Pedro Acosta laid down an early marker in MotoGP Practice for the Austrian Grand Prix 2026 at the Red Bull Ring. The young Spaniard set a blistering 1'28.381, edging out Fermin Aldeguer by 0.127s and Ai Ogura by 0.187s. The session was dramatic, with crashes for Marc Marquez and his brother Alex Marquez.
From the start, Acosta showed stunning pace, being the only rider in the 1m28s early on. Behind him, Aldeguer and Ogura impressed, while reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia struggled down in 18th, 0.885s off the pace, highlighting the fierce competition this season.
The first crash came on lap 21 when Johann Zarco went down at Turn 4. He lost control and was lucky not to be collected by Diogo Moreira, who narrowly avoided him. Shortly after, Marc Marquez crashed, his bike emitting smoke before the red flag was shown to clear the track.
After the restart, Alex Marquez suffered an unusual crash, losing the front on the exit of Turn 1. The red flag came out again due to debris. Alex was only 15th at the time, a far cry from his impressive performance last week.
Despite the crashes, Ducati showed strength through Aldeguer and Marini, but Acosta on the KTM broke their dominance. "I feel comfortable with the bike, and the team did a great job," Acosta said after the session. "But this is only Practice, let's see tomorrow."
Weather conditions were favourable with 20°C air and 19°C track temperature. The clear skies contrasted with the morning's clouds. This Practice result signals an intense battle in MotoGP 2026, with young riders like Acosta, Aldeguer, and Ogura ready to challenge the veterans.
The session also gave a chance to replacement riders like Moreira, who shadowed Marquez closely. Despite running wide at Turn 4 multiple times, he showed potential. Now all eyes turn to qualifying and the race, where Acosta will try to maintain his form while rivals aim to bounce back.
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