MOTOGP AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX 2026 SCHEDULE CONFIRMED FOR RED BULL RING
4d ago·
The MotoGP paddock moves on from Misano to the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg for the Austrian Grand Prix, with this year’s event scheduled for September rather than August. The circuit, at 4.326 km, is among the shortest on the MotoGP calendar and features ten corners—seven to the right and three to the left—along with notable elevation changes.
Austria has often been a Ducati and KTM stronghold in recent years: over the last decade, only Ducati (10 wins) and KTM (2 wins) have taken GP victories at Spielberg. The venue also hosted two Grands Prix in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In terms of recent form at the track, Andrea Dovizioso and Pecco Bagnaia—both riding for Ducati—have each won three Sunday races at the Red Bull Ring. Heading into Austria after a double success in Misano, Marc Marquez arrives as the championship leader. The 33-year-old Spaniard won both the Sprint and the Grand Prix in Italy and carries 274 points into the Steiermark round, tied on points with Jorge Martin (Aprilia). Marquez is listed as leading on the basis of having more race wins, while Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) sits third, 33 points behind.
Beyond MotoGP, the Austrian weekend also includes Moto2 and Moto3, and again features the Red Bull Rookies Cup as well as riders from the Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup. For both of those support series, the Austrian round will mark the final two races of their 2026 season.
The MotoGP schedule keeps the usual rhythm across the weekend. On Saturday, the Sprint begins at 15:00, while Sunday’s Moto3 race starts at 11:00, maintaining the traditional order of sessions. The main MotoGP race is the highlight at 14:00 on Sunday, scheduled for 28 laps.
Friday, 18 September (MESZ): Moto3 FP1 runs 09:00–09:35, Moto2 FP1 09:50–10:30, and MotoGP FP1 10:45–11:30. Later, Moto3 practice is 13:15–13:50, Moto2 practice 14:05–14:45, and MotoGP practice takes place 15:00–16:00.
Saturday, 19 September: Moto3 FP2 is 08:40–09:10, Moto2 FP2 09:25–09:55, and MotoGP FP2 10:10–10:40. MotoGP qualifying is split into Q1 (10:50–11:05) and Q2 (11:15–11:30). Moto3 qualifying follows with Q1 (12:45–13:00) and Q2 (13:10–13:25), then Moto2 qualifying Q1 (13:40–13:55) and Q2 (14:05–14:20). The MotoGP Sprint is at 15:00 over 14 laps, with the Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup race 1 at 16:10 and the Red Bull Rookies Cup race 1 at 16:50.
Sunday, 20 September: the Bagger World Cup race 2 is at 08:55, followed by a MotoGP warm-up at 09:40–09:50. Moto3 races at 11:00 (20 laps), Moto2 at 12:15 (23 laps), and the MotoGP race at 14:00 (28 laps). The Red Bull Rookies Cup concludes with race 2 at 15:20.