Bagnaia Shatters Lap Record to Lead Ducati Dominance in Austrian MotoGP Practice, Binder Lone KTM Hope

Austrian MotoGP: Bagnaia Leads Practice Sessions, Binder Stands Out as Sole KTM in Top 10

In the MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix practice sessions, Francesco Bagnaia emerged as the quickest, with Brad Binder being the only KTM competitor to secure a spot in the top 10.

Francesco Bagnaia from Ducati took the lead in the MotoGP Practice session at the Red Bull Ring, setting the pace for this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix with the top four positions all secured by Ducati riders.

On his last attempt, Bagnaia secured his top time with a lap of 1:28.508, establishing a new all-time lap record by a margin of 0.036 seconds, surpassing Marco Bezzecchi's previous best of 1:28.544 set in 2023.

Bagnaia led the practice session, outpacing Franco Morbidelli by 0.281 seconds. Among the top four spots, which were all occupied by Ducati riders, Morbidelli secured the second place, narrowly beating Marc Marquez by less than 0.1 seconds. Jorge Martin found himself positioned between them, making up the trio of Ducati contenders.

Enea Bastianini experienced a fall during his last attempt to set a fast lap, yet he managed to barely advance to Q2, securing the 10th position.

On Friday in Austria, Ducati appeared to be in a commanding position once more, but the scenario was quite different for KTM. Brad Binder emerged as the sole KTM contender to secure a spot in Q2, finishing in fifth, while his teammates Jack Miller, Pedro Acosta, Augusto Fernandez, and Pol Espargaro failed to crack the top 10. Espargaro's session was particularly challenging as his motorcycle halted on the track halfway through.

Alex Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi secured positions in the top 10, with Bezzecchi overcoming a fall at turn three. This result ensures that seven out of the eight Ducati riders have directly qualified for Q2. The exception is Fabio Di Giannantonio, who, after a spill at turn eight, ended up in 20th place and will need to participate in Q1.

Joan Mir aimed to reach Q2 following a ninth-place finish in FP1, but he concluded the practice session in 24th place, only surpassing Stefan Bradl, who experienced a crash at the 2a-2b chicane earlier in the afternoon.

Aprilia's day was off to a rough start, with none of its riders ranking in the top 10 for most of the session. However, the mood significantly shifted in the last 10 minutes when Maverick Vinales launched an impressive time attack, propelling both him and teammate Espargaro into the top 10, securing the eighth and seventh positions respectively by the session's close.

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