Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi used the first free practice sessions at the Red Bull Ring – Spielberg track to the fullest to prepare for an intense weekend. They both showed great form in the morning, but in the hotter afternoon only Viñales was able to successfully defend his provisional place for Q2. The team-mates finished 2nd and 11th respectively in FP2 and combined free practice rankings.