MotoGP Austria, FP1: The Ducatis shine, Barberà ahead of Dovizioso, Rossi is twelfth

GP Austria MotoGP Free Practice 1 – The Austrian Grand Prix, eleventh stage of the 2017 MotoGP World Championship, saw the riders of the MotoGP class enter the track at the Red Bull Ring under threatening skies, 19th in the air and 21st on the asphalt.

Last year Ducati dominated the race with a one-two, with Iannone ahead of Dovizioso. The Desmosedici GP was still equipped with the winglets, which were later banned this year. Just talking about fairings, both "Dovi" and Lorenzo rode with the new fairing, the one seen in Brno, Yamaha took to the track with the old winged fairing, while the one seen during the Brno tests will be used starting from Misano , while the Honda with the appendices used in Brno.

The best time of the session went to Hector Barberà, who with a time of 1:24.631 put the Ducati of Team Avintia ahead of the official one of Andrea Dovizioso, who had obtained the best time, which was later removed given that the Forlì native had set the two wheels of his GP17 on the "green" outside the curb.

Third time for Dani Pedrosa's Honda, 0.113s off the top. The Spanish rider precedes his compatriots Maverick Vinales, riding the Yamaha, and Marc Marquez, leader of the world championship standings.

Sixth time for the Frenchman of Team Yamaha Tech 3 Johann Zarco, who brought his M1 ahead of the Desmosedici GP17 of Danilo Petrucci's Team Pramac.

Closing out the Top Ten are Scott Redding (who will leave Team Pramac at the end of the season and whose place will be taken by Australian Jack Miller, twentieth in these FP1), Jorge Lorenzo and Cal Crutchlow.

Valentino Rossi did not go beyond twelfth position, putting his Yamaha M1 ahead of the satellite one of Jonas Folger's Team Tech 3 and Andrea Iannone's Suzuki.