Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) delivered a stunning performance in qualifying at the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Austria, securing pole position by a razor-thin margin of just 0.015 seconds ahead of Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team). Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) claimed third after dominating Friday proceedings, finishing within 0.071 of pole to set the stage for an intense weekend of racing in Spielberg. Acosta is chasing his first MotoGP Grand Prix win and second Tissot Sprint win on KTM's home turf, while Martin fights to reclaim the points lead from Marc Marquez.
The action kicked off in Q1 where Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) fought through alongside Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR), both advancing to the top 12 shootout with identical fastest lap times. Raul Fernandez (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) missed out in P13, just behind replacement rider Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Tech3), who had shown great pace earlier in FP1.
Moving into Q2, the initial runs saw Acosta leading Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), closely chased by the Aprilia machines of Martin and Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing). Martin went on a tear, improving on his own lap time after taking over the top spot. Acosta and Bezzecchi pushed hard with red sectors, before Marc Marquez fired back with his own quick sectors.
Marc Marquez improved his time but fell just short of pole by that tiny 0.015 margin, while drama struck Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) who crashed safely at Turn 1, bringing out the yellow flags. With late yellow flags spoiling final flying laps, nobody could depose Martin, whose 1:27.917 secured pole ahead of his championship rival, leaving the top three drivers covered by less than a tenth of a second.
Looking at the rest of the grid, Marco Bezzecchi takes fourth place, followed by Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) in fifth, and Alex Marquez sixth despite his late tumble. Francesco Bagnaia recovered into seventh after a difficult time at Misano, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) eighth, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) ninth, and Johann Zarco rounding out the top ten ahead of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).
Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) starts down in P12, looking to use his late-race pace from last season's podium finish when the lights go out. Fans can tune in for the Spielberg Sprint at 15:00 before the Grand Prix gets underway on Sunday at 14:00.
