A bittersweet Sunday for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team sees their riders unable to contend for the podium in Qatar -although Brian Uriarte secures the Rookie of the Year honour.

Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team suffered disappointment on Sunday at the Qatar Grand Prix, as Alvaro Carpe finished fifth and Brian Uriarte fourteenth at Lusail -in a race where neither was able to challenge for the podium in the closing stages. Carpe dropped out of the battle for second place, while Uriarte had to fight his way back from 26th position after a collision with another rider. The positive was Uriarte securing the Rookie of the Year title -an achievement the team had not claimed since 2021 with Pedro Acosta.

As the sun set over the Lusail circuit, the Moto3 grid contended with a track temperature of 38°C for the 16-lap race.

Carpe made a strong start from fourth on the grid, remaining within the Top 5 during the opening laps to keep his podium hopes alive. He rode intelligently, biding his time and waiting for moves by other riders which ultimately thinned out the lead group. Uriarte’s crash resulted in a penalty for Muñoz, further reducing the number of riders at the front. Meanwhile, the race leader’s blistering pace began to stretch the field, leaving the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider to battle two others for second place. However, he began to struggle past the halfway point, gradually losing ground and finding himself alone in fourth. Two-thirds of the way through the race, Carpe was caught by a chasing trio, remaining with them until the chequered flag, and he managed to overtake two of them before the finish to place fifth. The 10 points bring his tally to 216 in the overall standings, where he is third -37 points shy of the runner-up spot, with 50 points still up for grabs.

Uriarte made a great start, moving from third to second and spending the opening lap in pursuit of the race leader. Unfortunately, he crashed at Turn 1 on the second lap after being clipped by David Muñoz, who had attempted an impossible overtake on him. Reacting quickly Uriarte remounted to rejoin the race in 26th, more than 14 seconds off the lead. Gradually, he began to climb back up the order, breaking into the Top 20 by the end of Lap 6. From that point on, he consistently closed the gap to his rivals and reached the points by Lap 12. The rookie was the fastest rider on track during Lap 13, which allowed him to move up to 14th place. At this stage, his race levelled off, as the next rider in his sights was more than 4.5 seconds away. Uriarte finished less than two seconds behind the rider in 13th place, while maintaining a 14-second gap to the front of the field. He drops to fourth in the overall standings with 207 points, 9 points behind his teammate and 46 points behind second place.

In conclusion, it was a strange weekend for the Spanish Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 pair, who came close to finally turning the weekend around at Lusail on Sunday’s race. Anyway, after not an easy race, the team move up to 423 points, in second place in the Team standings. The Moto3 World Championship will take a break next weekend before heading into the final double-header of 2026, in Portugal and Valencia, on the last two weekends of November.

Race Results
1. David Almansa (KTM) | 33:09.479
2. Adrian Fernandez (Honda) | (+2.516)
3. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | (+2.585)
4. Veda Pratama (Honda) | (+5.653)
5. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | (+5.700)
14. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | (+14.318)

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2026
1. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 392 points
2. David Almansa (KTM) | 253 points
3. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 216 points
4. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 207 points
5. Adrian Fernandez (Honda) | 177 points

Moto3 Teams World Championship Standing 2026
1. CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team | 533 points
2. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 423 points
3. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP | 337 points
4. Leopard Racing | 263 points
5. Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | 214 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“It was a very disappointing outcome from the race today, as the weekend started in a difficult way on Friday, but we really managed to turn things around yesterday in FP2 and Qualifying -and  we were very confident about today’s race. Unfortunately, Brian’s race ended very early with a very unnecessary move by another rider. At least he could pick up the bike again and rejoin the race. He was clearly the fastest rider at the end of the race, catching more and more rivals ahead of him. We need to try to take the positives from today with him, as he managed to be very fast on the last laps, which is something very promising for the future.  Alvaro had a good weekend but, unfortunately, today he was not able to do more in the race. We have taken some important points for the championship for him, but we expected a little bit more in the second half of the race, so we need to keep working in the last races to find something extra.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“We were hoping for a bit more from today’s race in terms of pace. Unfortunately, the tyres dropped off a little sooner than we had anticipated, in contrast to what we had worked on throughout the weekend, so we have to settle for this fifth-place finish. We’ve secured some important points for the overall standings, moving us back up to third, which is a positive takeaway. Now, the focus shifts to Portugal and Valencia, two tracks I know and enjoy, so we can finish the year strong and part ways with the team on a high note; I think that’s something we all deserve.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“It’s a shame to end the Qatar Grand Prix this way, but looking at the positives, I have to say it was a good race. I was able to improve lap-by-lap and fight my way back into the points, so that’s what we’ll take away from here. In the opening laps, everyone wants to be at the front, so contact can happen; it’s just part of racing. Fortunately, we were able to remount and clinch the Rookie of the Year honour, which was one of our key objectives for the season. Now, it’s time to work hard so we can finish the final two rounds of the year in the best possible way.”