2023 Austrian MotoGP, Red Bull Ring - Saturday Practice Results

Saturday practice results from the Austrian MotoGP at the Red Bull Ring, round 10 of 20 in the 2023 world championship.

* Rookie

Official Red Bull Ring MotoGP records:Best lap:Enea Bastianini ITA Ducati 1m 28.772s (2022)Fastest race lap:
Jorge Martin SPA Ducati 1m 29.854s (2022)

Brad Binder celebrates his new KTM contract by leading final practice for the Austrian MotoGP at Red Bull Ring, despite a fall (pictured).

Newly announced as remaining at KTM until at least the end of 2026, Binder was leading the session when he slid off at the new Turn 2 chicane in the final ten minutes but remained quickest by 0.083s from Marco Bezzecchi (VR46).

Aprilia team-mates Maverick Vinales and Aleix Espargaro were a competitive third and fourth, followed by title leader and reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia.

Ducati and Aprilia riders – including Bagnaia, Espargaro and Miguel Oliveira – rode with front fork wings to squeeze out a little extra downforce.

Espargaro had some kind of techical issue while in the practice start zone.

Fabio di Giannantonio fell at the end of the session, his bike reaching the airfence after losing the front into Turn 9.

Marc Marquez added the rear ‘duck tail’ kicker to the back of his RC213V, to try and balance out the extra front downforce from the new fairing.

Qualifying 1, featuring the likes of Marc Marquez and Jack Miller, will now get underway.

Pol Espargaro will have a three-place grid penalty for holding up Marc Marquez at the end of Friday afternoon’s practice.

Ducati’s reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia takes a 41-point lead over Pramac’s Jorge Martin into this weekend’s Austrian MotoGP, with VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi slipping to third (-47 points) after his Silverstone accident.Desmosedicis have only been beaten twice at the Austrian circuit in the nine races since it returned to the calendar in 2016: Miguel Oliveira snatched Tech3 KTM’s first ever MotoGP victory at the final corner of a restarted 2020 race, before Brad Binder gave the home factory a memorable 2021 win after staying on slicks in the rain.Binder returns holding fourth in the standings, with KTM still seeking its first Sunday win of the season after two Sprint victories for the South African.Johann Zarco’s is the highest placed rider yet to officially secure a 2024 seat, with Aleix Espargaro climbing to sixth in the standings after a dramatic last lap victory for Aprilia at Silverstone.Luca Marini (VR46), Alex Marquez (Gresini), Jack Miller (KTM) and Espargaro’s team-mate Maverick Vinales complete the current top ten, followed by Monster Yamaha riders Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli.Rookie Augusto Fernandez is now up to 13th, while GASGAS Tech3 team-mate Pol Espargaro will be taking part in his second event since returning from extensive injuries at Portimao.KTM has traditionally used its home event to reveal more about its future plans, might they reveal more on how they intend to solve the conundrum of where to place Moto2 star Pedro Acosta?
LCR Honda’s Alex Rins remains absent due to his Mugello leg injuries and is again replaced by WorldSBK rider Iker Lecuona.