The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders take important points from a difficult race at the Red Bull Ring.

The Austrian Grand Prix ended with the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 pairing of Jose Antonio Rueda and Alvaro Carpe placing fifth and tenth, respectively, as the series leader fought back in the closing laps. Carpe completed a difficult weekend with six points and ties with Maximo Quiles for the lead among rookie’s standings.

Starting from 8th on the grid, Rueda was capable of keeping his position at the exit of the first corner. The Moto3 World Championship leader avoided problems on the first lap, then tried to quickly recover positions, but was unable to do so. As the opening laps passed, the strong pace of the leading competitors allowed four riders to break away, forcing Rueda to stay within the chasing group that completed the Top 10. Once the first third of the race was over, an improved feeling allowed the Spaniard to rise from 11th to 6th in just three laps. However, as things tightened up, he began to suffer tyre degradation just when those ahead of him were making contact with the frontrunners. As those behind closed in on him on the final lap, Rueda was still able to attack his rivals to finish fifth, just 5 tenths off the win. With his 11 points, he remains the man to beat in the class with 239 points, holding a 71-point advantage over his closest rival.

Carpe moved into fifth early on, then became involved in the fight for podium positions after the first two laps. Unfortunately, he could not keep up with the leading group, allowing the Top 4 to break away. After the initial laps, he made a small mistake that caused him to lose several places, including being passed by his teammate. As those in the third group worked together, they caught back up with those ahead of them, fighting for 5th place. Halfway through the race, the group opened up again, leaving him to fight for 11th. He crossed the line in that position, but another rider’s penalty took him up to 10th, scoring six valuable points at the Red Bull Ring. He is now in fifth place overall, although tied with the third and fourth-place finishers on 139 points. Carpe remains level with Maximo Quiles in the Rookie of the Year award.

It was a complicated but positive weekend for Red Bull KTM Ajo in Moto3, which managed to score good points in a race that did not look easy after the first few laps. Despite not being able to finish the home race with a podium, the team maintain their lead in the team standings, with 378 points -122 more than their closest rival. The Moto3 World Championship now heads to Hungary, where Balaton Park will host its first-ever Grand Prix from August 22-24th.

Race Results
1. Angel Piqueras (KTM) | 33:36.516
2. Ryusei Yamanaka (KTM) | +0.096
3. David Muñoz (KTM) | +0.171
4. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | +0.250 
5. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +0.541
10. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +4.181

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2025
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 239 points
2. Angel Piqueras (KTM) | 168 points
3. David Muñoz (KTM) | 139 points
4. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 139 points
5. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 139 points

Moto3 Teams World Championship Standing 2025
1. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 378 points
2. FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI | 256 points 
3. CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team | 215 points
4. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP | 190 points
5. Level UP MTA | 179 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager
“The weekend turned out to be a little more difficult than usual. On Friday we had both riders struggling quite a lot with the conditions, but we managed to improve day by day, with all the team working hard. Of course, today in the race, Jose Antonio was a little bit unlucky with some fighting in the middle of the group, but he still managed to reach the front group. If we would have had a lap more, he could have fought for the podium. Alvaro also struggled on Friday, but he qualified  well yesterday. Today he couldn’t fight for the top positions, but now we have to analyse everything well to be on top at Balaton Park next week.”

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“I’m very happy with the race we had today and the points we took here. We struggled in some areas, but we knew that could happen. It was hard to reach the leading group, but in the end we were able to make contact with them, so that’s the important thing. It’s a shame we couldn’t have got there a lap earlier, because we would have been able to fight harder and do better, but that’s how Sundays are sometimes. We struggled a lot in the chasing group today, and it was very difficult to break out of there. It’s been a difficult weekend, so getting a Top 5 finish from here is something to be satisfied with. Now it’s time to do a little reset and start thinking about Hungary.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“It wasn’t the race we had hoped to have. We wanted to be closer today, but it wasn’t possible. The team gave it their best all weekend, so it’s time to focus on our work, the dedication we showed, and the points. I don’t think we got the perfect setup for today, but I’m sure we can do so in Hungary. We’re continuing to gain experience in our rookie year, so we have to take away the positives and try to turn things around, to arrive at Balaton Park motivated and more than ready.”