MOREIRA SETS THE PACE IN 850CC TEST AT THE RED BULL RING WITH A FASTER LAP THAN ACOSTA

Diogo Moreira has set the pace in the second official MotoGP 850cc test at the Red Bull Ring, turning in a best lap of 1:28.4 on Honda’s new-spec machine. The timing matters because the grid is preparing for next year’s regulatory shift to 850cc engines, wider aerodynamic limits, and the ban on ride-height and holeshot devices—while Pirelli prepares to replace Michelin as the sole tyre supplier from 2027.

The Monday session gave full-time riders who are staying with their current manufacturers, as well as those valued for their technical feedback, a chance to evaluate both their team’s 850cc bike and the tyres Pirelli is developing. It also came after most of the 2026 field remained at the Red Bull Ring for an extra day following the Austrian Grand Prix.

Moreira’s headline moment was how his test pace stacked up against the race benchmark set by Pedro Acosta. Acosta won the 2026 Austrian GP last Sunday and recorded the fastest lap of the race at 1:29.533. According to the report, that would have placed him around ninth in the 850cc test—highlighting that the test lap times are being driven by the new tyre and 850cc package rather than simply race-day form.

The comparison also underlined how KTM’s approach differed from some other teams. The report notes that KTM allowed Acosta to try their 850cc bike despite his move to Ducati next year. By contrast, riders who will be leaving or who are not currently in the “test feedback” group were not given the same opportunity: Francesco Bagnaia’s replacement was not offered a chance to test the Pirelli tyres, and Yamaha did not allow Fabio Quartararo to run its 850cc machine as he looks ahead to joining Honda in 2027. Quartararo, the article adds, would likely have been interested in Honda’s progress given Moreira’s pace.

Honda’s momentum is also being framed internally as a genuine step toward 2027. Speaking on TNT Sports, Michael Laverty said Honda engineers have been impressed by the direction of the 850 Honda, recalling that “From the get-go, it sounded like Nakagami really liked it, and Aleix Espargaro, before he got hurt, was quite impressed with the 850 Honda,” and adding that he had heard engineers tell him “Fabio Quartararo on that Honda will be a threat.” Laverty also described the feeling as if “it’s almost like the brakes have been put on the 1,000 project, it’s all focused on next year.”

Honda are planning to promote Moreira to the factory team alongside Quartararo, but the report says they need to clear up a contractual issue after offering David Alonso the seat. Johann Zarco will continue at LCR.

Not all riders used their brand’s 850cc development bike during the Red Bull Ring test. Some ran alternative machinery to gain mileage or for other programme reasons. Izan Guevara, for example, used a 1,000cc bike on Monday, while Yamaha also let Moto2 talent Guevara rack up experience on a MotoGP machine ahead of his Pramac debut in 2027. The report also says that Toprak Razgatlioglu was the fastest rider on Yamaha’s 850cc bike, but he was still 1.6 seconds down on Moreira.

Honda’s advantage was reflected across the top of the timesheets. Moreira’s 1:28.4 was fast enough that it would have been competitive with qualifying pace: the article states it was quicker than what would have been required to qualify in the top six, with Aprilia’s Jorge Martin taking pole for the Austrian GP on a 1:27.917. Gresini’s Alex Marquez, who was sixth on Saturday, set a 1:28.473. For context on Honda’s qualifying form, Johann Zarco was the quickest Honda rider in Austrian GP qualifying, reaching P10 in Q2 with a 1:28.632.

The report also contrasts Monday’s results with earlier 850cc testing. It references Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi setting the fastest lap in the first official 850cc test at Brno in June, with a 1:53.9 lap. That figure is described as considerably slower than the 1:53.122 posted by Fabio Di Giannantonio on a Ducati GP26 during the 2026 Czech Grand Prix the day before.

Overall, Monday’s Red Bull Ring session showed that the 850cc transition is already producing meaningful performance gaps, with Moreira leading the way on Honda and Acosta’s Austrian GP fastest lap falling short of the test pace. At the same time, the article highlights that not every rider ran the same 850cc development hardware, and that access to Pirelli’s tyre work and the new-spec bikes is still uneven across the grid.