Marc Marquez pips Acosta to the top, Bagnaia on the chase in Spielberg
The #93 claims P1 on Friday as KTM, Aprilia, and Honda clinch top six spots.
Practice honours post summer break went the way of title race leader Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) after the #93’s 1:28.117 was enough to finish 0.228s ahead of second fastest Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) at the BWIN Grand Prix of Austria. P3 went the way of Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) on Friday afternoon, as big hitters miss the Q2 cut.
THE OPENING STAGES
There was early drama for reigning World Champion Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) after he crashed at Turn 9. Thankfully the #1 was all OK, but his first choice RS-GP was not. Meanwhile, his 2023 and 2024 sparring partner, Bagnaia, led the session from Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol), with Marc Marquez and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) sitting comfortably in the top four after 30 minutes of running.
Double Czech GP podium finisher Acosta jumped to the summit before we saw red flags shown following a Turn 6 crash for Quartararo. It looked like some fluid was potentially spilt onto the circuit from Jack Miller’s smoking Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP machine, and after the Frenchman’s YZR-M1 tumbled into the air fence, redeployment and track cleaning measures needed to be undertaken before the session could get back underway for the final 26 minutes. Miguel Oliveira, Miller’s teammate, also crashed where Quartararo went down.
CHANGES APLENTY IN THE TOP 10 CHASE
With 17 minutes left, rookie Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) leapt to P1 with a 1:28.877 to go over two tenths clear, before Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) and Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) carved their way into P1 and P2 with just over 10 minutes to go.
This was a very competitive Friday afternoon. Acosta was soon back occupying top spot from Bagnaia and Marc Marquez, with Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) now P4 ahead of fellow HRC star Zarco. Then, with two minutes to go, Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) parked himself in P3 to demote Marc Marquez to P4, before the latter then moved the goalposts in Austria.
The #93 slammed in a 1:28.117, a new all-time lap record, to go two tenths ahead of the rest. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) were late improvers before the chequered flag came out, and that saw both gain automatic Q2 entry as no more top 10 lap times were set.
FRIDAY’S TOP 10
Alex Marquez eventually finished P4 on Friday ahead of Fernandez, with Mir heading straight into Q2 in P6. Morbidelli was just under six tenths away from Marquez in P7, with Zarco, Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), and Binder the last riders to make it into the top 10 as both factory KTMs earn Q2 spots on Friday at their home Grand Prix.
COMING UP: QUALI AND SPRINT SATURDAY
A stacked Q1 awaits with the likes of Brno Sprint podium finisher Bastianini, Quartararo, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), and both factory Aprilia Racing riders – Martin and Marco Bezzecchi – face the challenge of finishing inside the top two in the first part of qualifying on Saturday morning. Then, it’ll be time for Q2 and the Tissot Sprint.
Gonzalez edges out Canet, competition close in Moto2™
It’s a Championship standings 1-2 as Friday concludes for Moto2 in Austria. Points leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) clinched top honours with a new lap record, but he’s just 0.013s ahead of the opposition led by second in the standings Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego). Third went to rookie Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – FRINSA – MSI) within 0.077 of the top, with fourth only 0.006 further back: multiple Spielberg winner Celestino Vietti (Sync SpeedRS Team).
- Gonzalez was quickest but also gained a 3-place grid penalty for being slow on line
- Third in the Championship, Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego), just makes the cut for Q2 in P14
- Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) left it late to move up into P6 on his final flying lap, from outside the top 14
- Brno winner Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) is P15, David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) P18 and Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) P21 – and with all looking to move through to Q2
Piqueras powers to lap record P1 on Friday
It was a classy Friday at the office for Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) at the BWIN Grand Prix of Austria after the Spaniard topped Moto3 Practice with a 1:39.918 – a new all-time lap record for the class at the Red Bull Ring. Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) completed the top three, 0.3s the gap splitting the trio.
- CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar teammates, Maximo Quiles and Dennis Foggia, rounded out the top five.
- Sixth fastest David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) bounced back well from a big crash at Turn 10 in FP1.
- Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is safely into the Q2 shootout after claiming P7 at the team’s home round, with teammate Alvaro Carpe holding onto a spot in Q2 too after a P14 finish on Day 1.