Austrian MotoGP pole qualifier Marco Bezzecchi returned Aprilia onto the timesheet during his morning warm-up at Red Bull Ring.
The fourth Italian in the sprint moved ahead of Alex Marquez in the final minute of the 10-minute session.
Francesco Bagnaia, who endured the Nightmare Print and spun off the line and later retired, finished second.
Bagnaia was 0.199 seconds behind his good friend Betzekki this afternoon after Austria’s fourth MotoGP victory.
On his way to third, Alex Marquez practiced a long lap penalty that he had to serve in this afternoon’s race due to a clash with Joan Mir at Brno.
Michelin predicts that after everyone except Johann Zarco chooses the soft rear in the sprint, all riders will choose the Grand Prix medium rear (and the front).
The medium rear was properly used by all riders this morning. Most started with new rear tires, except for Fabio Cartalaro and Zarco, but with a mix of new soft fronts and medium fronts.
Mark Marquez: “A completely different track this morning”
Mark Marquez – This afternoon, he won his 12th race with his sixth weekend double and his first Austrian MotoGP victory, starting with a new soft front and medium rear.
The Ducati Lenovo rider finished the session with 5th place 0.4s from Bezzecchi.
“I feel good in the heat yesterday when the truck was slippery,” Marquez said.
“This morning, after the cold weather last night, the truck was completely different.
“But let’s take a look. We’re going to try and fight for victory. It’s going to be a long race and we need to manage the tires.”
Alex’s Gresini teammate Fermin Aldegare was sixth. The rookie recovered from the line from wheel spins faster than everything but Mark Marquez in the second half of the sprint.
Pedro A Costa, the third KTM in the sprint, used medium front tires, seventh oldest, than Franco Morbidelli, Raul Fernandez and Fabio Digian Nantonio.
Jack Miller was troubled by technical issues with Pramac Yamaha this morning and managed only three laps.
The rain remains a threat throughout the day, with bike swaps being practiced during warm-ups.
The 28th Rap Grand Prix starts at 2pm local time.