Jack Miller’s (Pramac Racing) 1:23.859 sees the Australian sit top of the standings after the opening Free Practice session at the BMW M Grand Prix of Styria. The Austrian GP podium finisher edged out Sunday’s race winner Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) by 0.004, with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech3) 0.039 off P1 in third. And, astonishingly, the entire field was split by just 1.055 seconds… incredible!
???? @jackmilleraus emerges on top after a rush of soft tyre runs!@AndreaDovizioso and @_moliveira88 complete the top three! ⏱️#AustrianGP ???? pic.twitter.com/9YzK6lUe8G
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) August 21, 2020
It was a fascinating start to the inaugural Styrian Grand Prix as the riders took no time in getting down to seriously quick times. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was the man to lead for the majority of the session, that was until the riders fitted some fresh Michelin rear soft tyres for a mini time attack with five minutes to go.
2020 Red Bull Ring podium finisher Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) took over at the top before Oliveira claimed P1 shortly after. Miller was then on a charge though and the number 43 rider sat top of the pile, with Dovizioso setting a late lap – after running into the gravel at Turn 4 – to then displace Oliveira from second as the leading quartet all finished within a tenth, Nakagami taking P4 in FP1.
Mir was fifth in the opening session, just 0.102 back from Miller, with Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) sitting as the leading Yamaha rider on Friday morning in P6. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) heads fellow KTM rider Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech3) in P7 and P8, with Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) completing the top 10.
Four riders within a tenth, top 10 split by half a second and the entire grid covered by little over a second… The BMW M Grand Prix of Styria is here! Tune in to see who will take Friday honours when FP2 gets underway at 14:10 local time (GMT+2).
Top 10:
1. Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) – 1:23.859
2. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) + 0.004
3. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) + 0.039
4. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) + 0.091
5. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.102
6. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) + 0.339
7. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 0.392
8. Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) + 0.442
9. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 0.465
10. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) + 0.522
Click here for the full results!