MotoGP today LIVE from Austria: All the news about qualifying in Spielberg in the live ticker

It's starting. The MotoGP stars are lining up. In about 15 minutes, we'll know who's taking pole position here at the Red Bull Ring.

Let's not beat around the bush. Q2 starts at 11:15 a.m., and the clear favorite is Marc Marquez . Based on our impressions so far, only two riders can come anywhere close to him. One is his teammate Francesco Bagnaia, and the other is KTM hopeful Pedro Acosta. And of course, Alex Marquez also has to be considered.

Alex Rins takes 17th place on the grid, ahead of Miguel Oliveira, a disappointing Ai Ogura, and Jack Miller. Maverick Vinales, as expected, has set a time to qualify for the race. 1.2 seconds behind the fastest time is absolutely respectable given his condition.

Bastianini pushes the pace again and, like Bezzechi, makes it into Q2. Martin improved slightly, but still only finished fourth behind Marini. Fabio di Giannantonio disappointed in fifth place. And only just behind him came Fabio Quartararo , the best Yamaha rider. What a thrashing for the Japanese.

Enea Bastianini delivers at KTM's home race! The Italian sets a new fastest time. Now Jorge Martin is under pressure. Quartararo and DI Giannantonio seem to have no chance. Luca Marini, on the other hand, shows strength and even moves up to third place.

Marco Bezzecchi undercuts his teammate on the second lap, while Martin can't keep up. Aprilia can't care less about the latter, as both riders would currently be through. However, Enea Bastianini is hot on Martin's heels. Things have been disappointing for the two Fabios in fourth and fifth. Both Diggia (4th) and Quartararo (5th) need to find more than two-tenths of a second if they want to make it into Q2. The second runs now begin.

Is this the old Jorge Martin again? The world champion takes the lead on the first lap. But there's more to come.

It's starting. There's now 15 minutes to secure one of two tickets. The ailing Maverick Vinales will also be competing, but for him it's likely just a matter of setting a time to qualify.

We'll continue with qualifying right away. Q1 starts at 10:50 a.m., and it's going to be a tough one. We have several top-class drivers battling for two Q2 spots. Among them are Jorge Martin, Marco Bezzecchi, Fabio Quartararo, and Fabio di Giannantonio. But Enea Bastianini, Luca Marini, and Ai Ogura have also been fast here. It's going to be very exciting.

Marc Marquez remains the clear fastest. Pedro Acosta made a comeback after his crash and secured third place, but with a significant gap. Johann Zarco and Brad Binder encountered problems in the closing stages. The Frenchman crashed at Turn 7, while the South African stopped with a mechanical.

Maverick Vinales has now completed nine laps and moved up to 17th place. Of course, we can't apply the same standards to him as usual, but at least he's not lagging behind, even with a damaged shoulder.

It's a classic here at the Red Bull Ring. Drivers make a mistake braking for Turn 4, then drive through the gravel trap and brake on the service road. Alex Rins just demonstrated exactly that to us; Joan Mir had also visited there before.

Pedro Acosta, in fifth place, is once again the best KTM rider here at his home race, but now he's experiencing his first minor setback. In the first corner, the Spaniard crashes over his front wheel. With the help of the track marshals, he's able to restart the bike and is now heading back to the pits.

For Maverick Viñales, this is his return after his shoulder injury at the Sachsenring. The Spaniard had to stop training early yesterday. His body language looks better today. He spoke with Dr. Angel Charte after the first few laps. It looks as if the Tech3 rider is ready to take the start.

Marc Marquez has now made significant progress again. He is now four-tenths ahead of Bagnaia. He is followed by Alex Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi, who are tied on the same time.

It's the expected picture at the front. The Ducati duo is ahead of the field, with Marc Marquez keeping Francesco Bagnaia about a tenth behind.

Jack Miller's Yamaha was noticed smoking during practice yesterday. Because the Australian didn't leave the racing line, the stewards gave him a pat on the back. He's not allowed to participate in the first five minutes. A warning shot for the Pramac rider to pay more attention in the future.

The engines of the world's fastest motorcycles roar in the Styrian Alps. The MotoGP field is about to set off. The following 30 minutes of practice are normally used to prepare for the sprint and race. However, with a close qualifying session and, above all, a brutal Q1 expected, the riders' plans could change.

Now let's move on to the premier class. MotoGP will hold its second free practice session starting at 10:10 a.m. Qualifying will then continue directly afterward.

As expected, Canet's fastest time remains. Albert Arenas takes second, followed by Manuel Gonzalez with a fast final lap. The gaps are ridiculously small. Jake Dixon in 18th (!) is less than four-tenths behind. Therefore, a prediction for qualifying is impossible.

For a few minutes, no one has put on fresh tires, so there are hardly any changes in the field. Canet will likely set the fastest time, even though he's no longer in the race.

The marshals were quick to get to work, and the session has reopened. Just under 9 minutes remain on the clock.

Race control interrupted the session because Canet's bike had thrown gravel and debris onto the track. The area exiting the chicane is now being cleaned up.

First, the good news: Albert Arenas and Celestino Vietti narrowly miss Aron Canet's fastest time. The bad news for the Spaniard: Aron Canet crashes in Turn 2. That was a pretty nasty highside, but he seems to be okay.

Aron Canet continues and sets a new lap record. 1:33.216 is the new best. Barry Baltus and Filip Salac are now the closest pursuers. Both Aspar drivers are doing well. David Alonso and Dani Holgado are in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

The first few laps are complete, and Aron Canet is leading ahead of Manuel Gonzalez. But the two haven't pulled away from anyone else. They're only two-tenths behind Dani Holgado in seventh place. The top 18 are within a second of each other. After the surprisingly clear Moto3 practice, this is Spielberg as we know it.

The traffic lights change, and the Moto2 riders race off. Despite the bright sunshine, the temperatures are still very pleasant.

What we announced yesterday is now finally official. Title contender Aron Canet will not be moving to the Superbike World Championship, but rather within Moto2. The Spaniard has signed a multi-year contract with MarcVDS and will succeed Jake Dixon. The Briton will move to Superbikes. He is expected to join Honda.

The next free practice session is already underway. Moto2 starts at 9:25 a.m. It also has a 30-minute practice session.

Nothing is happening at the front. Max Quiles remains in front, and only Angel Piqueras and Valentin Perrone are able to keep up. Jose Rueda finishes only eighth and has a lot of work to do. Noah Dettwiler can't get past 23rd.

The top seven places are all KTMs. David Almansa, in eighth place, is the best Honda rider, but almost eight-tenths behind the fastest time. The Austrians are a force to be reckoned with at their home race.

Sixth place isn't a bad finish for World Championship favorite Jose Antonio Rueda, but being more than six-tenths behind the leader can't be good for the Spaniard. Meanwhile, Ruche Moodley suffers his next crash of the session. He wrecks his bike in the gravel trap at Turn 6.

Until now, it was the rookie party up front, but now Angel Piqueras has pushed himself between Quiles and Perrone. This trio has opened a clear gap. David Munoz in fourth is almost half a second behind. Such gaps are unusual for the Red Bull Ring.

Max Quiles strikes back in the rookies' battle. 1:39.639 is the new lap record at the Red Bull Ring. Could we even see a 1:38 in qualifying today? The weather will have to hold for that. We're still enjoying glorious sunshine here.

As if his heart hadn't just sunk into his stomach, Valentin Perrone now also sets the fastest time. That must have been a good wake-up call. Angel Piqueras, who was the fastest man yesterday, is currently in third place.

Max Quiles is clearly the fastest man in the opening laps, but another rookie steals the show. Valentin Perrone pulls off an incredible save in Turn 3. He's already crashed, but then he extends his right hand and rights the bike while cornering. Absolutely sensational. Things don't go so well for Cormac Buchanan, who crashes in Turn 2.

Things didn't get off to a particularly good start for David Almansa. The Spaniard crashed in Turn 3, but fortunately, it was very harmless. He righted his Honda and continued on.

It's starting. The Moto3 riders are heading out, and Saturday at the Red Bull Ring begins. 30 minutes of practice are now available.

08:40 - 09:10: 2nd Free Practice Moto3 09:25 - 09:55: 2nd Free Practice Moto2

10:10 - 10:40: 2nd Free Practice MotoGP

10:50 - 11:30: Qualifying MotoGP 12:15: 1st MotoE race (7 laps) 12:50 - 13:30: Qualifying Moto3 1:45 PM - 2:25 PM: Qualifying Moto2

3:00 PM: Sprint MotoGP (14 laps)

4:10 PM: 2nd MotoE race (7 laps)

On a beautiful morning in Spielberg , we're looking forward to what promises to be an exciting MotoGP Saturday. Marc Marquez is once again the favorite for qualifying and the sprint, but Pecco Bagnaia and KTM hopeful Pedro Acosta will be looking to give him a run for his money. We'll be following you throughout the day in our live ticker. As always, we'll kick things off with Moto3. The second free practice session begins at 8:40 a.m.