After a weekend with many positives at Le Mans, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 duo are looking to finish their first European double-header on a high note.

Red Bull KTM Ajo move on to Barcelona for the sixth round of the 2026 World Championship this weekend. With both riders in good form, the team will be looking to achieve a good result in Catalonia after a very positive weekend at Le Mans, despite having a bittersweet Sunday.

Collin Veijer suffered a tough blow in France. Despite a positive weekend overall, and him starting from 10th in the race, he was unable to complete the contest. On his first start, a mistake relegated him to the back of the field, while in his second, he crashed out, incurring a Long Lap penalty for Barcelona in the process due to contact with another rider. The Dutchman -who resides close to the Circuit- has competed at this weekend’s venue stretching back to his time in JuniorGP. On his last two visits, Veijer finished fourth in 2024 (in Moto3) and ninth last year in his rookie Moto2 season, after achieving his first ever front row start in the intermediate class. He heads to the Catalan GP with 29.5 points, occupying 11th position in the overall standings.

On the other hand, Rueda will be visiting Catalonia in a situation that is somewhat different from that of his team-mate. Rueda underwent surgery two weeks ago to treat compartmental syndrome in his right arm, and showed clear improvement in his condition at the French GP. He achieved his best results in Free Practice so far this season, as well as securing a Top 20 grid position for the first time in Moto2. After a good race on Sunday amidst difficult circumstances, he came home in 18th, his second-best result of the season and only one second behind the points. Barcelona is the only circuit on the calendar where he achieved podium finishes in three of his four Moto3 World Championship appearances: He was third both in 2023 and 2024, and second last year, even after serving a Long Lap penalty. The only time he was off the rostrum in this run was at the 2024 Solidarity GP, when he finished fourth. Previously, in JuniorGP, he also achieved podium finishes and victories during 2020 and 2021. Rueda is 23rd in the overall standings, with 1 point, and is the series’ top rookie.

Red Bull KTM Ajo have 30.5 points and occupy ninth place in the Team standings. In Barcelona, they have previous wins for Johann Zarco (2015 and 2016) and Remy Gardner (2021), as well as the podium finishes for Miguel Oliveira (2017 and 2018), Raul Fernandez (2021), Augusto Fernandez (2022), Albert Arenas (2023), and Daniel Muñoz (2025).

The action kicks off at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this Friday at 9:50 a.m. (local time) with Free Practice 1. Sunday’s 21-lap race will take place at 12:15 p.m.

Circuit information – Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya
Length: 4.657 m. / 2.894 miles
Width: 12 m. / 39.37 ft.
Left corners: 6
Right corners: 8
Longest straight: 1.047 m. / 0.651 miles
Built: 1991
Modified: 2021

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“We arrive in Barcelona with mixed feelings. Racing here is almost a home round for me, because I’ve been living really close to the circuit, but we’re coming into this one after a difficult weekend, so we need to take it as motivation to be at our best. Of course, it won’t be an easy round, as we have to serve a Long Lap penalty in Sunday’s race, but we will try to work as best as possible during the whole weekend to arrive at the race well prepared. This Grand Prix will be a good opportunity to improve my mentality, so we’ll focus on doing our job and give 100%.”

#98 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“We’re coming off a very solid performance in France, although the results didn’t reflect it as much as the feeling we had. I’m eager to get started in Barcelona, a circuit I like, one that suits me well, and where I have great memories, so we’re going to try to start off strongly from the first session on Friday. Racing there is like racing at home, so that will also give us some extra motivation that we need to take advantage of throughout the weekend. We’ll try to enjoy ourselves and continue progressing after the injury.”