2026 Austrian MotoGP News and Results

Cycle News Staff | September 19, 2026

MotoGP Sprint

Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) produced a stunning comeback to win Saturday’s Tissot Sprint at the Austrian Grand Prix after Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed from a comfortable lead with three laps remaining.

Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) finished second, with Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) completing the podium as the three leading championship contenders filled the top three positions.

2026 Austrian MotoGP News and ResultsMotoGP returns to its most picturesque venue and it's all tied at the top.
Martin (89) was sublime in the Sprint. Forced out by Marquez (93) at turn two, he charged back from eighth place to second, and when Acosta fell, that became an unlikely win to help Martin wrestle back the title lead.

Martin initially grabbed the holeshot from the front row but lost out to Marc Marquez at Turn 2a after running wide. The reigning World Champion then moved ahead of Acosta at Turn 3, before the KTM rider immediately opened a gap at the front. Martin, meanwhile, dropped all the way to eighth.

The Aprilia rider quickly set about repairing the damage. Martin passed Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) and Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) in quick succession to reach fourth by Lap 5.

2026 Austrian MotoGP News and ResultsMotoGP returns to its most picturesque venue and it's all tied at the top.
Pedro Acosta (37) had the race shot to pieces but a momentary lapse in concentration saw him enter the turn two chicane way too fast, losing the front of the KTM and an almost guaranteed Sprint win in KTM’s backyard.

He then overtook Bezzecchi for third at Turn 1 on Lap 7 before making an aggressive but clean pass on Marc Marquez one lap later to take second. With Acosta still 2.8 seconds ahead, Martin appeared destined for second until the KTM rider threw away victory.

Acosta arrived at Turn 2a too hot with three laps remaining and lost the front of his KTM, handing Martin an unexpected lead. Martin held his nerve to take the 12 points and extend his championship advantage.

2026 Austrian MotoGP News and ResultsMotoGP returns to its most picturesque venue and it's all tied at the top.
Bezzecchi (72) knew he didn’t have the front-eunning pace but held on for fourth, which became third after Acosta’s exit.

Marc Marquez finished second, while Bezzecchi was third. Ogura continued his return from injury with fourth, ahead of Alex Marquez and Bagnaia. Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) was seventh, with Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Binder completing the points.

Acosta will look to regroup for Sunday’s Grand Prix, where he will have another opportunity to turn KTM’s home weekend into a victory.

2026 Austrian MotoGP Results—MotoGP Sprint

1 Jorge Martin SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) 20m 57.387s
2 Marc Marquez SPA Ducati Lenovo (GP26) +1.026s
3 Marco Bezzecchi ITA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) +1.675s
4 Ai Ogura JPN Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) +3.495s
5 Alex Marquez SPA BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP26) +4.447s
6 Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Lenovo (GP26) +5.142s
7 Johann Zarco FRA Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) +5.895s
8 Fermin Aldeguer SPA BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP25) +6.810s
9 Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +7.233s
10 Fabio Di Giannantonio ITA Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP26) +9.228s

MotoGP Qualifying

Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) snatched pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix by just 0.015 seconds from Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), with Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing a front row covered by less than a tenth.

Martin set a 1:27.917 to deny Marquez, while Acosta, who dominated Friday’s running, was just 0.071 seconds off pole as the Red Bull Ring set up another intriguing battle between the championship contenders.

2026 Austrian MotoGP News and ResultsMotoGP returns to its most picturesque venue and it's all tied at the top.
Martin was the master in qualifying, edging top spot away from Marquez by just 0.015-seconds.

Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) led the way in Q1, both setting identical fastest laps to advance. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) missed out in 13th, while Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Tech3) qualified 14th after impressing on Friday.

Acosta initially led Q2 from Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), but Martin soon found more pace. The Aprilia rider moved to the top and then lowered his benchmark again, setting the eventual pole time.

Marc Marquez responded with red sectors on his final attempt but could only move into second, while Alex Marquez crashed at Turn 1, bringing out yellow flags and limiting the field’s final attempts.

Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) qualified fourth, ahead of Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) and Alex Marquez. Bagnaia took seventh, followed by Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Zarco.

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was 11th, with Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) 12th. Raul Fernandez completed the 13th-fastest time.

2026 Austrian MotoGP Results—MotoGP Qualifying

1 Jorge Martin SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) 1:27.917s
2 Marc Marquez SPA Ducati Lenovo (GP26) +0.015s
3 Pedro Acosta SPA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +0.071s
4 Marco Bezzecchi ITA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) +0.249s
5 Ai Ogura JPN Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) +0.533s
6 Alex Marquez SPA BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP26) +0.556s
7 Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Lenovo (GP26) +0.610s
8 Fabio Di Giannantonio ITA Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP26) +0.695s
9 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +0.706s
10 Johann Zarco FRA Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) +0.715s

Moto2 Qualifying

Filip Salač (OnlyFans American Racing Team) claimed his first Moto2 pole position in three years at the Austrian Grand Prix, capping a strong weekend by smashing his own Red Bull Ring lap record with a 1:32.381.

Fastest on Friday, Salač waited until the final minutes of qualifying before taking control, improving the benchmark by 0.021 seconds with less than three minutes remaining. His final attacks were unable to better the time, leaving the Czech rider with his second career Moto2 pole and first since the 2023 Portuguese Grand Prix.

2026 Austrian MotoGP News and ResultsMotoGP returns to its most picturesque venue and it's all tied at the top.
Filip Salac made it a maiden Moto2 pole in Austria.

Manuel Gonzalez (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) mounted the strongest challenge, jumping to fourth with less than two minutes remaining before finding another three tenths to set a 1:32.502 and secure second. Alex Escrig (KLINT Racing Team) completed the front row, 0.146 seconds off pole.

Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – Campolor – MSI) qualified fourth, ahead of Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) and David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Team). Alonso Lopez (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) took seventh, followed by Q1 graduate Barry Baltus (REDS Fantic Racing), Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Team) inside the top 10.

Tony Arbolino, Deniz Öncü and Celestino Vietti followed, while Senna Agius (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) crashed heavily at Turn 2B, bringing his session to an early end. The Australian was thankfully unhurt.

Salač becomes the 11th different Moto2 polesitter of 2026.

2026 Austrian MotoGP Results—Moto2 Qualifying

1 Filip Salac CZE OnlyFans American Racing Team (Kalex) 1:32.381s
2 Manuel Gonzalez SPA LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP (Kalex) +0.121s
3 Alex Escrig SPA KLINT Racing Team (Forward) +0.146s
4 Ivan Ortola SPA QJMOTOR – Campolor -MSI  (Kalex) +0.213s
5 Izan Guevara SPA BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 (Boscoscuro) +0.288s
6 David Alonso COL CFMOTO Inde Team (Kalex) +0.373s
7 Alonso Lopez SPA ITALJET Gresini Moto2 (Kalex) +0.461s
8 Barry Baltus BEL REDS Fantic Racing (Kalex) +0.462s
9 Jose Antonio Rueda SPA Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) +0.504s
10 Daniel Holgado SPA CFMOTO Inde Team (Kalex) +0.511s

Moto3 Qualifying

Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) produced a stunning final lap to claim Moto3 pole at the Austrian Grand Prix, setting a new Red Bull Ring lap record in the process.

Uriarte clocked a 1:39.544 on his final flying lap to edge David Almansa (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) by just 0.064 seconds. Almansa had earlier set the benchmark with a 1:39.608, appearing on course for another pole before Uriarte found more than half a second on his final attempt.

2026 Austrian MotoGP News and ResultsMotoGP returns to its most picturesque venue and it's all tied at the top.
It was tight but Brian Uriarte made it a pole on KTM’s home turf.

Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completed the front row after overcoming a frustrating session that saw several laps cancelled for track-limit violations. His only valid flying lap, a 1:39.859, was enough for third and secured a double front-row start for KTM Ajo on home soil.

Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) qualified fourth after recovering from a spectacular save at Jochen Rindt, meaning the championship’s top four riders occupy the first four grid positions.

Matteo Bertelle (LEVEL UP – MTA) heads the second row from Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power) and Joel Kelso (GRYD Racing), with Joel Esteban (LEVEL UP – MTA), David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) and Rico Salmela (Red Bull KTM Tech3) completing the top 10.

2026 Austrian MotoGP Results—Moto3 Qualifying

1 Brian Uriarte SPA Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 1′ 39.544s
2 David Almansa SPA Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (KTM) +0.064s
3 Alvaro Carpe SPA Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) +0.315s
4 Maximo Quiles SPA CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team (KTM) +0.437s
5 Matteo Bertelle ITA LEVEL UP – MTA (KTM) +0.773s
6 Scott Ogden GBR CIP Green Power (KTM) +0.783s
7 Joel Kelso AUS GRYD  Racing (Honda) +0.967s
8 Joel Esteban SPA LEVEL UP – MTA (KTM) +1.020s
9 David Munoz SPA Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (KTM) +1.058s
10 Rico Salmela FIN Red Bull KTM Tech3 (KTM) +1.063s

2026 Austrian MotoGP News—Friday

Pecco rails at media

Pecco Bagnaia railed at the media on Thursday after a conversation he had with Fabio Di Giannantonio was revealed by Spanish broadcaster DAZN.

Bagnaia had said Ducati “won’t let me” test different solutions to his problems when talking to his compatriot in the wake of his Misano disaster in the broadcast set. Four days on and the Italian said the video was “totally disrespectful.”

2026 Austrian MotoGP News and ResultsMotoGP returns to its most picturesque venue and it's all tied at the top.
Bagnaia was far from stoked with what he describes as “totally disrespectful” treatment by Spanish broadcaster DAZN.

“The video that was recorded was out of context. We were speaking about a thing that is not completely secret. But it’s out of context, because the video is not complete. We were speaking about one more thing. What I meant is I tried to put and remove things many times already. Ducati is not allowing me to do that anymore, but just because I already did many times, and I don’t want to continue this kind of thing.”

Ogura returns

Ai Ogura returned to action after fracturing a bone at the base of his left thumb in a training incident in Japan. The Trackhouse rider initially shunned surgery in his homeland before realizing the extent of the injury when in Europe and hoping to ride in Aragon.

2026 Austrian MotoGP News and ResultsMotoGP returns to its most picturesque venue and it's all tied at the top.
Ogura is back but not happy he followed doctor’s orders.

“I did what a Japanese doctor told me (to not have surgery). I have nothing against them but I shouldn’t have listened,” he said of his initial medical advice.

He since underwent surgery to have a plate fitted to the bottom of his thumb. “Of course, I have les strength than the right hand…but the gap between the hands now is not that much. Slowly back to normal.”

Asked why he also skipped Misano, Ogura said, “If I crashed. As long as I stay on the bike then I will deal with the pain. There is not chance if I make it worse. I skipped Misano because if I crashed it would have been worse.”

Rins headache worries

Alex Rins revealed he retired from the San Marino Grand Prix due to feeling dizzy and losing his vision. The worrying symptoms led the Spaniard to go for medical checks on the Tuesday before Austria to determine what happened.

2026 Austrian MotoGP News and ResultsMotoGP returns to its most picturesque venue and it's all tied at the top.
Undiagnosed head issues are not what Alex Rins needs right now.

“It was the first time in my career that I retired for a problem like I had in Misano,” he said. “Especially that head pain. Like twelve laps to the end, I started to lose a little bit of vision. I felt like really dizzy. It started in Aragon, more or less. In Aragon, I started with the head pain, and it was like up and down.

“But during Misano GP, I didn’t have any big moment like I had in the race. After that, I went to the doctor on Tuesday to analyze, to check. Apparently, looks everything OK. So, I’m doing a bit of physio. It can be stress, it can be the hot conditions that we had in Misano. It can be the crash that I had in Silverstone that maybe I did something. I don’t know.”

Friday MotoGP

Pedro Acosta gave KTM exactly what it wanted at its home Grand Prix, topping both Friday sessions at the Red Bull Ring and ending the opening day of the Austrian GP with the fastest time.

2026 Austrian MotoGP News and Results
Pedro Acosta knows time is running out to get his first win in KTM colors and he went P1 on Friday in the Austrian countryside.

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider set a 1:28.381 late in the afternoon session, continuing the strong form he showed in FP1. Acosta was the first rider into the 1:28s and steadily lowered his benchmark as the session progressed, eventually establishing a significant advantage over the field.

Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) emerged as Acosta’s closest challenger, finishing second, while Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) marked his return to action with an impressive third. Championship leader Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) recovered from a relatively quiet opening half to finish fourth, ahead of Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing).

2026 Austrian MotoGP News and ResultsMotoGP returns to its most picturesque venue and it's all tied at the top.
Fermin Aldeguer slotted into second behind Acosta.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) was sixth, followed by Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), who secured a direct passage into Q2 for the first time since Barcelona.

The session was briefly halted when Alex Marquez suffered a bizarre crash at Turn 1 with just under 12 minutes remaining. The 2025 championship runner-up appeared to lift the front wheel on corner exit before the tire touched down and immediately folded, sending him off the bike. He was unhurt and returned on his second machine to finish eighth.

2026 Austrian MotoGP News and ResultsMotoGP returns to its most picturesque venue and it's all tied at the top.
Ai Ogura made a sensational return from injury to go third on the Trackhouse Aprilia.

Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) narrowly missed the top 10, finishing 11th and just 0.004 seconds outside direct Q2 qualification. Johann Zarco and Diogo Moreira were also forced into Q1, while Francesco Bagnaia endured a difficult afternoon in 18th.

Acosta’s performance sets up a strong start to KTM’s home weekend as he continues his pursuit of a maiden MotoGP victory.

2026 Austrian MotoGP Results—Friday MotoGP

1 Pedro Acosta SPA Red Bull KTM (RC16) 1:28.381s
2 Fermin Aldeguer SPA BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP25) +0.127s
3 Ai Ogura JPN Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) +0.187s
4 Marc Marquez SPA Ducati Lenovo (GP26) +0.204s
5 Jorge Martin SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) +0.222s
6 Fabio Di Giannantonio ITA Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP26) +0.252s
7 Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +0.269s
8 Alex Marquez SPA BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP26) +0.321s
9 Marco Bezzecchi ITA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) +0.430s
10 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +0.436s

Friday Moto2

Filip Salač (OnlyFans American Racing Team) set a new Moto2 lap record at the Red Bull Ring to top Friday Practice and establish himself as the rider to beat heading into qualifying.

The Czech rider’s 1:32.402 lap put him 0.097 seconds ahead of Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – Campoloco MSI), with Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) third, another tenth back.

2026 Austrian MotoGP News and ResultsMotoGP returns to its most picturesque venue and it's all tied at the top.
Filip Salac took top spot in Moto2 by the skin of his teeth.

Salač’s pace capped a difficult day for the Moto2 field, with two riders ruled out after separate Turn 6 crashes in FP1. Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Collin Veijer suffered a fractured left collarbone, while Angel Piqueras (QJMOTOR – Campoloco MSI) sustained a small fracture to his right hand. Both are expected to return to Spain for surgery.

Tony Arbolino (RED Fantic Racing), fastest in FP1, maintained his strong form with fourth in Practice, ahead of championship contender Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2). David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) was sixth, followed by title leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP).

Alex Escrig (KLINT Racing Team) was eighth, with Senna Agius and Barry Baltus among those struggling. Agius finished 12th, while Baltus crashed at Turn 2a late in the session and missed the top 14, leaving the Misano podium finisher facing Q1.

The top championship contenders all advanced directly to Q2, with just 0.236 seconds separating Salač from Guevara at the front.

2026 Austrian MotoGP Results—Friday Moto2

1 Filip Salac CZE OnlyFans American Racing Team (Kalex) 1:32.402s
2 Ivan Ortola SPA QJMOTOR – Campolor -MSI  (Kalex) +0.097s
3 Daniel Holgado SPA CFMOTO Inde Team (Kalex) +0.198s
4 Tony Arbolino ITA REDS Fantic Racing (Kalex) +0.223s
5 Izan Guevara SPA BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 (Boscoscuro) +0.236s
6 David Alonso COL CFMOTO Inde Team (Kalex) +0.254s
7 Alex Escrig SPA KLINT Racing Team (Forward) +0.272s
8 Manuel Gonzalez SPA LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP (Kalex) +0.359s
9 Celestino Vietti ITA Beta Tools SpeedRS Team (Boscoscuro) +0.393s
10 Alonso Lopez SPA ITALJET Gresini Moto2 (Kalex) +0.545s

Friday Moto3

David Almansa (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) continued his outstanding form at the Red Bull Ring, topping both FP1 and Practice to lead Moto3 on Friday.

2026-austrian-motogp-friday-news-3.jpg
Almansa is out for blood after his humiliating Misano defeat and topped Moto3 practice on Friday.

Almansa’s 1:39.667 lap put him just outside the all-time class record, with Saturday still to come. Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Aspar Gaviota Team) was second, 0.195 seconds behind, and the only other rider into the 1:39s. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) left his fastest lap late but secured third.

Matteo Bertelle (LEVELUP-MTA) was fourth despite a late crash at Turn 3, while teammate Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completed the top five. Hakim Danish (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI) was sixth after also crashing late.

Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) claimed the final automatic Q2 spot in 14th, leaving David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) 15th on his return from injury. Guido Pini (Leopard Racing), Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Veda Pratama (Honda Team Asia) and Marco Morelli (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) also face Q1.

2026 Austrian MotoGP Results—Friday Moto3

1 David Almansa SPA Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (KTM) 1:39 668s
2 Maximo Quiles SPA CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team (KTM) +0.195s
3 Alvaro Carpe SPA Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) +0.503s
4 Matteo Bertelle ITA LEVEL UP – MTA (KTM) +0.522s
5 Brian Uriarte SPA Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) +0.610s
6 Hakim Danish MAL AEON Credit- MT Helmets – MSI (KTM) +0.621s
7 Joel Esteban SPA LEVEL UP – MTA (KTM) +0.648s
8 Rico Salmela FIN Red Bull KTM Tech3 (KTM) +0.722s
9 Scott Ogden GBR CIP Green Power (KTM) +0.725s
10 Ryusei Yamanaka JPN AEON Credit- MT Helmets – MSI (KTM) +0.752s