Red Bull KTM Ajo take first and second place in a perfect Thai Grand Prix to lead the riders‘ and teams’ standings.

Jose Antonio Rueda and Alvaro Carpe enjoyed an incredible start to the 2025 season, with a win and a second place at the Thai Grand Prix. Rueda broke away to score his second victory in Moto3, whilst debutant Carpe attacked on the last lap to claim the runner-up spot. These are the first podium finishes for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team in Chang International Circuit.

Rueda got off the line well from third on the grid, and led the group from the opening lap. By the halfway mark, his consistent pace had shaken off a number of riders, and he was able to pull clear and extend the gap over all but the persistent David Muñoz.

When Muñoz crashed out, Rueda was left alone, and he took advantage of this to increase his lead to up to seven seconds in the closing stages. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider had a straight run to the chequered flag, picking up his second win in the World Championship. He had opened his account last year at the Aragon Grand Prix

Carpe was third on the opening lap at Buriram, moving up from sixth on the grid. He remained amongst a group of up to 13 riders challenging for the Top 10 amidst gruelling temperatures in Thailand, and gradually a series of crashes saw him move further up the order.

Carpe kept up his pace in the final third of the race, as the podium positions were decided. He was able to claim second at the last corner, passing Adrian Fernandez for a superb result.

Red Bull KTM Ajo, who had never been on the rostrum at the Thai Grand Prix, took a one-two finish that puts them top of the overall standings for both riders and teams. It replicated their 2021 season opener in Qatar, when Jaume Masia and Pedro Acosta took the win and second place. At that time, Acosta was a rookie, as Carpe is now.

The team will be back in action in two weeks’ time at the Argentinian Grand Prix, which will take place from March 14-16th at Termas de Río Hondo.

Race Results
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 32:14.402
2. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +7.276
3. Adrian Fernandez (Honda) +7.341
4. Stefano Nepa (Honda) +7.590
5. Matteo Bertelle (KTM) +10.242

Moto3 World Championship Standings 2025
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 25 points
2. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 20 points
3. Adrian Fernandez (Honda) 16 points
4. Stefano Nepa (Honda) 13 points
5. Matteo Bertelle (KTM) 11 points

Moto3 Teams World Championship Standings
1. Red Bull KTM Ajo – 45 points
2. Leopard Racing – 25 points
3. SIC58 Squadra Corse – 19 points
4. Level UP MTA – 11 points
5. CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team – 10 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“It was a very positive weekend in all aspects for both riders. Jose Antonio continued the great work done in testing and his performance and focus was nearly perfect during the entire weekend and during the race. He has made a massive step with his approach to work on track this winter and I’m sure this result will give him and the team the needed confidence boost to fight for the top positions every weekend. Alvaro continued to show his great potential again. His weekend didn’t start in the best way on friday but on saturday he took a massive step in his riding and today he did an incredible race for a rookie. I want to say big thanks to all our partners for their support and all of the Moto3 team for this weekend’s efforts.

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“I’m very happy with today’s result and with the team’s hard work, as well as Alvaro’s result, which is incredible for his first race in the World Championship. The objective is to continue in the same way at the next Grand Prix. We have prepared a lot over this winter to achieve these results, so I can’t say much more. It is the perfect way to start the season. Now it’s time to enjoy it and prepare for Argentina, right from today.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“I’m very happy with this result, but also with how we turned the weekend around after a difficult Friday. The work that the team did have been incredible over the three days, so it was time to repay them. The World Championship is very different to JuniorGP, as here nobody gives you even a tenth of a second and every corner is like it’s the last, so achieving second in our first race deserves a lot of credit. I knew that this was going to be a battle of endurance and the heat didn’t make things easy, but we were able to get to the end alive and we attacked.”