Red Bull KTM Ajo arrive at the Lusail International Circuit with their two riders level on points, and with Brian Uriarte just one point away from securing the Rookie of the Year honour.

Alvaro Carpe and Brian Uriarte will take on the Qatar Grand Prix this weekend -the twentieth round of the Moto3 World Championship season. Following the most recent event in Malaysia, where Carpe returned to the podium and Uriarte added more points to his tally, Red Bull KTM Ajo move on to the Lusail International Circuit with both riders tied on 205 points in the overall standings, remaining firmly in the hunt for the runner-up spot for 2026.

Carpe is fresh off a third-place finish in Sepang. Starting from fifth on the grid, he made a strong getaway to move into third during the opening sectors, remaining within the leading group that fought for the podium throughout the race. In an event made particularly demanding by high temperatures, he managed the final laps well to emerge victorious in the battle for third. This marked his eighth rostrum of the season, brought his total to 205 points and closed the gap to the rider in second place to just 23 points. Carpe is already familiar with Lusail, having competed there for the first time last season -where he qualified sixth and finished eleventh in a highly competitive race. He will be looking to improve upon that result and stay in the mix for the runner-up spot.

Uriarte faced a challenging Sunday in Malaysia. He began the weekend with great speed, securing second in Qualifying, but several touches with other riders during the early stages of the race pushed him back to twelfth place. He managed to recover during the second half of the contest, ultimately crossing the finish line in ninth, leaving him tied with Carpe and 23 points behind David Almansa in the overall standings. Uriarte was one point away from clinching the Rookie of the Year honour in Sepang, and Qatar will now offer another opportunity to achieve one of the major goals for his debut season. Unlike his teammate, Uriarte will be facing his first competitive experience at the Lusail International Circuit this weekend.

Red Bull KTM Ajo have 410 points and hold second place in the Team standings, having secured their fourteenth podium of the season in Malaysia. Qatar holds fond memories for the Finnish-based team from recent seasons: they have claimed two victories through Jaume Masia and Pedro Acosta during the double-header there in 2021, as well as three other podium finishes with second-place results for Brad Binder (2016) and Pedro Acosta (2021), and a third-place finish for Deniz Öncü (2023).

With a very different schedule from the rest of the rounds with the sessions taking place in the afternoon and evening, Moto3 action begins this coming Friday with Free Practice 1 at 2:00 p.m. (local time). The 16-lap Moto3 Grand Prix of Qatar will take place on Sunday, starting at 5:00 p.m. at the Lusail International Circuit.

Circuit information – Lusail International Circuit 
Length: 5.380 m / 3.343 miles 
Width: 12 meters / 39.37 ft.
Left corners: 6
Right corners: 10
Longest straight: 1.068 meters / 0.664 miles
Built: 2004 

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“We’ve just come off a few strong weekends in Asia and Australia, so we’ll look to keep that momentum going in Qatar. We scored some good points in the last race, and we’re very keen to repeat that at Lusail. With only three Grands Prix left, it’s crucial that we don’t slip up before heading back to Europe, so we can stay in the fight until the very end. This is a unique Grand Prix, as it’s held at night, so hopefully everything goes well, and we can finish the season on a high note in Portugal and Valencia.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“The weekend in Sepang didn’t go quite as we’d hoped, so it’s important to turn things around with a strong performance at the Qatar Grand Prix. We always try to focus on the positives; in Malaysia, we were able to gather a lot of data for the remainder of the season, and we’ll look to put that to use at this circuit, which promises to be a fun one. The schedule is a bit different from what we’re used to, so we’ll need to adapt to the specific conditions as quickly as possible. The battle for the runner-up spot is still very much alive, and we’ll do our absolute best to fight for it right to the end.”