A comeback from the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rookie helps him close in on fourth in the overall standings. Brian Uriarte finishes 13th and earns his first points with the team.

Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 had a solid Sunday, earning valuable points with both Alvaro Carpe and Brian Uriarte in Portimão. Carpe fought through the field and challenged for the podium before placing fifth, whilst his stand-in teammate was consistent for 13^th in the Portuguese Grand Prix.

The Moto3 race was held in optimal conditions with 29°C track temperature and less than 50% humidity.

Alvaro Carpe, who managed to gain several positions on the first two laps, moving up from 12th to 8th. He completed the third lap in seventh place, confidently overtaking rivals and demonstrating his strength in close-quarters racing. Whilst race leader Joel Kelso’s fast pace quickly stretched out the group and reduced it to eleven riders, Carpe continued amongst the challengers. He was up into second on Lap 13, then had to contend with heavy traffic amongst riders challenging for positions. When Carpe was relegated from second to seventh on a single lap, he had to reset his sights on those ahead. Maximo Quiles and Taiyo Furusato broke away, and were joined by Angel Piqueras on the closing laps, leaving the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider battling with Joel Esteban for a fourth place which ultimately went to his rival. Carpe earned 10 points that lift him to 195 in the overall standings, just 2 points behind the rider in fourth.

Uriarte managed to maintain his starting position of 14th after the first two laps, but had to fight relentlessly to stay with the leading group. After Lap 6, he had moved into 13th place, trying to close the gap to 11^th. Unfortunately, near the halfway mark in the race, he had to settle for battling with Hakim Danish for 12th position, as those ahead established a more significant advantage. Uriarte managed his pace and was fighting with Danish until the final lap, when the Malaysian rider eventually won out and left him in 13^th. It marked his first points with Red Bull KTM Ajo, and he now has 11 points and is 28th in the overall standings -ahead of 11 other riders who have competed in at least one race this season.

All in all, it was a good finish to the Portuguese Grand Prix for Carpe and Uriarte, who fought hard to achieve their goals yesterday. With all that said, Red Bull KTM Ajo now has 563 points, equalling Red Bull KTM Ajo’s best ever season in the current Moto3. Red Bull KTM Ajo now have 563 points, equalling their best-ever tally in the Moto3 class. They target an all-time best points total next weekend in the 2025 season finale, at the Valencian Grand Prix from November 14th-16th.

Race Results
1. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 34:05.182
2. Angel Piqueras (KTM) | +1.663
3. Taiyo Furusato (Honda) | +2.886
4. Joel Esteban (KTM) | +3.243
5. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +3.537
13. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo | +24.315

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2025
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 365 points
2. Angel Piqueras (KTM) | 271 points
3. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 263 points
4. David Muñoz (KTM) | 197 points
5. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 195 points
28. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 11 points

Moto3 Teams World Championship Standing 2025
1. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 563 points
2. FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI | 411 points 
3. CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team | 372 points
4. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP | 313 points
5. Leopard Racing | 280 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“It was quite a positive weekend in general. The weather didn’t help much during the three days, but we tried to manage it in the best way. Yesterday, Qualifying was a little bit messy and the starting grid positions weren’t great, but we did a very good job today. Alvaro had a very strong race, fighting for the podium positions during every lap, but unfortunately, some aggressive moments by other riders pushed him back a few times and in the end he couldn’t quite fight for the Top 3 positions. He had a very strong weekend anyway. Brian also had a good weekend improving session by session and we’re very excited to continue the work with him in next round. Of course, it wasn’t an easy race for him because he lost a lot of valuable track time due to weather conditions and struggled a little bit more than expected with tyre wear today, but we can definitely see the potential to fight for top positions in the next round.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“The race was a real battle, and I gave it my all from start to finish. I think we put on a good show, and the result wasn’t a bad way to cap off a weekend of hard work with my team. We made a good fightback and showed we have the pace to fight for the podium. However, the tyre wear today was huge, and the slightest mistake was heavily punished in the closing stages. Unfortunately, we received a collision in the final sector and dropped back, so I couldn’t fight as hard as I would have liked on the last lap.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“It was a tough race today due to tyre degradation. As the laps went by, I felt a very severe drop off, which made it difficult to keep up with the leading group, and I had to settle for fighting for twelfth place. It’s not the result I was hoping for, but in Valencia we’ll look to continue working and learning for next year. In any case, I’m leaving here happy, having scored my first points with the team and knowing that I’ve improved with each outing on track. I also want to thank my team for their effort and hard work. See you in Valencia!”