Pedro Acosta Kicks Off KTM's Home Weekend with Fastest Time

KTM factory rider Pedro Acosta kicked off his team's home weekend by setting the fastest time in the first free practice session ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring.

The Spaniard was the only rider to dip below 1:30 for laps on the Austrian circuit, clocking 1:29.851 on just his fifth flying lap. This put him 0.233 seconds ahead of Pol Espargaro, who is once again filling in for the injured Maverick Viñales at Tech3 KTM.

The KTM test rider achieved his best result at the end of the session after fitting new tires to his bike, having earlier crashed his primary machine at Turn 4. This allowed him to break into the top three, surpassing former championship leader Jorge Martin, who finished third with a deficit of 0.308 seconds.

The practice session didn't start ideally for "Martinator," who had to stop on track with a technical issue in the opening minutes. The 2024 World Champion also continued to experience discomfort in his right hand, a problem that first emerged during last week's San Marino Grand Prix and contributed to his reduced pace during the Misano race.

Marc Marquez concluded the opening session in Austria in fourth place, 0.335 seconds behind his future teammate Acosta, while Johann Zarco secured fifth. Rounding out the top 10 after the first 45-minute preparation session at the Red Bull Ring were Marco Bezzecchi, Raul Fernandez, Alex Marquez, Diogo Moreira, and Fermin Aldeguer.

Ai Ogura made his MotoGP return with the 19th fastest time, 1.404 seconds adrift of Acosta. Directly behind the Trackhouse Aprilia rider was his compatriot Takaaki Nakagami, who is riding for the factory Honda team this weekend in place of Joan Mir.

The Austrian Grand Prix weekend, the 15th round of the 2026 MotoGP season, will continue at 4:00 PM Bulgarian time with a 60-minute official practice session at the Red Bull Ring. Traditionally, the results from this session will determine the ten riders who will directly qualify for the second phase of tomorrow's qualifying at the Austrian circuit.