Pedro Acosta led both Friday sessions at the Red Bull Ring, putting KTM on top before Austrian Grand Prix qualifying.
Pedro Acosta put KTM on top of the MotoGP field on Friday, September 18, as he controlled Practice at the Red Bull Ring. Championship leaders Marc Marquez and Jorge Martin started Round 15 tied on 274 points.
The factory KTM rider led the opening session, then returned to the top in the afternoon. His speed made him the benchmark ahead of Saturday qualifying and the Austrian Grand Prix Sprint.
Acosta controls Friday Practice
Acosta spent most of the timed Practice session in front, holding an advantage of at least half a second for much of the running. He also produced the field's strongest race pace.
KTM had shown its speed earlier in the day. Acosta topped FP1, with Pol Espargaro completing a KTM one-two on his return as an injury replacement for Maverick Viñales. Martin finished third in the opening session.
FP1 provided an early indication, rather than a settled competitive order. Lap times were two seconds off the outright Red Bull Ring benchmark and one-third of a second outside the race lap record. Acosta carried KTM's momentum into the quicker afternoon session.
KTM had made its opening statement.
KTM finds speed at home
The Austrian Grand Prix is KTM's home round, and the manufacturer immediately put two RC16s at the front on September 18. Espargaro's second place in FP1 reinforced Acosta's early speed, with the Spaniard racing as a replacement rider this weekend.
Acosta came to Austria after finishing third at the San Marino Grand Prix on September 13. He scored 16 points behind winner Marc Marquez and runner-up Alex Marquez, then led both Friday sessions at the Red Bull Ring five days later.
The Red Bull Ring weekend continues through September 20. This is Round 15 of the 2026 season, with eight rounds left after the previous event at Misano.
Title leaders chase Friday benchmark
Marc Marquez and Martin arrived in Austria tied at the top of the standings on 274 points apiece. Marco Bezzecchi is third with 241, leaving him 33 points behind.
Marquez drew level by claiming his 78th MotoGP victory at the San Marino Grand Prix. Bezzecchi crashed on Lap 1 at Misano, while Marquez scored 25 points and wiped out the remainder of a deficit that had been 102 points seven rounds earlier.
Martin still opened the Austrian weekend inside the FP1 top three, behind the two KTM riders. Acosta's later Practice speed left both championship leaders chasing improvements before the grid is decided.
Aprilia Racing also leads the team standings with 515 points. Ducati Team has 417, and Trackhouse Racing Team holds third with 402.
Ogura cleared as replacements step in
Ai Ogura was medically cleared to continue the Austrian Grand Prix weekend after participating in FP1. The Trackhouse rider broke his first right metacarpal before the Aragon round and missed Aragon and Misano.
His return restores Trackhouse's full presence for a round it begins third in the championship table.
Two replacement riders are also competing at the Red Bull Ring. Espargaro has taken Viñales' Tech3 seat, while Takaaki Nakagami is standing in for Joan Mir. Mir will miss the weekend after medical tests carried out following Misano found altered blood parameters.
Espargaro's FP1 result brought further attention to those changes. He returned to the race grid and immediately put a KTM second, behind Acosta.
Qualifying change plan emerges
Friday also brought a separate development concerning MotoGP's weekend format. Plans have emerged for two qualifying sessions at every race weekend, following the Formula 1 model.
Two independent publications reported the planned system on September 18, but the available details included no implementation date. The current Austrian schedule keeps the established Q1 and Q2 format on Saturday morning.
The proposal surfaced three days after an updated set of 2026 MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 World Championship Regulations was published on September 15. No connection between that update and the proposed qualifying change has been confirmed.
Saturday puts Acosta's pace under pressure
FP2 is the next MotoGP session on Saturday, September 19, with Q1 and Q2 to follow. The Austrian Grand Prix Sprint is set for 15:00 that afternoon.
Sunday's Grand Prix begins at 14:00 on September 20. The championship then travels to the Japanese Grand Prix from October 2 to 4, followed by Indonesia from October 9 to 11 and Australia from October 23 to 25.
Acosta's next task is to turn Friday's advantage into a grid position when Austrian Grand Prix qualifying starts on September 19.
