{"id":2448,"date":"2026-09-18T06:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T09:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=2448"},"modified":"2026-09-18T08:43:54","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T11:43:54","slug":"acosta-leads-ktm-1-2-in-austrian-motogp-fp1-as-title-rivals-follow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/acosta-leads-ktm-1-2-in-austrian-motogp-fp1-as-title-rivals-follow\/","title":{"rendered":"Acosta leads KTM 1-2 in Austrian MotoGP FP1 as title rivals follow"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">News Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pedro Acosta led Austrian MotoGP FP1 with a 1min29.851s lap.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pol Espargar\u00f3 completed a KTM 1-2 despite crashing at Turn 4.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jorge Mart\u00edn took third ahead of title rival Marc M\u00e1rquez, while Diogo Moreira finished ninth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pedro Acosta placed KTM at the front of its home Austrian GP by setting the pace in Friday\u2019s opening <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/\">MotoGP<\/a> practice at the Red Bull Ring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Spaniard produced a 1min29.851s lap to finish 0.233s ahead of Pol Espargar\u00f3, giving the Austrian manufacturer a 1-2 at the beginning of the weekend. It was KTM\u2019s first top-two lockout in a MotoGP session since practice at the 2025 Catalan GP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Espargar\u00f3\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jorge Mart\u00edn 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The disruption did not prevent Mart\u00edn from finishing directly ahead of Marc M\u00e1rquez. Only 0.027s separated the championship rivals, who arrived in Austria level on 274 points. M\u00e1rquez holds the official lead because he has more victories during the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johann Zarco placed fifth for LCR Honda, ahead of Aprilia\u2019s Marco Bezzecchi and Trackhouse rider Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00c1lex M\u00e1rquez 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moreira\u2019s result helped place three Honda riders inside the leading ten, with Zarco fifth and Marini tenth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The competitive order remained extremely close, with the fastest 16 riders separated by less than one second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2026 Austrian MotoGP \u2014 FP1 results<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Pos.<\/th><th>Rider<\/th><th>Team<\/th><th>Time<\/th><th>Difference<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>1<\/td><td>P. ACOSTA<\/td><td>KTM<\/td><td>1:29.851<\/td><td>\u2014<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2<\/td><td>P. ESPARGAR\u00d3<\/td><td>Tech3 KTM<\/td><td>1:30.084<\/td><td>+0.233<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>3<\/td><td>J. MART\u00cdN<\/td><td>Aprilia Racing<\/td><td>1:30.159<\/td><td>+0.308<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>4<\/td><td>M. M\u00c1RQUEZ<\/td><td>Ducati<\/td><td>1:30.186<\/td><td>+0.335<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>5<\/td><td>J. ZARCO<\/td><td>LCR Honda<\/td><td>1:30.364<\/td><td>+0.513<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>6<\/td><td>M. BEZZECCHI<\/td><td>Aprilia Racing<\/td><td>1:30.384<\/td><td>+0.533<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>7<\/td><td>R. FERN\u00c1NDEZ<\/td><td>Trackhouse Aprilia<\/td><td>1:30.417<\/td><td>+0.566<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>8<\/td><td>\u00c1. M\u00c1RQUEZ<\/td><td>Gresini Ducati<\/td><td>1:30.482<\/td><td>+0.631<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>9<\/td><td>D. MOREIRA<\/td><td>LCR Honda<\/td><td>1:30.520<\/td><td>+0.669<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>10<\/td><td>L. MARINI<\/td><td>Honda<\/td><td>1:30.531<\/td><td>+0.680<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>11<\/td><td>F. ALDEGUER<\/td><td>Gresini Ducati<\/td><td>1:30.560<\/td><td>+0.709<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>12<\/td><td>F. DI GIANNANTONIO<\/td><td>VR46 Ducati<\/td><td>1:30.651<\/td><td>+0.800<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>13<\/td><td>J. MILLER<\/td><td>Pramac Yamaha<\/td><td>1:30.694<\/td><td>+0.843<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>14<\/td><td>B. BINDER<\/td><td>KTM<\/td><td>1:30.712<\/td><td>+0.861<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>15<\/td><td>F. QUARTARARO<\/td><td>Yamaha<\/td><td>1:30.772<\/td><td>+0.921<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>16<\/td><td>F. MORBIDELLI<\/td><td>VR46 Ducati<\/td><td>1:30.848<\/td><td>+0.997<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>17<\/td><td>E. BASTIANINI<\/td><td>Tech3 KTM<\/td><td>1:30.861<\/td><td>+1.010<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>18<\/td><td>F. BAGNAIA<\/td><td>Ducati<\/td><td>1:30.973<\/td><td>+1.122<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>19<\/td><td>A. OGURA<\/td><td>Trackhouse Aprilia<\/td><td>1:31.255<\/td><td>+1.404<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>20<\/td><td>T. NAKAGAMI<\/td><td>Honda<\/td><td>1:31.289<\/td><td>+1.438<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>21<\/td><td>\u00c1. RINS<\/td><td>Yamaha<\/td><td>1:31.338<\/td><td>+1.487<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>22<\/td><td>T. RAZGATLIOLU<\/td><td>Pramac Yamaha<\/td><td>1:32.363<\/td><td>+2.512<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">MotoGP today: FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who was fastest in Indonesian MotoGP Practice at Mandalika?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez topped Friday&#8217;s Practice with a new Mandalika lap record of 1:28.725, leading an Aprilia 1-2-3 ahead of Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Mart\u00edn. Marc M\u00e1rquez finished fifth, 0.220s behind championship rival Mart\u00edn. All four qualified directly for Q2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can Marc M\u00e1rquez take the MotoGP championship lead in Saturday&#8217;s sprint?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes. M\u00e1rquez trails Jorge Mart\u00edn by just two points, 331 to 333. The Ducati rider can move ahead by scoring at least three more points than Mart\u00edn during Saturday&#8217;s sprint. A M\u00e1rquez victory would guarantee the championship lead regardless of Mart\u00edn&#8217;s result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What time is Indonesian MotoGP qualifying and the sprint on Saturday?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pedro Acosta set the only lap below 1min30s at the Red Bull Ring, beating Pol Espargar\u00f3 as Jorge Mart\u00edn and Marc M\u00e1rquez began the Austrian GP weekend third and fourth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020315378,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Acosta tops Austrian MotoGP practice ahead of Espargar\u00f3 and Mart\u00edn","42wp_featured_image_credits":"Rob Gray\/Polarity Photo","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_ai_content_disclaimer":"","42wp_is_ai_content":false,"42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[],"footnotes":"","42wp_hide_from_automatic":false,"42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[38],"tags":[316,32,106],"42wp_author":[140],"class_list":["post-2448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motogp","tag-diogo-moreira","tag-motogp","tag-pedro-acosta","42wp_author-kaio-esteves"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2448"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2449,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448\/revisions\/2449"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020315378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2448"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=2448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}