Important points for the Spanish duo from Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3, who finished very close to the podium positions in the first race of the year.

Red Bull KTM Ajo leave Thailand after a successful Sunday at the first round of the 2026 Moto3 World Championship season. Alvaro Carpe finished fourth after battling for a podium finish until the very last corner, while Brian Uriarte achieved an excellent seventh place -his best result in Moto3- less than two seconds off the rostrum positions. With this result, the team finishes the first round of twenty-two in the 2026 season with very positive results and the feeling that it is going to be a fun year with many joys ahead.

Amidst very high temperatures of 34°C at a sunny Chang International Circuit, the Moto3 World Championship kicked off its season at 12:00 p.m. in the hottest conditions of the weekend.

Carpe got off to a good start, quickly moving among the Top 4. With David Almansa leading the pack, the group of pacesetters stretched out in the space of just two laps. A crash for Ryusei Yamanaka, who had been fifth, opened up a gap between the four leading riders and the rest of the field. With Carpe in third, an exchange of overtakes between the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider and Adrian Fernandez allowed the two rivals ahead of them to pull away, while two more competitors closed in from behind in the podium fight. With a gap of more than three seconds both ahead and behind him, Carpe waited until the final third of the race to move into the rostrum positions. Unfortunately, where Alvaro achieved the podium last year, he had to give it up this year: in the last corner. All in all, a great debut for the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider, who scores 13 points to start the year fourth in the overall standings.

Uriarte got off the line well, overtaking two riders on the first lap. Inside the Top 10, he tried to break away with the leading group, but Yamanaka’s crash meant he was left adrift. Fighting back alone from seventh position, the Spaniard tried to rejoin the front group, but was instead gradually swallowed up by the chasing group, spending the rest of the race battling for his position. Steadily closing the gap to the pack fighting for third place, Uriarte’s group got within 1.2 seconds of them, before losing their chance with two laps remaining. However, the rookie defended his position well and knew when to attack to take the flag in seventh place, his best result in the Moto3 World Championship. All in all, Uriarte now has nine points in the standings. 

All in all, it was a good Sunday and a good weekend for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 in Buriram. Alvaro’s fourth place and Brian’s seventh place translate into 22 points for the team, which provisionally occupies third place in the team standings. The next round of the World Championship will be the Brazilian Grand Prix in three weeks’ time, which will be held at the Autódromo Internacional de Goiana – Ayrton Senna from March 20-22nd.

Race Results
1. David Almansa (KTM) | 32:14.186
2. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | +0.003
3. Valentin Perrone (KTM) | +9.480
4. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +9.573
5. Veda Pratama (Honda) | +9.687
7. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +11.068

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2025
1. David Almansa (KTM) | 25 points
2. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 20 points
3. Valentin Perrone (KTM) | 16 points
4. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 13 points
5. Veda Pratama (Honda) | 11 points
7. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 9 points

Moto3 Teams World Championship Standing 2025
1. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP | 31 points
2. CFMOTO Aspar Team | 28 points
3. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 22 points
4. Red Bull KTM Tech3 | 16 points
5. Honda Team Asia | 11 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager 

“It was a positive start to the season in Thailand. Obviously the weather conditions were quite extreme for the first race of the year, but we dealt with then quite well. Alvaro showed a great pace throughout the weekend; he suffered a little bit more than expected during the race, but it’s very good news to have him inside the Top 5 at the first race of the season. In Brian’s case, he took a big step forward from the test, and had his best weekend with the team so far. He made good progress during the three days and also showed good pace today with the group, close to the podium positions. We’re very happy and hopeful for the coming rounds.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“It’s been a good start to the season, although with a slightly bittersweet taste because we couldn’t stay in the leading group. Our tyres wore out sooner than we expected, so we had to settle for fighting for the podium. We battled until the end, but it wasn’t to be, so we’ll have to focus on what happened during the weekend overall and the good feeling we had from the beginning. It’s a good starting point for us to look for the consistency we want to achieve throughout the year.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“It was a very good race for me. I learned a lot from all the situations that came up, including following the riders at the front, although I wasn’t able to stay with them for very long. I’m happy because it was a weekend where we built from the ground up, practice after practice, and the result was good. I want to thank the team for all their support and hard work throughout the weekend. I hope to be a little closer to the front in Brazil and continue making progress in the future.”