Breaking News Alert & Headline Changes
CONFIRMED: Jorge Martin has taken pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, and the result puts him back at the top of the championship standings. The pole lap follows his win in Saturday’s sprint race, and it means Marc Marquez lines up alongside him on the front row rather than ahead of him.
Pedro Acosta completes the top three for KTM, giving the home support a rider inside the leading group to cheer on. The full grid for Sunday has now been confirmed, and it sets up one of the more open races of the season. The complete official starting grid details are out, and there are a couple of enforced changes further down the order worth knowing about too.
Official XI & Bench Breakdown (home side)
Here is the confirmed order for the top ten on Sunday’s grid:
- Jorge Martin
- Marc Marquez
- Pedro Acosta (KTM)
- Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia)
- Ai Ogura (Aprilia)
- Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati)
- Francesco Bagnaia
- Fabio di Giannantonio
- Fabio Quartararo
- Johann Zarco
Martin’s pole matters beyond Sunday’s race alone. Regaining the championship lead off the back of a sprint win is exactly the sort of weekend a title challenger needs, and doing it with Marc Marquez starting right behind him rather than in front adds an extra layer to it. The Red Bull Ring has passing chances into turn three and turn four, so a clean start from pole gives Martin the chance to dictate the race from the opening lap rather than having to fight his way through.
Acosta’s third place is arguably the story of the session for the home crowd. KTM have needed a rider to build momentum through a tough year, and Acosta looks like he’s doing it at exactly the right time — his opening practice pace at Spielberg carried straight through into qualifying, and it follows his recent podium breakthrough in San Marino. Two strong weekends back to back isn’t a coincidence; it points to a bike that’s starting to suit him properly.
Behind the front three, Aprilia have two riders inside the top five in Bezzecchi and Ogura, which is about as good a Saturday as the Noale factory could have hoped for. Alex Marquez in sixth on the Gresini Ducati shows the strength in depth further down the order. Bagnaia — usually among the favourites at a circuit like this — will start seventh, with di Giannantonio and Quartararo just behind him. Zarco rounds out the top ten, and he’ll fancy his chances of picking off a place or two early if he gets a clean run through the opening laps.
Official XI & Bench Breakdown (opponent)
Not every rider arrives in Austria with their usual seat. Two enforced changes shape the wider entry list this weekend.
Maverick Vinales remains sidelined after the crash he suffered at the German Grand Prix, and Pol Espargaro continues to fill in for him at Tech3. It’s a tough ask stepping into a factory-supported KTM mid-season, but Espargaro has had a run of races now to settle in and build some rhythm with the team. Tech3’s rider planning has already been a talking point of its own this year — the team have confirmed Tech3 KTM rider movement for next season — so Espargaro’s current form as a stand-in adds another layer to that story rather than existing in isolation.
The second change comes at Honda, where Joan Mir misses the race after altered blood parameters ruled him out on medical grounds. Takaaki Nakagami steps back in as his replacement, a role he knows well from his years spent as Honda’s regular test and reserve rider. Nakagami won’t have had a full off-season building towards this weekend, but few riders outside Honda’s factory line-up understand the bike as well as he does, and the team will be hoping that experience limits any drop-off across the grand prix.
Put it all together and this is a grid with a lot going on before a wheel is even turned on Sunday. Martin starts from the front and back at the top of the championship; Acosta gives KTM a genuine home hope; and two experienced substitutes at Tech3 and Honda are doing a job under difficult circumstances rather than ideal ones. It’s the sort of grid that promises a race, not just a procession behind the pole man.
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