MotoGP World Champion Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia took pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg.
On Saturday, the World Championship leader secured first place on the grid for Sunday’s race (2 p.m.) on his Ducati in a time of 1:28.539 minutes. Aprilia rider Maverick Vinales (+0.037 seconds) landed just behind, while KTM riders Brad Binder (+0.114) and Jack Miller (+0.230) secured an excellent starting position in third and fourth place The hopes of the local motorcycle manufacturer also have good chances of winning the sprint race on Saturday afternoon (3 p.m.) at the Red Bull Ring. The South African Binder, currently fourth in the World Championships, had previously extended his KTM contract by two years until 2026. The Australian Miller qualified as fastest in “Q1” for the pole decision of the top twelve in “Q2” and can also hope for a home win. For Bagnaia it is the fifth pole in the tenth race of the season. The Spanish superstar Marc Marquez finished 18th on his Honda. Compatriot Pol Espargaro was 13th, but the 32-year-old GasGas rider, who works for KTM, had a decisive handicap on Marquez in Friday practice and is therefore dropped three grid positions. Espargaro had a bad crash at the season opener in Portimao in March and only celebrated his comeback at the previous race in Silverstone. there are also points for the World Championship ranking. The winner gets twelve points, for ninth place there is another championship point.
source site-12