Jaume Masia ended a weather-affected Moto3 Friday for the Austrian Grand Prix fastest after setting the pace in FP1, while Jorge Martin made his return a week after breaking his left wrist.
A dry morning session at the Red Bull Ring led to a frantic 40 minutes as the field looked to cram in as much running as possible with the threat of rain for FP2.
CIP KTM's John McPhee – who looks set to switch to the SIC Moto3 team next year – set the initial pace in FP1 with a 1:38.324s, though this was eclipsed by Tech3 Moto2-bound Philipp Oettl with a 1:38.211s.
Oettl's future Moto2 teammate and championship leader Marco Bezzecchi usurped him with a 1:38.080s, before Lorenzo Dalla Porta and Jaume Masia traded top spot in the dying stages.
Masia's 1:37.320s proved too tall an order for Dalla Porta to beat, with the former going even quicker on his final attempt with a 1:37.218s.
Bezzecchi moved up to second in the end ahead of Dalla Porta, while Oettl and McPhee completed the top five.
A week on from surgery on a broken wrist sustained at Brno, Martin made his return to action in FP1, completing 10 laps aboard his Gresini Honda and ending the morning 23rd quickest.
Clear skies gave way to light rain for the start of the second session, with most returning to pitlane after just a few moments.
The drizzle relented with half the session remaining, and Oettl proved the conditions had improved by going quicker than early pacesetter Fabio Di Giannantonio with a 1:38.052s.
A number of improvements came as the session drew to a close, with McPhee taking top spot in the closing seconds with a 1:37.329s, taking over from Bezzecchi and Gabriel Rodrigo.
A sudden downpour right at the end of the session halted any further improvements, however, with Nicolo Bulega, Nakarin Athiratphuvapat and Niccolo Antonelli – who led FP2 briefly – crashing at the first corner.
Bezzecchi ended FP2 second, with Rodrigo, Enea Bastianini and Oettl completing the top five. Martin only completed a handful of laps, opting against running as the rain appearaed. He ended the afternoon 24th.
Masia held onto top spot on the combined times by virtue of his FP1 time, with Bezzecchi and McPhee completing the overall top three.
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