ACOSTA TOPS AUSTRIA GP FP1 AT RED BULL RING AS KTM SECURES 1-2

On Friday at the Red Bull Ring, Pedro Acosta delivered a statement of intent for KTM, topping both practice sessions and then carrying that momentum into qualifying. The Spaniard’s control of the early running was matched by strong performances from his team-mates, with Pol Espargaro also pushing hard as he stood in for Maverick Viñales.

The day began with mixed conditions. Thursday had been run on a wet track, and Friday morning arrived grey and overcast before drying once MotoGP took to the circuit. With air around 13°C and the asphalt near 15°C, riders had to be patient and bring the slick tyres up to temperature—an approach that had already been reflected earlier in Moto2, where there had been multiple crashes.

In FP1, Acosta set the tone and then continued to sharpen his lap times. His best mark was 1:29.851 before he went early to 1:28.840 to take the lead. Behind him, KTM’s threat looked immediate, and the session was also punctuated by incidents. Jorge Martin was forced to pull off with a technical problem, while several riders struggled to find the limit through the fast downhill right-hander, leading to moments in Turn 4 and gravel excursions for multiple riders.

As the hour progressed, the field was repeatedly interrupted by yellow flags. Johann Zarco had a cut-out in Turn 4, Diogo Moreira followed into the gravel but stayed on two wheels, and Franco Morbidelli also had to take a detour through the gravel. Later, Espargaro’s late push was disrupted when he ran wide in Turn 4 and went into the gravel, while Marco Bezzecchi missed his braking point in Turn 2 and similarly had to work his way through the gravel while remaining on the bike.

Martin returned and climbed through the order, briefly finding himself second before settling for fourth and then improving again. At that stage, Ducati’s pace was not as strong as hoped: Marc Marquez was seventh and the only Ducati inside the top 10.

Conditions improved in the second half as the sky cleared, and the session tightened up. Acosta kept attacking from the front, and while one attempt fell just short by only a few hundredths, he still ended with a leading time of 1:28.371. He had already been on top earlier after switching to a fresh soft rear tyre about half an hour from the end, then followed with three consecutive laps in the best time. The final fast lap came on a used soft rear tyre.

Acosta’s pace was enough to move Espargaro down to second, with Espargaro’s late surge proving decisive for the front group. Espargaro had earlier crashed in Turn 4 into the gravel, triggering the first yellow phase of the weekend. Acosta stayed on the same medium rear tyre he had started with and came very close to beating his leading lap in the final minutes.

Behind the KTM duo, Martin finished third and Marquez fourth. At the halfway point, Marquez was about four tenths behind Acosta, but he improved as the session went on. Video sequences highlighted how much the rear tyre was sliding as he turned into Turn 1. He finished just over three tenths behind Acosta’s best time and stayed on the same tyre throughout.

The rest of the order saw Zarco fifth, Bezzecchi sixth, Raul Fernandez seventh, Alex Marquez eighth, and Moreira ninth, with Luca Marini completing the top 10. Tyre selection followed the usual experimentation pattern: a soft front and medium rear in FP1, with the expected direction for the rest of the weekend being a medium front and a soft (Sprint)/medium (GP) rear.

The afternoon pre-qualifying session brought a separate red-flag interruption. Alex Marquez lost part of his left side fairing on the run into Turn 4, slid along with the material dragging, and then went straight into the gravel. In the time-attack window, a crash by Alex Marquez brought out the red flag because there was no safe area to recover the affected bike. The session was stopped with 11 minutes and 42 seconds remaining so marshals could clear the Ducati from the side of the track; Alex was uninjured and, after the restart, was able to rejoin.

With the chequered flag in that session, Acosta led with 1:28.371. The 60-minute time training was designed to secure direct passage into Q2 for only the fastest ten riders, with the rest going through Q1. In the time training itself, Acosta’s best lap was 1:28.381 and he topped the Q2 group. Fermin Aldeguer was second, Ai Ogura third, Marquez fourth, and Martin fifth. Fabio Di Giannantonio made it three Ducatis into Q2 in sixth, Brad Binder was seventh, Alex Marquez eighth, Bezzecchi ninth, and Fabio Quartararo tenth.

Speedweek also captured the early rhythm as temperatures rose: after five minutes Acosta led with 1:29.301, and the top spots traded hands as Zarco set 1:29.277 and then Quartararo went 1:29.266 before Acosta responded with 1:28.840.

Acosta’s Friday dominance prompted plenty of optimism around KTM’s chances, with MotoGP analyst Neil Hodgson pointing to a clear performance uptick. Hodgson said KTM now look as though they have a “weapon to fight with”, adding that the KTM’s front end—especially in the heavy braking parts of the track—has been key to Acosta’s confidence. He also referenced earlier power-unit problems that had forced KTM to run the engines differently after the events of the Catalan Grand Prix, saying they had “turned the KTMs back up” after having to reduce output to control issues.

Acosta, however, played down the idea that Austria is automatically his best shot at a first premier-class win. “It’s still Friday,” he said, insisting that Saturday’s improvements from Ducati and Aprilia would decide how close KTM can get. He also highlighted where he still needs work: he said KTM still had problems in the long right-hand curve at Turn 5 and in the left-hand sequence through 6 and 7, and that he was trying to improve there.

Ducati’s Marquez acknowledged KTM’s pace but stressed that it wasn’t a sign of a one-sided weekend. “The most important thing is that we improved our feeling with the bike from the first to the last run,” he said, adding that KTM has been quick at this venue before and that Acosta gives them “the extra” to make the difference. Marquez also said he needs to be better on new tyres to get into the first start row during the time attack.

As the weekend moves toward Sunday, Acosta’s pace gives KTM a strong starting point on a circuit where Ducati has historically dominated, while the title fight context remains tight: Marquez arrives in Austria level on points with Martin, with Marquez ahead on countback due to more wins this season. Martin’s FP1 technical setback adds another layer to his planning, particularly as he continues to assess whether he may need to undergo an arm-pump operation again if the issue returns.