The 18-year-old signs for two seasons with the structure to share box with the team’s current rider in 2027.

Rico Salmela will join Red Bull KTM Ajo for the 2027 and 2028 Moto3 World Championship seasons. He will line up alongside the team’s current Moto3 rider, Brian Uriarte, and becomes the third Finnish rider to form part of the structure -the previous two being Mika Kallio in 125cc and current Team Manager, Niklas Ajo, in Moto3.

Red Bull KTM Ajo thus welcome one of the most promising talents Finland has ever produced in motorcycle road racing. Having been taken under Aki Ajo’s wing for several years, Salmela continues with KTM, a manufacturer with which he has competed in three editions of the Red Bull Rookies Cup.

As a Red Bull Rookies Cup rider, Salmela holds one victory and ten podiums, finishing seventh, fourth, and fourth in the overall standings across his three seasons in the competition.

He has also gained significant experience in the MotoJunior series, competing in both the European Talent Cup (from 2021 to 2023, placing fourth in the latter year) and the Moto3 Junior World Championship (from 2024 to 2025). In his debut year in the feeder series, the Finn finished 13th, claiming a victory in his third race in the class, alongside four other Top 5 finishes. Last year, he took a significant step forward in his development, placing on the podium six times and ending the campaign in fifth place -just nine points shy of third.

The 2027 season will be Salmela’s second campaign in the Moto3 World Championship, opting for an experienced rider after several rookies, as it was the case for Jose Antonio Rueda, Xabi Zurutuza, Alvaro Carpe and Brian Uriarte. The 2026 World Championship experience will prove to be an advantage, both for Salmela and for the team, which will be able to get the most out of the Finnish rider right from the start. In the current season, Salmela has 70 points from 15 rounds, and is fighting for the Top 10 of the overall standings. He has five Top 6 finishes to date.

Red Bull KTM Ajo’s 2027 rider lineup reunites Salmela with Uriarte, with the pair having competed against each other at the Red Bull Rookies Cup, European Talent Cup and Moto3 Junior World Championship through to the present Moto3 World Championship. In fact, in former categories, both have shared the podium on as many as seven occasions, as well as having been teammates between 2021 and 2023 during their time in the European Talent Cup. 

On the other hand, Uriarte is currently battling several riders -including Salmela- for the 2026 Rookie of the Year honour in the Moto3 World Championship. He has two wins, five podiums and two Pole Position to his name this year. The former, JuniorGP World Champion and Red Bull Rookies Cup Champion in 2025, is also fourth in the overall standings with 174 points and a lot of regularity showed. So much so that he has finished all the races in which he has taken part as a Moto3 rider, including only one outside the Top 15 and another in which he was DSQ after the race. With those above him all confirmed as leaving the class in 2027, he is expected to be one of the title contenders next season.

With the arrival of the Finnish rider, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team is once again bringing together, for another season, a pair of young talents who came through the KTM GP Academy, where they both competed during three and two seasons respectively. Both the team and KTM demonstrate a commitment to providing opportunities for riders with great ability and promising futures to develop on the biggest stages. Now, side by side, Rico and Brian will both fight to take the team to the top in 2027.

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“Obviously we’re really excited to sign Rico for our Moto3 team in 2027. We’ve known Rico since he was really young starting his career in Finland and the dedication he had already back then was something we have seen rarely. His path to the World Championship has not been the easiest for sure but we’re very really proud about his progress, especially in the last few years, and we’re feeling excited and confident that we can give him the tools needed to make the next steps in his career. We’re also extremely motivated and happy to continue with Brian, who has already shown in a single season that he will be one of the guys to follow next year. His evolution has been amazing during his rookie year and we can expect a lot for sure from him in the coming years. We’re really confident that again we have one of the strongest pairs in Moto3 next year, who have also been formed in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup program, which always means a lot to our project and everyone involved, starting with KTM, Red Bull and the rest of the partners.”

#27 RICO SALMELA

“I’m very excited to join the Ajo Family. I’ve been already working many years with Niklas and Aki and, to be honest, they’ve been supporting me for a long time, so I can only say thanks to both of them, same as Red Bull and KTM, which are keeping their trust on me, so I can only be super grateful to all of them. This is a dream since I was a kid. Joining a Finnish team that is at the top level of this sport is just amazing. Sometimes the dreams come true, so I can’t wait to start working with this team. Let’s try to prepare ourselves in the best possible way for next year and try to enjoy with everyone involved in the project.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“I’m incredibly proud to be continuing with this team for another season. We’re having a great year and are in excellent form, so we need to keep that momentum going. I feel very comfortable and happy here, and I’m really looking forward to continuing to give 100% alongside everyone else. Next year, we’ll be among the contenders fighting at the front, so we need to prepare thoroughly for 2027 to achieve the goals we’ve set for ourselves. It will be a question of managing things well and putting into practice everything I’ve learned during my rookie year. I’m really excited to get started and to take on this wonderful challenge.”