The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider opens a gap in the overall standings with victory at the French Grand Prix. Alvaro Carpe finishes fourth at Le Mans.

Jose Antonio Rueda took a thrilling win at the French Grand Prix, snatching the lead at the final corner to take his fourth victory of the Moto3 season and consolidates his position at the top of the overall standings after taking advantage of the fall of his closest rival. His teammate, Alvaro Carpe, finished fourth, making a great comeback from 13th to enter the fight for the podium positions.

Rueda made a cautious start from 8th on the grid and settled into seventh place. After analysing the drying track conditions on the early laps, he set a strong pace as the front group reduced to fifteen riders. He then began to recover positions, moving into the Top 5 after the first third of the race.

A crash for Angel Piqueras broke up the group, allowing Rueda to escape alongside Joel Kelso, David Muñoz, and Guido Pini. In the closing stages of the race, another crash for Pini enabled Rueda to make up ground, and on the final three laps he tried to overtake Muñoz on several occasions. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider eventually benefitted from another crash, as Muñoz and Kelso collided in the final sector and left him with a clean path to the chequered flag. The win leaves Rueda top of the Moto3 World Championship standings with 116 points, 29 points ahead of Piqueras.

Carpe, 13^TH on the grid, also rode a very intelligent race at Le Mans. From the back of the main group, he was careful not to make any mistakes due to the unpredictability of the surface. After the early stages, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rookie gradually gained positions within the leading group and took advantage of his rivals’ hesitation to make a push towards the podium. He set the fastest lap of the race in pursuit of the leading trio of riders, and was only 7 tenths of a second behind his teammate before tyre wear eliminated him from the fight for the Top 3. He eventually came home in fourth place, after one of his best showings of the season. Carpe is 6th in the overall standings, and top of the Rookie of the Year ranking with 56 points.

After finishing the French Grand Prix in the best possible way, the Red Bull KTM Ajo closes the sixth round of the season with a bang in all the class standings. In the Team’s one, Red Bull KTM Ajo climb to 172 points, extending its lead considerably. The next round of the MotoGP World Championship will be the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, on May 23rd-25th.

Race Results
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 34:01.752
2. Joel Kelso (KTM) | +0.636
3. David Muñoz (KTM) | +0.124* 
4. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +3.788
5. David Almansa (Honda) | +6.001

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2025
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 116 points
2. Angel Piqueras (KTM) | 87 points
3. Joel Kelso (KTM) | 77 points
4. Adrian Fernandez (Honda) | 61 points
5. Taiyo Furusato (Honda)| 58 points
6. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 56 points

Moto3 Teams World Championship Standing 2025
1. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 172 points
2. FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI | 121 points 
3. Level UP MTA | 117 points
4. Leopard Racing | 94 points
5. SIC58 Squadra Corse | 65 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“It was not an easy weekend in general, especially with Jose Antonio, who was struggling a little during the first sessions, but yesterday we took a big step with the setup and also with his riding. Alvaro felt good since the beginning, but a bad Qualifying yesterday forced him to start quite far back today. I’m very happy because we managed to turn the things around today and the result was really, really good for both riders. Jose Antonio was very clever on the last lap to wait on what happened in front, and managed to win the race. Alvaro impressed me a lot today, starting from 13th but nearly catching the front group, which isn’t easy, especially in Moto3, so we’re very happy for both of them.”

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“I’m very happy with today’s win, especially for the team, who worked really hard over the weekend to ensure we had the pace at the front today. I didn’t expect the race to be so fast, but Kelso’s pace was very high. I also didn’t expect to win after being in third until the last corner, but for me today’s performance is a real motivation booster. I really enjoyed every lap, and in the final stages I tried to get into second to see what result we could get, but in the end, luck was on our side. It was about time, as we had the opposite luck in Qatar, but that’s how racing is, and sometimes it works out for you. I want to thank my family and my sponsors for all their support, and I’m getting ready for Silverstone.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“The work this weekend was reflected in today’s race. We’d been making a lot of progress with my technicians to ensure today’s setup was the best possible, and the result shows it. At first, it was a bit tricky as the track conditions were still somewhat delicate, but little by little, we overtook riders to keep chasing the leading group. From there, I managed to break away and came very close to making contact with them, but my tyres had nothing left. All in all, it was a very valuable experience. We’re satisfied with the result, and we scored our first fastest lap in the race. So, it was a very positive weekend, and I’m looking forward to continuing this trend, as we’ll ultimately aim for more.”