News Summary
- Pedro Acosta led Austrian MotoGP FP1 with a 1min29.851s lap.
- Pol Espargaró completed a KTM 1-2 despite crashing at Turn 4.
- Jorge Martín took third ahead of title rival Marc Márquez, while Diogo Moreira finished ninth.
Pedro Acosta placed KTM at the front of its home Austrian GP by setting the pace in Friday’s opening MotoGP practice at the Red Bull Ring.
The Spaniard produced a 1min29.851s lap to finish 0.233s ahead of Pol Espargaró, giving the Austrian manufacturer a 1-2 at the beginning of the weekend. It was KTM’s first top-two lockout in a MotoGP session since practice at the 2025 Catalan GP.
Espargaró’s performance came despite a minor crash at Turn 4. The Tech3 rider returned to the track and secured second place, making full use of his knowledge of the KTM as a development rider.
Jorge Martín finished third, 0.308s behind Acosta, after encountering a technical problem during the opening stages. The Aprilia rider stopped on track and had to return to the garage before switching to his second motorcycle.
The disruption did not prevent Martín from finishing directly ahead of Marc Márquez. Only 0.027s separated the championship rivals, who arrived in Austria level on 274 points. Márquez holds the official lead because he has more victories during the season.
Johann Zarco placed fifth for LCR Honda, ahead of Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi and Trackhouse rider Raúl Fernández.
Álex Márquez took eighth after a piece of bodywork detached from his Gresini Ducati and forced him to run off at Turn 4. Brazilian rookie Diogo Moreira followed in ninth, while Luca Marini completed the top ten.
Moreira’s result helped place three Honda riders inside the leading ten, with Zarco fifth and Marini tenth.
Further down the classification, Fabio Quartararo finished 15th, while Francesco Bagnaia struggled to 18th. The Ducati rider ended FP1 more than one second behind Acosta and was the lowest-placed representative of the Italian manufacturer.
Ai Ogura returned to action after undergoing surgery on a fractured left thumb. The Trackhouse rider finished 19th, approximately 1.4s off the pace, and will undergo another medical assessment before being cleared to continue the Austrian GP weekend.
The competitive order remained extremely close, with the fastest 16 riders separated by less than one second.
2026 Austrian MotoGP — FP1 results
| Pos. | Rider | Team | Time | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P. ACOSTA | KTM | 1:29.851 | — |
| 2 | P. ESPARGARÓ | Tech3 KTM | 1:30.084 | +0.233 |
| 3 | J. MARTÍN | Aprilia Racing | 1:30.159 | +0.308 |
| 4 | M. MÁRQUEZ | Ducati | 1:30.186 | +0.335 |
| 5 | J. ZARCO | LCR Honda | 1:30.364 | +0.513 |
| 6 | M. BEZZECCHI | Aprilia Racing | 1:30.384 | +0.533 |
| 7 | R. FERNÁNDEZ | Trackhouse Aprilia | 1:30.417 | +0.566 |
| 8 | Á. MÁRQUEZ | Gresini Ducati | 1:30.482 | +0.631 |
| 9 | D. MOREIRA | LCR Honda | 1:30.520 | +0.669 |
| 10 | L. MARINI | Honda | 1:30.531 | +0.680 |
| 11 | F. ALDEGUER | Gresini Ducati | 1:30.560 | +0.709 |
| 12 | F. DI GIANNANTONIO | VR46 Ducati | 1:30.651 | +0.800 |
| 13 | J. MILLER | Pramac Yamaha | 1:30.694 | +0.843 |
| 14 | B. BINDER | KTM | 1:30.712 | +0.861 |
| 15 | F. QUARTARARO | Yamaha | 1:30.772 | +0.921 |
| 16 | F. MORBIDELLI | VR46 Ducati | 1:30.848 | +0.997 |
| 17 | E. BASTIANINI | Tech3 KTM | 1:30.861 | +1.010 |
| 18 | F. BAGNAIA | Ducati | 1:30.973 | +1.122 |
| 19 | A. OGURA | Trackhouse Aprilia | 1:31.255 | +1.404 |
| 20 | T. NAKAGAMI | Honda | 1:31.289 | +1.438 |
| 21 | Á. RINS | Yamaha | 1:31.338 | +1.487 |
| 22 | T. RAZGATLIOLU | Pramac Yamaha | 1:32.363 | +2.512 |
MotoGP today: FAQ
Who was fastest in Indonesian MotoGP Practice at Mandalika?
Raúl Fernández topped Friday’s Practice with a new Mandalika lap record of 1:28.725, leading an Aprilia 1-2-3 ahead of Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martín. Marc Márquez finished fifth, 0.220s behind championship rival Martín. All four qualified directly for Q2.
Can Marc Márquez take the MotoGP championship lead in Saturday’s sprint?
Yes. Márquez trails Jorge Martín by just two points, 331 to 333. The Ducati rider can move ahead by scoring at least three more points than Martín during Saturday’s sprint. A Márquez victory would guarantee the championship lead regardless of Martín’s result.
What time is Indonesian MotoGP qualifying and the sprint on Saturday?
Qualifying begins at 10:50 local time on Saturday, October 10, equivalent to 03:50 BST in the UK and 22:50 EDT on Friday in the United States and Canada. The sprint starts at 15:00 local time, equivalent to 08:00 BST and 03:00 EDT on Saturday.
