Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) has picked up where he left off in the Austrian GP after the Italian took the first win for Ducati since Casey Stoner at Phillip Island in 2010. The ‘Maniac’ was having a solid first session until a problem with his first machine led him to pull over and get a lift back to the pits, before a second stint on his second bike saw him top the session in the final few minutes.
After an early 1-2 for the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team, Valentino Rossi hit back at his teammate after Jorge Lorenzo had topped the session, and the Italian veteran took the top spot before Iannone deposed him into P2. Lorenzo finished the first session in P3.
Early spots of rain proved no real issue for the grid, with Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) completing the top five. Championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was sixth fastest in a relatively anonymous but solid first session, ahead of Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), who had a much improved first session after the difficult Friday suffered by the 3-time world champion in Austria. Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar) complete the top ten as he fights to recover from a broken finger in Austria.