19.09.2026
MotoGP 2026 - Round 15 of 22, Red Bull Ring – Qualification and Sprint
Red Bull KTM struck hard at a sunny Red Bull Ring today as Pedro Acosta fought for Pole Position and led the fourteenth Sprint of the MotoGP season before a late error put the talented Spaniard out of the running. The factory secured Saturday points with Brad Binder’s 9th position and will start the Grand Prix race day with Pole in Moto3™.
Highlights and key moments from Misano:
- Brad Binder makes Q2 and moves up from 11th on the grid to break into the top ten and capture the final point with P9
- Pedro Acosta just 0.071 of a second from Pole Position Saturday morning and was 3rd on the grid but failed to finish the Sprint after leading for most of the duration
- Enea Bastianini rides to 11th while Pol Espargaro finishes 14th
- Moto3 Pole Position for Brian Uriarte who takes P1 on the grid for the second time this season and in his career. Red Bull KTM Ajo teammate Alvaro Carpe will start the race from P3
Full hopes and attention were directed on Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 and all four riders flirted with direct Q2 entry as Pedro Acosta topped the time sheets on Friday morning with Pol Espargaro, making his fourth race appearance of 2026 to replace Maverick Viñales, in P2. The afternoon Practice session was held in sunny conditions and was another period of potential: Acosta rasping to P1 again and Brad Binder also making Q2 directly for the third time this season as less than half a second split the top ten.
On Saturday the day started wet but the track soon dried and Pedro got up to speed by vying for Pole Position until the final minutes of Q2. He was only 0.071 from the distinction and managed 3rd for the final space on the front row. Brad had run as high as 8th for the fastest lap-times and rested in 11th for the fourth row. Pol was just 0.2 of a second from making it through Q1. The Spaniard took 4th for 14th on the grid while Bastianini was 17th.
The Sprint started in frantic style with multiple position swapping through the first corners. Pedro attacked through the 2a and 2b chicane and then seized the lead through Turn 3. He then made the difference over the pack by more than two seconds until he ran too hot into the chicane section and crashed. He was able to remount but had to retire to the pits. Brad fought for positions ahead of him after starting from 11th. The South African pushed into the top eight until resting 9th; seven seconds from the victor. Enea and Pol’s Sprints were largely conditioned by their starts and positions on the first laps. Enea was P11 after making a gain of four places and Pol was seven seconds behind in P14.
The Grand Prix will lap the Red Bull Ring for 28 laps on Sunday from 14.00 CEST.
Brad Binder, 11th in qualification, 9th in the Sprint: “I felt pretty good and the beginning of the race was quite OK. I lost a few positions at the end of the first lap when I was popped up onto the curb but I managed to get a few back and the bike was working really good. I felt great but with about eight laps gone I started to spin a lot and it got worse. It was a bit of a surprise but for tomorrow we know what we need to do and to calm things down a bit to make the distance.”
Enea Bastianini, 17th in qualification, 11th in the Sprint: “Not much grip and a lot of front closing with the new tire in qualifying but the race was a bit better. I was able to overtake but it was still difficult to come back. On Fridays I am close to Q2 but Saturdays a bit far, so we must fix this. We need to save the tire for the end of the race tomorrow and we need to pay attention.”
Pol Espargaro, 14th in qualification, 14th in the Sprint: “Not so good not so bad. We chose the medium tire to get some information for the guys for tomorrow. I made a big mistake and got involved in a stupid battle at the beginning of the race that cost some time. I could make my rhythm after…but I was too far from more positions. Anyway, today it was useful to get some data on the tire degradation.”
Pedro Acosta, 3rd in qualification, DNF in the Sprint: “To start from the front row at the team’s home GP was nice. In the Sprint I was riding in a really good mode, the pace was good and I was just checking the laps on the dash and how it was with the fueling and I f**ked it up. I lost my braking point and that was it. I lost a bit of focus. Thankfully tomorrow we will have another chance. We will have the same approach. I have nothing to lose.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Since Friday its been a positive weekend so far. We’re competitive here and the expectations are high. Pedro showed us he was ‘the guy’ and the reference for others. About the Sprint? What can we say? We cannot be unhappy about the performance and the same for Brad; even if he could not quite keep the same pace until the end of the race and we need to analyze that for tomorrow. Disappointment for Pedro of course but it is important to remember that we have another great chance for Sunday…and we hope to fight for the top positions again.”
Grand Prix of Austria photographs can be found HERE
Results Qualifying MotoGP Grand Prix of Austria
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Aprilia 1:27.917
2. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati +0.015
3. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0.071
11.Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0.812
14. Pol Espargaro (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3 1:28.972 (Q1)
17. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3 1:29.165 (Q1)
Results MotoGP Sprint Grand Prix of Austria
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Aprilia 20:57.387
2. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati +1.026
3. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Aprilia +1.675
9. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +7.233
11. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +11.580
14. Pol Espargaro (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +18.373
DNF. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
KTM GP Academy
Moto3 Pole Position was hotly contested in Q2 and the KTM GP Academy were in the scrap for front row bragging rights. Brian Uriarte carried his podium speed momentum for Misano into the Saturday sessions and swept through to Pole Position; his second of 2026. Brian had claimed victory at Red Bull Ring in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in 2025 and was keen to extend his speed around the curves. Carpe, another former Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup race winner in Austria, was 3rd fastest for the last placement on the front row.
Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo Rico Salmela and Valentin Perrone were 10th and 12th quickest respectively; Perrone taking the long route through Q1 to make a decent recovery.
Brian Uriarte: “A bit shocking. I saw I was 0.1 up on my fast lap and didn’t think I’d be quicker but when I saw [the final time] I exploded. I’m really happy because we have been working hard. Yesterday I was struggling a bit with the pace…so, happy to achieve this Pole.”
Moto2™ saw some bad luck for Red Bull KTM Ajo. Collin Veijer’s crash through Turn 6 on Friday left a broken left collarbone for the Dutch youngster and ended his participation for the weekend. Rookie Jose Antonio Rueda went into Q2 and was 9th fastest – half a second from Pole – for one of his best qualifiers of the season. The Spaniard will line-up on the third row of the grid and an improvement of 20 positions over the San Marino GP last weekend.
The last round of seven in the 2026 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup brought the fight for the championship to Austria. The first race of two across the weekend took place on Saturday afternoon. American Kristian Daniel Jnr started from Pole Position and the 15-lap contest saw an eight-rider tussle for the flag. Daniel prevailed but was docked one position for exceeding track limits on the last lap and Fernando Bujose was awarded the P1. The title dispute goes down to Sunday.
Results Qualifying Moto3 Grand Prix of Austria
1. Brian Uriarte (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo 1:39.544
2. David Almansa (ESP), KTM +0.064
3. Alvaro Carpe (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.315
4. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team +0.437
10. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +1.063
12. Valentin Perrone (ARG) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +1.220
23. Marco Morelli (ARG) CFMOTO Aspar Team 1:41.620 (Q1)
Results Qualifying Moto2 Grand Prix of Austria
1. Filip Salac (CZE) 1:32.381
2. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP) +0.121
3. Alex Escrig (ESP) +0.146
6. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team +0.373
9. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.504
10. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team +0.511
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