Acosta tops both sessions to put KTM in a strong position

Pedro Acosta finished Friday fastest in both sessions at the Austrian Grand Prix. His 1:28.381 in Practice put him 0.127 seconds ahead of Fermín Aldeguer, with Ai Ogura third. Brad Binder, seventh, joins his teammate directly in Q2: a successful start to KTM’s home weekend.

Binder offers an explanation for that confidence: with the reinforced Michelin rear tyre construction used in Austria, he feels fewer of his usual front-end problems and is regaining confidence. Acosta had already won the Thailand Sprint with this tyre construction. The target now is his first MotoGP Grand Prix victory, not his first win across all race formats.

Behind them, Marc Márquez and Jorge Martín finish fourth and fifth, separated by just 18 thousandths of a second. Martín says he was able to ride at 100% and work on the setup without focusing on his arm. He remains cautious until Sunday’s race, however: surgery has neither been decided on nor definitively ruled out. Acosta holds Friday’s advantage; his two championship rivals remain close.