Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team go into the Malaysian Grand Prix with both riders firmly in the battle for the runner-up spot in the Moto3 World Championship.

Alvaro Carpe and Brian Uriarte will contest the Malaysian Grand Prix in the Moto3 World Championship this weekend. Following an unusual weekend in Australia, in which adverse weather conditions forced the cancellation of the race, they come to the Sepang International Circuit with Uriarte in third and Carpe fourth overall, with the former aiming to secure the Rookie of the Year honour.

Carpe showed great speed during practice at Phillip Island, though he ultimately did not have the chance to prove it in the race. He finished third in FP1 and later topped the Practice session with a time of 1:35.292 -even faster than the race lap record he himself had set the previous season. However, much more challenging conditions on Saturday left him in 12th place on the grid. The cancellation of the race meant Carpe was unable to score points, leaving him fourth in the overall standings with 189 points -28 behind David Almansa in second. Sepang is a circuit he already knows well: last season, he qualified and finished sixth in a race shortened to ten laps, having run as high as third during the opening stages.

Uriarte had a strong start to the Australian Grand Prix, placing second in FP1 and ninth in Practice, before qualifying 14th for a race that ultimately could not take place. With 198 points, he remains third in the World Championship, 19 points behind Almansa and nine points ahead of Carpe. Furthermore, he holds an 87-point lead over Veda Pratama in the Rookie of the Year standings and can mathematically secure the title this weekend: With 100 points still up for grabs, he can afford to concede up to twelve points to his main rival. The Spaniard previously competed at the Malaysian circuit during his second World Championship race in 2025, standing in for another team. After finishing third in Practice and fifth in Q2, a penalty forced him to start from fourteenth, but he fought his way back to ninth place.

Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 have 387 points, holding second place in the Teams standings. Sepang also holds significant historical importance for the outfit: it was there that Sandro Cortese took the win in 2012, becoming the first-ever Moto3 World Champion. In recent seasons, they have a win courtesy of Miguel Oliveira (2015), and podiums from Brad Binder (2nd in 2015), Bo Bendsneyder (3rd in 2016), and Jose Antonio Rueda (3rd in 2024).

In conclusion, on-track activity begins this coming Friday with Free Practice 1 at 9:00 a.m. (local time). The 15-lap Moto3 Malaysian Grand Prix will take place this Sunday, starting at 12:00 p.m.

Circuit information – Sepang International Circuit
Length: 5.543 m / 3.444 miles
Width: 16 m / 52.49 ft.
Left corners: 5
Right corners: 10
Longest straight: 920 m / 0.572 miles
Built: 1998

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“I’m really looking forward to Friday and getting back on the bike, especially after we missed out on the race in Australia just a few days ago. Sepang is a very fun track, but it’s also quite long, so we’ll need to work hard to stay competitive around the entire circuit. I’d love to leave here with a strong result, which would help make up for what happened in Indonesia, so we’ll go for it. We know what we’re capable of.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“Sepang is a circuit where things went really, really well for me last year; it’s definitely one of my favorites. It’s a shame we couldn’t race at Phillip Island a few days ago, but I’m confident that the lack of recent track time won’t hold us back. I’m highly motivated to get started at such a special circuit, in front of fans who are incredibly passionate and supportive. We’ll give it our all, as always, and see if we can clinch the Rookie of the Year title this time around.”