Jose Antonio Rueda and Alvaro Carpe move on to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya aiming to fight for podium positions.

Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 take on the fifteenth round of the Moto3 World Championship this weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, beginning the final third of the 2025 season. Jose Antonio Rueda will once again defend his lead in the overall standings after two consecutive fifth-place finishes in Austria and Hungary. Alongside him, Alvaro Carpe visits a familiar track, where he made his debut in Grand Prix racing just under a year ago.

Rueda’s Top 5 finishes at Red Bull Ring and Balaton Park made it 12 such placings out of 14 races this year. In terms of his history in Catalonia, he achieved his first Moto3 podium there two seasons ago, with a third place. He took the same position at last season’s Catalan GP, and when the series returned to Barcelona for the hastily-assembled Solidarity GP, Rueda was fourth -just a tenth of a second away from another podium finish. Further experience at the track comes from 2020 and 2021, when he achieved podiums and victories in what is now the Junior GP series. The Moto3 World Championship leader has 250 points in the overall standings, 69 points clear of his closest rival, Angel Piqueras.

Carpe is another home rider looking for success this weekend. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rookie, who was 11th and 9th in Austria and Hungary, is familiar with the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. He debuted there at the end of 2024, during the Solidarity GP. In his first experience with his bike, he was able to come within a few thousandths of a second of making it into Q2. On the Sunday, in the race, he finished 19th, less than 3 seconds outside the points. Carpe has also competed in Barcelona in feeder series such as Junior GP, where he was a racewinner the year he was crowned champion. Coming into the Catalan GP, Carpe is fifth in the overall standings with 146 points.

Red Bull KTM Ajo remain the outfit to beat at the top of the Moto3 Team standings, where they now have 396 points, 125 more than their closest rival. In Barcelona, the team have achieved different podium finishes in recent seasons: Rueda’s two third places in 2023 and 2024 are complemented by Brad Binder’s second place in 2016.

Moto3 Free Practice 1 takes place from 9:00 a.m. (local time) on Friday, with the 18-lap race on Sunday at 11am.

Circuit information – Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya
Length: 4.66 km / 2.89 miles
Width: 12 m / 39.37 ft.
Left corners: 6
Right corners: 8
Longest straight: 1.047 m / 3.435.04 ft.
Built: 1991

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“We’re approaching Barcelona with excitement and confidence. It’s a circuit I like and have fond memories of. I also lived there for several years, so it’s like my home Grand Prix. We’ve achieved good results there every year, so we hope to repeat that feat again. We’ll start from scratch, as always, to build a solid foundation and go into Sunday ready to fight for the win. We hope the weather holds out and we can enjoy a great weekend to head into the second half of the double header in Misano with a good feeling.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“I’m very excited to be able to race this weekend at a circuit we really like and know very well. It’s also special for me, as I competed in my first race as a World Championship rider in Barcelona. We’re coming in confident and well-prepared, as we’ve been training hard in different disciplines to better get ready for these two consecutive rounds ahead. It won’t be easy, especially given the level of performance we’ve seen at the top in these past few races, but we’re convinced we’ll get back to where we deserve to be if we continue with this hard work and perseverance.”