Filip Salač (OnlyFans American Racing Team) put together an absolute masterclass at the Red Bull Ring, smashing his own lap record with a blistering 1:32.381 to secure pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix. It is a stunning turnaround for the Czech rider, who was fastest on Friday and kept that momentum rolling right through Saturday to lock down his first pole since the 2023 Portuguese Grand Prix (where he finished fourth). This also marks just the second Moto2 pole of his career, making him the 11th different polesitter in a wonderfully unpredictable 2026 qualifying campaign.
Here is the thing about how he did it: Salač didn't just sit on an early time. He launched himself to the front with just under three minutes remaining on the clock, improving on his own Friday benchmark by 0.021s. And the #12 wasn’t finished there either. His penultimate lap came within a mere 0.010s of going even faster, but that 1:32.381 remained utterly untouchable as the rest of the field threw everything they had at it in the dying moments.
The biggest challenge came from championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP). With less than two minutes left on the clock, the Spaniard dragged himself up to P4 before finding a massive step forward right before the chequered flag. His 1:32.381-challenging 1:32.502 put him second on the grid, finishing just 0.121s away from Salač. Gonzalez even set the pace through Sector 1 on his final charge, but simply couldn’t sustain that terrifying speed over the rest of the lap.
That left Alex Escrig (KLINT Racing Team) to complete the front row in third place, finishing a mere 0.146s adrift. Behind them, Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – Campolor – MSI) takes the head of the second row, while Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) crossed the line first while sitting provisionally fifth and held that spot ahead of David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team).
Further down the order, Alonso Lopez (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) grabbed seventh, followed by Q1 graduate Barry Baltus (REDS Fantic Racing) in eighth. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Team) rounded out the top ten. They were followed in the order by Tony Arbolino (REDS Fantic Racing), Deniz Öncü (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), Celestino Vietti, and Luca Lunetta (BETA Tools SpeedRS Team). Unfortunately, Senna Agius’ (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) session was cut short by a sizeable crash at Turn 2B, though thankfully the Australian rider was OK.
With Salač fresh off winning his first Grand Prix just over a month ago, and with Gonzalez and Escrig right alongside him on the front row, Sunday's race at the Red Bull Ring is shaping up to be an incredible battle.
