In the penultimate round at the Spaniards’ track, Jake Dixon (Kalex) posted the fastest time as Augusto Fernández (Kalex) capitalized on the sliding conditions created by his teammate, Albert Arenas. Arenas, a Spaniard, was making his first free practice run on the Red Bull Ring after an encouraging start for the Moto2 category at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Moto2 kicked off the weekend, with riders eager to hit the asphalt on dry tires. Fernández, leading the world standings on a Kalex, wasted no time showing his pace. The Spaniard asserted himself early, putting in rapid laps that put him at the top of the time sheets. He was followed closely by fellow Spaniards Arenas and Alonso López (Boscoscuro), both challenging for position near the summit of the rankings.
Pedro Acosta (Kalex) was also present on track, returning to action after missing the British race. He thanked the medical commission for allowing him to compete in the Austrian test, where he began his session with a solid performance, finishing in fourteenth place in his first outing back on the bike.
Fernández continued to string together fast laps, maintaining a lead that seemed firmly in his grasp as the session progressed. While Fermín Aldeguer (Boscoscuro) joined the fray and Arenas did not immediately follow the same pace, the final minutes brought a shift in rhythm and lead positions.
Then, a lap by lap sprint intensified. Dixon jumped to the top of the standings, posting a best time of 1:35.000 behind Arenas’ bike, ahead of Fernández and Italian racer Lorenzo dalla Porta (Kalex). Aldeguer slipped to ninth, with Arón Canet (Kalex) closing in on the top positions, while Acosta finished just three thousandths behind Canet, barely missing a higher spot. Alonso López found himself in eighteenth place among Moto2’s fastest riders as the session reached its climax.
Across the barrier to Moto3, Italian Dennis Foggia (Honda) led the provisional classification at the end of the second free session of the Austrian Grand Prix, held at the Spielberg circuit. He sat ahead of Turkish rival Deniz Öncü (KTM) and British rider John McPhee (Husqvarna), who were chasing the pace set by the leaders.
During a session characterized by mostly dry track conditions and a sun-dried surface that held up well, the surface asphalt steadily offered better grip for the riders. While the weather never fully opened up, the absence of rain allowed the morning hours to yield consistent times, with several riders clocking personal bests as soon as the track allowed a clean run. The on-track narrative featured a constant reshuffling of the order as riders pushed to maximize each hot lap and secure a favorable grid position for the upcoming sessions. The pace set by Foggia in Moto3 reflected the intense competition as teams adjusted setups, tires, and riding styles to extract maximum performance from the Red Bull Ring circuit in Spielberg.
As the flag neared, a sequence of quick laps rolled in from a mix of seasoned contenders and rising talents. Stefano Nepa (KTM) opened with some of the fastest times, only to be overtaken by a wave of Spaniards who repeatedly shot to the top. Jaume Masiá (KTM), Daniel Holgado (KTM), and Ivan Ortola (KTM) traded places at the summit, with Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna), Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda), and Foggia all contributing to the tight competition. The field also included Italian rivals vying for the best possible position, while McPhee (Husqvarna) and other competitors paced their runs in a session that kept fans on the edge of their seats until the checkered flag. [Citation: Official MotoGP timing and results]