Pedro Acosta Leads KTM 1-2 in Austrian MotoGP Free Practice 1

Spielberg, Austria, September 18, 2026: Pedro Acosta led a Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1-2 in the opening Free Practice session for the 2026 Austrian MotoGP Grand Prix, giving the Austrian manufacturer a strong start to its home weekend at the Red Bull Ring.

Acosta set the pace with a 1:29.851, becoming the only rider to break into the 1:29s during Friday morning’s FP1 session. Pol Espargaro put the second KTM into second place, handing the factory its first 1-2 in a session since Practice at the 2025 Catalan Grand Prix.

Espargaro’s session was particularly encouraging given that the KTM Tech3 rider suffered a small crash at Turn 4. He nevertheless recovered to set the second-fastest time, finishing a couple of tenths behind Acosta.

Jorge Martin was third-fastest for Aprilia Racing, despite encountering a technical issue during the session. Martin arrives in Austria level on points with Marc Marquez at the top of the MotoGP World Championship standings.

Marquez, riding for Ducati Lenovo Team, finished fourth, around three tenths off Acosta’s benchmark. Johann Zarco completed the top five for Castrol Honda LCR, although the Frenchman was around half a second slower than the session leader.

Marco Bezzecchi was sixth-fastest on the second factory Aprilia as he began his Austrian GP weekend looking to recover from his crash in Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix.

Ai Ogura begins injury comeback

Ai Ogura returned to MotoGP action after missing the Aragon and San Marino Grands Prix because of a hand injury.

The Trackhouse MotoGP rider finished FP1 in 19th position, 1.4 seconds behind Acosta. Ogura had been given initial medical clearance to participate in the session and was subsequently cleared to continue for the remainder of the Austrian GP weekend following a further medical assessment.

The opening session also highlighted the competitiveness of the field, with the fastest 16 riders separated by less than one second.

With FP1 now complete, attention turns to the all-important Practice session at 3pm local time, when riders will battle for positions that determine direct progression to Q2 in Saturday’s qualifying session.

The Austrian Grand Prix continues at the Red Bull Ring as MotoGP returns to one of the fastest circuits on the 2026 calendar.