The 2025 Moto3 World Champion takes third on the grid at the Malaysian Grand Prix, with his teammate sixth on a very positive Saturday for Red Bull KTM Ajo.

Saturday at the Malaysian Grand Prix featured consistent and exciting performances from Jose Antonio Rueda and Alvaro Carpe, who secured third and sixth on the starting grid. For Rueda, it was his 11th front row and very close from Pole Position again, although he will face the challenge of completing a double Long Lap penalty during the race following an incident with Maximo Quiles in Q2. Regarding Carpe, the rookie demonstrated a promising pace for Sunday’s race proving that he is back to stay.

Unlike in FP1 on Friday, the asphalt was fully dry for FP2, although the sky was overcast throughout. Track temperatures reached 27°C, with 87% humidity.

Rueda worked tirelessly throughout the session, completing the thirty minutes of FP2 without a break. He focused on riding alone to fine-tune his race pace, performing a simulation of Sunday’s race distance with 14 laps completed. His pace was also enough for him to finish fifth, with a best time of 2:10.462 -some 7 tenths faster than his best time from Friday. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider’s lap was his best ever at Sepang. Carpe put in nine laps, as he was unable to finish the session due to a minor crash at Turn 9 with seven minutes remaining. Before that, the rookie had made a positive impression, riding comfortably both on his own and in a group, to finish ninth overall. His best time was a 2:10.744, 4 tenths faster than on Day 1.

In Q2, the Moto3 riders enjoyed unbeatable conditions, with track temperatures as high as 47°C and humidity much lower than usual for Sepang, at 57%.

Rueda was an early frontrunner, looking to secure a good time on his first stint and not depend on the final minutes. The Spaniard took the top spot with what at the time was the best lap of the weekend -a 2:10.076- on his second try, and then chose to pit to prepare for his second run. When he came back out, he was unable to escape the group around him, as many rivals chose to follow him, and in his haste to avoid helping them out he cut short his attempt at another flying lap. Having not improved his time since the second lap of his six Rueda had pole position snatched from him by David Almansa and Taiyo Furusato, leaving him in third place. It was Rueda’s eleventh front row in twenty Grands Prix. Carpe took full advantage of Rueda’s slipstream on his first outing, moving into second place with his fastest ever lap of Sepang. After his pit stop, the rookie found himself caught up in the relentless fight between the main pack, and was unable to improve his time on his final two flying laps. Finally, he earned sixth place with his 2:10.296, repeating his second row start from last week in Australia. Even so, Alvaro will start from 5th due to a penalty for another rider.

In short, the two Red Bull KTM Ajo riders will be repeating their grid rows from exactly seven days ago at Phillip Island, where the race went really well, so the goal will be the same for tomorrow’s race at Sepang. The 15-lap Moto3 Malaysian Grand Prix takes place at 12 p.m. local time on Sunday, one hour later than usually. 

Qualifying Results
1. David Almansa (Honda) | 2:09.846 
2. Taiyo Furusato (Honda) | 2:09.940 (+0.094)
3. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 2:10.076 (+0.230)
4. Guido Pini (KTM) | 2:10.154 (+0.308)
5. Brian Uriarte (KTM) | 2:10.239 (+0.393)
6. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 2:10.296 (+0.450)

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“I’m very happy to be on the front row of the grid. I really like this circuit, but now we have to focus on preparing for tomorrow’s race, which I’m sure won’t be easy. We’ll be prepared for any situation, so I’m looking forward to enjoying myself from start to finish and bringing a good result home before returning to Europe.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“We had a good Saturday. We’re very happy to be starting from the second row of the grid, as the Top 6 is always the goal for us. Hopefully tomorrow’s race will be dry, although both tyre wear and the heat will be very high. We’ll have to stay calm without overdoing it, but at the same time be at the front to avoid problems. We’ve worked hard for this race, so we’re going to give it our all.”