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# What happened in KTM-led first Austria MotoGP practice
- URL: https://www.the-race.com/motogp/ktm-1-2-what-happened-austrian-gp-motogp-first-practice/
- Published: 2026-09-18T09:39:52.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-18T09:42:47.000Z
- Description: KTM started it and title sponsor Red Bull's home MotoGP weekend with a 1-2 in opening Austrian GP practice
- Author: Matt Beer
- Tags: MotoGP, #ktm, #pedro-acosta, #secondary_feature_2

KTM started it and title sponsor Red Bull's home MotoGP weekend with a 1-2 in opening Austrian Grand Prix practice.

Pedro Acosta - who would particularly like to win his first full MotoGP grand prix in Austria as he goes into his final months with KTM before leaving for Ducati - set an early 1m29.851s that kept him on top.

Tech3's Maverick Vinales stand-in Pol Espargaro then used fresh tyres at the end to go to second, just over two tenths of a second slower, as he recovered from an early crash.

Joint championship leader Jorge Martin had to switch to his spare Aprilia after a technical problem in the opening minutes, but was second until Espargaro's late run.

Martin is optimistic that the nature of the Red Bull Ring layout will mean there is no repeat of the arm pump problem that caused his Misano slump last weekend and allowed Marc Marquez to draw level with him in the championship and lead on countback.

Marquez was fourth in the session, with fellow title contender Marco Bezzecchi sixth behind top Honda rider Johann Zarco.

Alex Marquez fell back to eighth in the final minutes having been in the top five but run through the gravel after part of the aero on his Gresini Ducati came loose.

## Results

1 Pedro Acosta (KTM) 1m29.851s  
2 Pol Espargaro (Tech3 KTM) +0.233s  
3 Jorge Martin (Aprilia) +0.308s  
4 Marc Marquez (Ducati) +0.335s  
5 Johann Zarco (LCR Honda) +0.513s  
6 Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) +0.533s  
7 Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Aprilia) +0.566s  
8 Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) +0.631s  
9 Diogo Moreira (LCR Honda) +0.669s  
10 Luca Marini (Honda) +0.680s  
11 Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Ducati) +0.709s  
12 Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati) +0.800s  
13 Jack Miller (Pramac Yamaha) +0.843s  
14 Brad Binder (KTM) +0.861s  
15 Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) +0.921s  
16 Franco Morbidelli (VR46 Ducati) +0.997s  
17 Enea Bastianini (Tech3 KTM) +1.010s  
18 Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati) +1.122s  
19 Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Aprilia) +1.404s  
20 Takaaki Nakagami (Honda) +1.438s  
21 Alex Rins (Yamaha) +1.487s  
22 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pramac Yamaha) +2.512s