The home rider dominates the Spanish Grand Prix from start to finish for victory. Alvaro Carpe finishes eighth after a strong race.

There was a well-deserved victory for Jose Antonio Rueda at the Spanish Grand Prix, as the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider became the first Andalusian to win a World Championship race at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto. Teammate Alvaro Carpe fought throughout the race in the chasing pack for fourth place, but ultimately had to settle for eighth.

A perfect start for Rueda from Pole Position saw him take the holeshot and never look back. He set a strong pace at the front, as the leading group was reduced to just eight riders. After three laps, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider managed to break away completely, leaving only Joel Kelso and Angel Piqueras within catching distance of him. He was able to continue setting a fast pace until the halfway point of the race, moving over 3 seconds clear, then increased his pace further to a steady 1:44 and to keep his two rivals away. He crossed the line with a lead of more than 4 seconds, allowing him to score his third victory of 2025 and regain the lead in the overall standings. In addition to yesterday’s Pole Position, the Spanish driderriver set the fastest lap in today’s race, lowering the previous record.

Starting from 5th on the grid, Carpe went into the first corner in second place with a wonderful manoeuvre around the outside. He battled throughout the race in the chasing pack, which was reduced when Ryusei Yamanaka began to move clear from the group. In a gruelling final stretch amidst high temperatures in Jerez, he dropped back from the fight for fourth to cross the line eighth. With the eight points he earned as a result the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider continues to be the top Moto3 rookie thus far in 2025.

After a good Sunday of racing in Jerez, Rueda now has four podiums and 91 points to his name, putting Red Bull KTM top of the Rider standings; the Teams’ championship, with 134 points; and the Rookie of the Year standings, where Carpe has 43 points. The sixth round of the Moto3 World Championship, the French Grand Prix, will take place from May 9th-11th at Le Mans.

Race Results
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 33:17.979
2. Angel Piqueras (KTM) | +4.334
3. Joel Kelso (KTM) | +4.486
4. Adrian Fernandez (Honda) | +6.308
5. Ryusei Yamanaka (KTM) | +6.409
8. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +8.007

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2025
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 91 points
2. Angel Piqueras (KTM) | 87 points
3. Joel Kelso (KTM) | 57 points
4. Adrian Fernandez (Honda) | 53 points
5. Taiyo Furusato (Honda)| 48 points
6. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 43 points

Moto3 Teams World Championship Standing 2025
1. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 134 points
2. FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI | 121 points
3. Level UP MTA | 97 points
4. Leopard Racing | 75 points
5. SIC58 Squadra Corse | 58 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“I’m very happy with the weekend we had in Moto3, once again. First of all, congratulations to Jose Antonio for his great performance in today’s race. All the hard work is starting to pay off and today’s race is a demonstration of that. Alvaro had a great weekend as well. He was a little bit unlucky with his tyre choice today, but we keep learning to achieve better results in the future.”

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“It’s a very special victory. I have no words to describe how I feel about winning my home Grand Prix. Winning at Jerez is always special, but there are so many reasons that it’s even more so this time. The support from the fans has been incredible; it’s one of the best events of the season without a doubt. I can only thank my family, who also came here today, and my entire team, as we did a perfect job this weekend. It’s time to enjoy it and soon I’ll have to shift my focus to France.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“The race was a lot of fun because there were a lot of overtaking moves. The start was perfect, placing me behind my teammate, who was very difficult to keep up with. I had some complications again on the final laps with the rear tyre, so we will have to keep working to improve it. The weekend was really positive, and we learned a lot. I also really enjoyed having all the Spanish fans cheering me on. It’s crazy and they made me have even more fun.”