The story sadly did not end the way we would have wanted for our Red Bull KTM Tech3 Moto3™ squad at the Grand Prix of Argentina. After an amazing weekend both on and off track, local hero Valentin Perrone’s dreams of scoring his first points in the category were turned into ashes as a late crash in the final lap saw him end with a DNF on his turf after a great race. It was also a disappointing end to his first race in Argentina for Joel Esteban, as a late 3 seconds penalty saw him take the 16th place, just outside of the points.
Grand Prix of Argentina
It had been a dream weekend for local hero Valentin Perrone at the Grand Prix of Argentina. Although he was just a rookie in his second race in the lightweight category, the young Argentinian made a perfect weekend on home turf, qualifying in 9th on the grid after taking the 4th time of Practice on Friday. When lights went out at 12:00 local time, Valentin took a great start, positioning his KTM on the inside of T1 in the back wheel of Alvaro Carpe. He was in P9 after one lap behind Taiyo Furusato while David Almansa was leading charges after the opening lap. Positions moved a lot during the first laps, but Valentin Perrone started with a great pace, riding his fastest lap in lap 2 already with a 1’48.096, and he was in 8th after two laps as he stuck with the front group. 5 laps were already gone, and the young Argentinian kept his pace, now up in 7th. The battles at the front allowed the chasing group to close on the leading group, and sooner than later it was just one group left. The young rookie continued to hold on to his pace and learn from the best, and we saw him settle for a while in the back wheel of Alvaro Carpe, and Angel Piqueras. After ten laps, the front group started to fracture itself a bit, with Adrian Fernandez leading the charges. Valentin continued to hold the pace, and he was in P8 behind Piqueras, riding at similar pace than the guys ahead. Sadly the next lap, a small mistake saw him lose ground, and he dropped to 12th behind Joel Kelso who was coming back from the back of the grid after serving his double long lap penalty. A small break of 0.155 seconds separated the chasing group led by Kelso from the leading group closed by Luca Lunetta, but Perrone continued to push with faster laps than the few opponents ahead. 5 laps then remained and he sat in 11th, however, we saw the young rookie’s rhythm drop a bit, while his opponents gave an extra push to prepare for the grande finale. The Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider sat back in P13 as just one lap remained, and he just had to hold on to score his first points in the category. Unfortunately, our hearts broke when he highsided out of contention right at the very last lap. It’s a DNF for the local boy, who deserved a bit more on his first home race.
Joel Esteban was starting his first Grand Prix of Argentina from P10, after he had shown great pace all weekend, also directly qualifying in Q2 after Friday’s Practice. At the race start, the young Spaniard took a good T1 exit to 7th, but he then dropped to 19th in the second corner as he struggled to find his way within the group. He was in P18 after one lap, having already lost all the advantages from the good work of the weekend. However, Esteban quickly refocused and progressively started to make his way back up, with a solid early pace. After three laps, he was already up to 13th behind Stefano Neppa, thanks to a great lap in 1’47.498, which remained his fastest of the race, and the 5th fastest of the race. Esteban was clearly in the fight for the lead of the chasing group, pressing charges on the group leaders ahead of him. However, a few mistakes constantly saw him dropping back, and having to supply double efforts to make it back for the lost positions. After 9 laps, he was in 17th, with everything to be redone. His solid race pace allowed the number 78 to come back, forcing him to make his way to a chaotic chasing group with riders all over the place, with each one having its own trajectory. Anyway, as four laps remained, Joel was back in P12, just 0.122 seconds from teammate Perrone, and his late effort allowed him to move past the Argentinian, to P10 behind Joel Kelso. That chasing group did not make it easy to gain ground, with riders constantly overtaking each other. Eventually, Joel saw the checkered flag in 11th, but a late long lap penalty for shortcut at T10 that he did not have time to complete, saw him take a 3 seconds penalty at end of play. Final position will be 16th for Esteban, who finishes at the doors of the points.
It was for sure not the results both Valentin Perrone and Joel Esteban deserved in Argentina after a solid weekend during all sessions, but Termas de Rio Hondo treated us well, with a lot of love, passion and attention shown for local hero Valentin Perrone. Thank you Argentina! Next, TEXAS, in two weeks!
VALENTIN PERRONE: "It was not how we wanted to finish the weekend for sure, so I feel sad about it. Overall, we did a good race which I can be happy with. We took a good start, we pushed to stay close to the front group. I stayed with them for a while, which was great learning, but at some point I saved a highside, and I dropped further down. At the back of the group, riders were fighting crazy in the final laps, and unfortunately, when one of them came back to the line, I made contact and I just flew away from the bike. It is what it is, let's reset, and focus on the next round in Texas!"
JOEL ESTEBAN: "I feel pretty happy with our race overall, we had a good pace to battle for the front positions, but my start was not great, I dropped positions at the start, and I struggled to come back properly since I was constantly battling with another rider. In addition, we took the 3 seconds penalty for the long lap penalty, and we finished 16th, which does not reflect at all the weekend we had in Termas. I am sad about the final result, but really happy with the work we have done with the team this weekend!"
HERVE PONCHARAL, Team Principal: "It was a really good weekend for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 Moto3 team, which sadly did not end the way we wanted. Both Valentin Perrone and Joel Esteban qualified well after a really positive weekend, so we had hopes to finish in the points today. Valentin took a really good start, rode at a great pace and stayed with the front group most of the race, but we saw him lose contact in the last 5 laps. He was still in the points, and could have scored his first Moto3 points in Argentina, but unfortunately another rider brought him down in the final lap, which is heartbreaking for him, and for us. We did not want the story to end like this. Still, I would like to thank Valentin for a great weekend, he was great on track, but off track too. He attended many media activities to support our sport in Argentina, so just thanks to him for his professionalism both on and off track. Joel’s start was a disaster, he lost many positions in the first lap. Despite a few ups and downs during the race, he progressively recovered to get close to the top 10, and saw the checkered flag in 11th. However, he did not have time to complete his long lap penalty, and took a 3 seconds penalty, meaning that in the end he finished 16th, with no points. Both our riders deserved better today, but it is Moto3 racing, and it is part of the learning process. We will try again in two weeks in Texas, pushing strong from the first session, as always!"
RACE RESULTS
1. Angel Piqueras (SPA), MT Helmets - MSI, 32'31.938
2. Adrian Fernandez (SPA), Leopard Racing, +0.036
3. Jose Antonio Rueda (SPA), Red Bul KTM Ajo, +0.125
16. Joel Esteban (SPA), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +7.822
DNF. Valentin Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 1 lap
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 41pts
2. Adrian Fernandez (SPA), Leopard Racing, 36pts
3. Angel Piqueras (SPA), MT Helmets - MSI, 29pts
13. Joel Esteban (SPA), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 7pts
TRACK RECORDS
All Time Record: 2025 - M. Bertelle (ITA) - 1'46.034 - 163.1 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2025 - A. Piqueras (SPA) - 1'47.249 - 161.3 km/h
Best Pole: 2025 - M. Bertelle (ITA) - 1'46.034 - 163.1 km/h
Top Speed: 2025 - R. Rossi (ITA) - 245.2 km/h
