Pol Espargaro tops opening MotoGP practice

Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was the quickest rider after FP1 at the myWorld Austrian Grand Prix after setting a 1:24.193 on Friday morning. 2019 winner Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) sits 0.044 off the number 44 in second place, with Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) third on the timesheets.

It was an important session for the MotoGP riders, with rain looking like it could affect proceedings in FP2 – and potentially FP3 too. That meant the premier class needed to take advantage of the dry Red Bull Ring and get themselves into the top 10, just in case the heavens open in FP2 and FP3 before qualifying. At their home Grand Prix, KTM’s Pol Espargaro was a leading figure throughout at the top of the times, with Dovizioso also looking strong from the get-go.

FP1 results

POS RIDER TEAM GAP
1 Pol Espargaro KTM 1m24.193s
2 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 0.044s
3 Takaaki Nakagami LCR Honda 0.185s
4 Alex Rins Suzuki 0.380s
5 Franco Morbidelli Petronas Yamaha 0.395s
6 Johann Zarco Avintia Ducati 0.462s
7 Miguel Oliveira Tech3 KTM 0.525s
8 Jack Miller Pramac Ducati 0.531s
9 Joan Mir Suzuki 0.550s
10 Fabio Quartararo Petronas Yamaha 0.560s
11 Maverick Vinales Yamaha 0.586s
12 Danilo Petrucci Ducati 0.644s
13 Valentino Rossi Yamaha 0.686s
14 Cal Crutchlow LCR Honda 0.751s
15 Iker Lecuona Tech3 KTM 0.798s
16 Brad Binder KTM 0.812s
17 Michele Pirro Pramac Ducati 0.959s
18 Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 0.972s
19 Alex Marquez Honda 1.056s
20 Bradley Smith Aprilia 1.104s
21 Stefan Bradl Honda 1.178s
22 Tito Rabat Avintia Ducati 1.536s