Canet, Deniz Oncu and Dani Munoz. Arbolino was the only rider to show strong pace on slick tires at the end of the session, and only 13 riders set lap times. Filip Salac, Ivan Ortola, Izan Guevara and David Alonso did not record times in FP2. Friday’s Moto2 practice also saw Salac set a new Red Bull Ring lap record of 1:32.402, while crashes in FP1 ruled out Collin Veijer and Angel Piqueras with injuries.

In Moto3, Brian Uriarte led Saturday morning’s wet FP2 with a 1:47.740 lap on his Red Bull KTM Ajo machine. Joel Esteban was second on the LEVEL UP – MTA KTM in 1:48.010, Leo Rammerstorfer took third on the SIC58 Squadra Corse Honda in 1:48.298, and Hakim Danish and Marcos Uriarte completed the top five. Guido Pini was sixth in the session, which featured 26 riders and never fully dried, leaving a wide spread in lap times. David Almansa and Max Quiles were among the riders who did not set a time, and the results were provisional after the wet practice session.

Pedro Acosta led MotoGP FP1 at the Red Bull Ring, giving KTM a strong home result with Pol Espargaro in second. It was KTM’s first 1-2 in the session since practice at the 2025 Catalan Grand Prix.

Later on Friday, Acosta was also fastest in practice, with reports listing his best lap at either 1:28.381 or 1:28.371. Fermin Aldeguer, Ai Ogura, Marc Marquez, Jorge Martin, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Brad Binder, Alex Marquez, Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Quartararo secured direct Q2 places, while Francesco Bagnaia was sent to Q1 after finishing 18th for the fifth straight weekend. Alex Marquez recovered from a heavy crash, returned to the track and still finished eighth after a late red flag.

Tony Arbolino led Moto2 FP1 in dry conditions with a 1:33.074 lap on his REDS Fantic Racing Kalex. David Alonso was 0.042 seconds behind in second, Izan Guevara was third, and Manuel Gonzalez, Celestino Vietti, Filip Salac, Aron Canet and Daniel Holgado completed the top eight. Joe Roberts finished 27th, while Angel Piqueras, Adrian Huertas and Collin Veijer all had heavy crashes and were later seen walking afterward.

Arbolino stayed on top in Moto2 FP2 as the session ran wet but drying, posting 1:41.066 and remaining the only rider to look competitive on slick tires at the end. Xabi Zurutuza was second on wet tires at 1:41.867, with Aron Canet, Deniz Oncu, Dani Munoz and Marcos Ramirez filling out the top six. Only 13 riders set a time, and Filip Salac, Ivan Ortola, Izan Guevara and David Alonso did not record laps. Piqueras suffered a small fracture in his right hand and Veijer fractured his left collarbone.

A separate Friday Moto2 classification then placed Salac on top with a lap-record 1:32.402, ahead of Ortola and Daniel Holgado. Arbolino and Guevara were also in the top five.

In Moto3, Brian Uriarte led the wet FP2 at 1:47.740 on a track that started wet and never fully dried. Joel Esteban was second at 1:48.010 and Leo Rammerstorfer third at 1:48.298, while Hakim Danish, Marcos Uriarte and Guido Pini rounded out the top six. David Almansa and Max Quiles were among the riders who did not set a time.

MotoGP is considering a weekend-format change that would split qualifying for the sprint and the Grand Prix, replacing the current system in which one session sets both grids. One report says the move could start next season if approved in the coming days, while another says it is being considered for 2027 and still needs approval from the Grand Prix Commission.

The proposal follows F1’s sprint-weekend model, though MotoGP would likely keep the sprint in the late afternoon rather than moving it to Saturday morning. It has already been discussed with teams, manufacturers and the championship organization.

There is also some support for expanding qualifying from Q1 and Q2 to Q1 through Q3. Riders have complained that the current schedule creates too much stress and risk, especially alongside track sessions, sponsor commitments and media duties, and earlier proposed rule changes this year had already fallen through.

Pedro Acosta gave KTM a strong start at its home Austrian Grand Prix, topping Friday morning’s FP1 and then leading the second practice session to move directly into Q2. KTM also locked out the top two in FP1 with Pol Espargaro second, the team’s first 1-2 in any session since the 2025 Catalan Grand Prix. Acosta finished Friday ahead of Ducati’s Fermin Aldeguer, with Aprilia’s Ai Ogura also near the front, while Marc Marquez, Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi also progressed directly to Q2.

Acosta said the pace did not change his outlook. He dismissed praise for his season as empty consolation because he still did not have the results he wanted, and said KTM was still not quick enough to fight for victory, estimating the bike was two or three seconds off the leaders and still behind Ducati and Aprilia. He called a win in Austria with KTM a dream and said it would come full circle, but added that it was still only Friday. Acosta said he had changed his approach by riding more gently and widening his mindset, which made the bike move less, though he still had trouble in the third sector and through Turn 4.

There were signs KTM may have given him a better package for the Red Bull Ring, with analyst Neil Hodgson saying the bike had become a weapon to fight with after earlier power-unit problems forced the team to detune in Catalonia. Hodgson said KTM’s front end suited the track’s heavy braking zones and that Acosta should be less likely to be outpaced on the straights, but still needed to prove the pace in qualifying, the Sprint and the race. Acosta, who has 15 MotoGP podiums and no Grand Prix win yet, said he hoped for performance upgrades at KTM’s home race, where he was chasing his first Sunday victory after 55 MotoGP starts.