Styria MotoGP FP1: Shock pacesetter and big Oliveira crash

Takaaki Nakagami led defending MotoGP champion Joan Mir in the opening practice session ahead of the Styrian Grand Prix, while three KTM riders hit trouble at the Turn 3 right-hander –  including a violent accident for Miguel Oliveira.

LCR Honda’s Nakagami – still without a MotoGP podium to his name – was the surprise pacesetter in the 45-minute session on a 1m23.805s, just 0.076s faster than Mir’s Suzuki’s.

The top three was completed by the Aprilia of Aleix Espargaro while Alex Rins made it two Suzukis in the top four ahead of factory Honda riders Pol Espargaro and six-time champion Marc Marquez.

Maverick Vinales was seventh, ahead of his championship-leading Yamaha team-mate Fabio Quartararo and Johann Zarco.

Ahead of his first race start in three years, Dani Pedrosa ran in the top 10 for the majority of the session before he was forced to park his KTM test bike on the exit of Turn 3 with just over 15 minutes of the session remaining.

The 31-time race winner wasted little time in getting back up to speed, and he managed to rejoin the session for the final few minutes of the session after the suspected technical issue.

Pedrosa posted the 11th fastest time, just one place behind Jack Miller’s Ducati and he finished the session as the fastest KTM rider.

Fellow KTM rider Oliveira suffered a nasty high-side at the same corner a few moments after Pedrosa’s stoppage, as he was flung off his bike in a violent fashion.

This was what happened to @_moliveira88 👇

He's back on his feet and in the KTM pit box 👍#StyrianGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/O6lxV3HwwZ

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 6, 2021

Last year’s Styrian GP winner Oliveira spent five minutes sitting down behind the barriers at the side of the track, visibly shaken by the crash.

He’d returned to his KTM garage by the end of the session but didn’t go back out on track and will now be checked in the medical centre.

Turn 3 proved to be something of an Achilles’ heel for KTM, with Tech3’s Iker Lecuona crashing on the exit of the right-hander 10 minutes into the session, although he was able to quickly get back on his bike and record the 20th fastest time of the session.

Turn 3 catches out @LecuonaIker! 💢

No harm done and the Spaniard is back on his way! ✊#StyrianGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/b27HEy9sU3

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 6, 2021

On the day after he announced his MotoGP retirement, Valentino Rossi was 16th fastest while his new Petronas SRT team-mate Cal Crutchlow, who is standing in the for the injured Franco Morbidelli, was slowest of the 23 riders.

Practice 1 Results