Brad Binder leads the way on first day at the Red Bull Ring, with Jorge Martin provisionally into Q2.

The most anticipated Grand Prix of the year for the Red Bull KTM Ajo team started positively on Friday, with Brad Binder clocking the best time of the day and setting a new circuit record at Austria’s Red Bull Ring. Jorge Martin added to the promising kickoff for the team, claiming a provisional spot in Q2 thanks to his 11th place on the combined timesheets.

Binder was able to make the most of the 40-minute FP1, riding amongst the quickest competitors at the beginning of the morning. A solid end to the session saw him conclude in fourth, with a 1:29.359 time, after putting in a total of 22 laps. Teammate Martin overcame a difficult start to the morning practice and, with 10 minutes remaining, took a big step forward to break into the Top 5. He would eventually place 16th, with a 1:29.738.

The two Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders took centre stage in FP2 dominating proceedings for much of the session. Binder, who ran a consistent pace, set a new circuit record of 1:29.029. Martin showed good speed, and was up into second place at one point before ending FP2 in ninth. His 1:29.449 lap was 3 tenths quicker than his best from FP1. He was 11th overall, earning him a spot in Q2 for the time being.

Tomorrow Binder and Martin have another Free Practice session in the morning, before qualifying gets underway at 3:05 pm (Q1) and 3:30 pm (Q2).

Combined practice times (FP1 – FP2)
1. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:29.029
2. Tetsuta Nagashima (Kalex) 1:29.119 +0.090
3. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 1:29.147 +0.118
4. Jorge Navarro (Speed Up) 1:29.162 +0.133
5. Enea Bastianini (Kalex) 1:29.216 +0.187
11. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:29.449 +0.420

41 BRAD BINDER

“It’s the best way to start our home GP. FP1 went quite well, but in the afternoon we made some changes and I felt very comfortable on the bike. Overall, I’m happy with how things went today. There are a couple of details that we need to improve for tomorrow, but we have certainly taken a big step forward. We need to continue working hard and see what the weekend holds for us. It would be great to get on the podium on Sunday – or even get the victory. It would be fantastic for Red Bull and for KTM.”

88 JORGE MARTIN

“I’m very happy. I felt comfortable on my last run. From the beginning it seemed that the things we tried out greatly improved our bike. When we changed tyres I was able to complete 10 consistent laps, and this is important for Sunday. There are still details to be polished, but we are certainly much further along the way compared to at other races. We are performing in the way that we want, so we’ll see if tomorrow we can continue working like this.”