[Austrian GP] Acosta sets the top time in FP1! KTM starts 1-2 at home

Free Practice 1 (FP1) for the MotoGP Austrian GP took place, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Pedro Acosta recording the top time. Red Bull KTM Tech3's Pol Espargaro followed in 2nd place, giving KTM a 1-2 start on home soil. Ai Ogura, returning from injury, finished the session in 19th place.

KTM off to a strong start at home, Acosta clocks in the 1:29 range

Free Practice 1 (FP1) was held at the Red Bull Ring in Austria for the MotoGP Austrian GP. The session was topped by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Pedro Acosta, who recorded a top time of 1:29.851. He showed speed that made him the only rider to break into the 1:29 range during the Friday morning session.

Red Bull KTM Tech3's Pol Espargaro followed in 2nd place. Although Espargaro had a minor crash at Turn 4, he recorded a time just a few hundredths of a second behind Acosta. With this, KTM achieved a 1-2 session finish on home soil in Austria for the first time since the 2025 Catalan GP practice. Regarding Espargaro, it had been reported that he would continue his substitute participation for the Austrian GP in September 2026.

Title contender Martin is 3rd, returning Ai Ogura is 19th

Aprilia Racing's Jorge Martin took 3rd place. Despite experiencing technical issues during the session, he recorded a faster time than Ducati Lenovo Team's Marc Marquez (4th), who is tied with him in the overall standings. Marco Bezzecchi, who also rides for Aprilia Racing, finished the session in 6th place, looking to bounce back from his mistake in Misano a few days ago. Regarding both riders, it was reported that they were looking forward to taking on Round 15 in September 2026.

Castrol Honda LCR's Johann Zarco took 5th place, finishing 0.5 seconds off the top. Meanwhile, Ai Ogura, competing for the Superfiles Trackhouse MotoGP Team, finished this session—his return from injury—in 19th place. The time gap to the leader, Acosta, was 1.4 seconds.

FP1 was a close battle with the top 16 riders within one second of each other. The important practice session, which will determine direct entry into Qualifying Q2, is scheduled to take place from 3:00 PM local time.

Official MotoGP Results:https://www.motogp.com/en/gp-results

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