The Austrian Grand Prix marks KTM's home event, with Pol Espargaro backing factory rider Pedro Acosta for the top spot on Sunday. But while the RC16 is expected to perform well at the Red Bull Ring, the fight for victory is likely to come down to Ducati and Aprilia.
Out of the two, Ducati is the clear favourite on the back of Marc Marquez's recent string of victories which have propelled the Spaniard to the top of the standings.
Marquez is on level with Aprilia's Jorge Martin in terms of points, but is ahead on countback thanks to more wins.
Meanwhile, Marco Bezzecchi faces another tough recovery battle after throwing away a big result at Misano last weekend.
Austria marks the end of the main European leg of the season, with the championship heading to the Asia-Pacific after this weekend for the next five rounds.
The season, however, will still finish in Europe with back-to-back races in Portugal and Valencia in November.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
 Austrian GP |
|
| Austrian GP - FREE PRACTICE 1 | |
| Austrian GP - PRACTICE | |
| Austrian GP - FREE PRACTICE 2 | |
| Austrian GP - QUALIFYING 1 | |
| Austrian GP - QUALIFYING 2 | |
| Austrian GP - SPRINT | |
| Austrian GP - RACE | |
2026 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix session timings
| SESSION | BST | CEST (UTC+2) | ET (UTC−4) | PT (UTC−7) | AEST (UTC+10) | JST (UTC+9) | IST (UTC+5:30) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | |||||||
| FP1 | 09:45 | 10:45 | 04:45 | 01:45 | 18:45 | 17:45 | 14:15 |
| Practice | 14:00 | 15:00 | 09:00 | 06:00 | 23:00 | 22:00 | 18:30 |
| Saturday | |||||||
| FP2 | 09:10 | 10:10 | 04:10 | 01:10 | 18:10 | 17:10 | 13:40 |
| Qualifying | 09:50 | 10:50 | 04:50 | 01:50 | 18:50 | 17:50 | 14:20 |
| Sprint | 14:00 | 15:00 | 09:00 | 06:00 | 23:00 | 22:00 | 18:30 |
| Sunday | |||||||
| Race | 13:00 | 14:00 | 08:00 | 05:00 | 22:00 | 21:00 | 17:30 |
2026 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix session timings in the UK and Portugal
Friday 18 September 2026
- Free Practice 1: 09:45 - 10:30 BST
- Practice: 14:00 - 15:00 BST
Saturday 19 September 2026
- Free Practice 2: 09:10 - 09:40 BST
- Qualifying: 09:50 - 10:30 BST
- Sprint: 14:00 BST
Sunday 20 September 2026
- Race: 13:00 BST
2026 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix session timings in Europe
Friday 18 September 2026
- Free Practice 1: 10:45 - 11:30 CEST
- Practice: 15:00- 16:00 CEST
Saturday 19 September 2026
- Free Practice 2: 10:10 - 10:40 CEST
- Qualifying: 10:50 - 11:30 CEST
- Sprint: 15:00 CEST
Sunday 20 September 2026
- Race: 14:00 CEST
2026 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix session timings in the US (Eastern Time)
Friday 18 September 2026
- Free Practice 1: 04:45 - 05:30 ET
- Practice: 09:00- 10:00 ET
Saturday 19 September 2026
- Free Practice 2: 04:10 - 04:40 ET
- Qualifying: 04:50 - 05:30 ET
- Sprint: 09:00 ET
Sunday 20 September 2026
- Race: 08:00 ET
2026 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix session timings in the US (Pacific Time)
Friday 18 September 2026
- Free Practice 1: 01:45 - 02:30 PT
- Practice: 06:00- 07:00 PT
Saturday 19 September 2026
- Free Practice 2: 01:10 - 01:40 PT
- Qualifying: 01:50 - 02:30 PT
- Sprint: 06:00 PT
Sunday 20 September 2026
- Race: 05:00 PT
2026 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix session timings in Australia
Friday 18 September 2026
- Free Practice 1: 18:45 - 19:30 AEST
- Practice: 23:00- 00:00 AEST
Saturday 19 September 2026
- Free Practice 2: 18:10 - 18:40 AEST
- Qualifying: 18:50 - 19:30 AEST
- Sprint: 23:00 AEST
Sunday 20 September 2026
- Race: 22:00 AEST
2026 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix session timings in Japan
Friday 18 September 2026
- Free Practice 1: 17:45 - 18:30 JST
- Practice: 22:00 - 23:00 JST
Saturday 19 September 2026
- Free Practice 2: 17:10 - 17:40 JST
- Qualifying: 17:50 - 18:30 JST
- Sprint: 22:00 JST
Sunday 20 September 2026
- Race: 21:00 JST
2026 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix session timings in India
Friday 18 September 2026
- Free Practice 1: 14:15 - 15:00 IST
- Practice: 18:30 - 19:30 IST
Saturday 19 September 2026
- Free Practice 2: 13:40 - 14:10 IST
- Qualifying: 14:20 - 15:00 IST
- Sprint: 18:30 IST
Sunday 20 September 2026
- Race: 17:30 IST
Can I stream the Austrian Grand Prix?
MotoGP has its own on-demand streaming service, offering live broadcast of practice, qualifying and the Sprint, as well as highlights. The MotoGP Video pass is available for an annual fee of 139.99 euros. Several local broadcasters also stream MotoGP races on their official websites.
