The Moto3™ class once again did not disappoint, and the first Hungarian Grand Prix at Balaton Park will be for sure one to remember for our Red Bull KTM Tech3 squad. Young talent Valentin Perrone took his second podium of the season after an outstanding race which saw him fight all the way to the checkered flag for the win, elbow-to-elbow, but he eventually crossed the finish line in P2, 0.018 seconds of winner Maximo Quiles. It is the rookie's best result in the category, after his maiden podium at the Dutch Grand Prix. Jacob Roulstone wrapped up the Hungarian adventure with a solid top 10 result after starting from 7th on the grid.
Grand Prix of Hungary
As he lined up on the first row once again after his pole position in Austria last week, Valentin Perrone was starting from P2 this week at Balaton Park. It was a good start from Perrone, who arrived at T1 on the inside, to exit in second close behind polesitter Maximo Quiles. Valentin provided the early effort to follow his fellow rookie, as the front-two had already made a small gap of 0.5 seconds, with Angel Piqueras leading the chasing group. Valentin saw an opportunity to move up to the front in his battle for first, but that little battle with Quiles allowed the chasing group to completely close the gap, and very soon, David Munoz and Angel Piqueras belonged to the leading pack. A small mistake of Valentin on lap 5 saw the young ‘Coyote’ move down to 4th, while Quiles remained at the front of the race. The battle for P2 was intense, and Valentin could take back the lead of the chasing group to move up to P2, before dropping back to 3rd in the next lap. Race leader Quiles was still setting the pace at the front after 9 laps. Watch out for David Munoz though, clocking the fastest race lap on lap 9 with a 1’45.700. The young Coyote got the lead back on lap 11, followed closely by Piqueras and the rest, with Guido Pini now part of the battle for the lead. 9 laps remained, and the Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider led the pack. Could the young rookie take his maiden Moto3™ win? For sure he was not going to let the opportunity go away, but he had to face the experienced Piqueras and Munoz, while Quiles had smoothed things down in P4. Championship leader Jose Antonio Rueda was coming back with a strong pace behind, and soon he would be part of the fight for the win. 15/20 laps, and Valentin was still at the lead, with all the hungry wolves patiently waiting behind and preparing their final moves. Quiles started to increase the effort with a fast 1’46.3, as Perrone held the pace at the front in 1’46.5. Then just two laps remained, with Perrone still at the lead, just 0.199 seconds off Quiles. Defending mode was on, but could the young 73 hold his ground to the very end against a Maximo Quiles hungry for another victory? One lap to go! Quiles tried to make a move on the inside of T1, but Perrone closed the door to the Aspar rider. He then went a bit wide in sector 2, which is just where Quiles took the opportunity to earn the lead. The fight was not over yet though. Trying hard to overtake on the left-right sequence of T11-T12, it was elbow-to-elbow all the way to the checkered flag for the two, but eventually it was Quiles who got the best exit in the last corner to see the checkered flag in first, while Perrone took 2nd, finishing just 0.018 seconds to the winner. Second Moto3™ podium from Valentin Perrone, who wrapped up a perfect Grand Prix of Hungary!
Starting from P7, Jacob Roulstone gained one position to 6th with a successful and cautious take off as lights were off at 11am. He was just behind David Munoz entering the second lap, with no crashes to signal in the opening lap for the biggest surprise! Jacob managed to hold his position for a while, but early fast pacers from behind progressively came back on the Australian, who sat in 8th after 5 laps, and then he moved up to 7th the following lap with Ryusei Yamanaka’s crash. Adrian Fernandez, who was pushing from behind, eventually got the best of Roulstone on lap 10, and then two more positions were lost by the young number 12, who sat in P10 after ten laps of racing. Halfway done. Alvaro Carpe was ahead by just 0.2 seconds, and fellow countryman Joel Kelso was close behind waiting for an opportunity to go past. Roulstone dropped to P12 on lap 14, overtaken by both Kelso and Almansa. A crash of Pini at the front saw him gain one position to 11th as 5 laps remained, and then one more position was gained one lap 17. Jacob secured the top 10 after a solid race, and he will now look forward to the next round in Barcelona, his 'home away from home', with the Australian established in the outskirts of Barcelona.
VALENTIN PERRONE: "It was a super difficult race! Maximo Quiles was really fast at the start, and I struggled a bit to follow him, but then once I got into my rhythm, I felt really good. The plan went just like we wanted, we knew we had to be patient. When we saw Maximo dropping a bit, we took our opportunity to move to the front, and ride at our own pace. I tried to not make any mistakes until the last lap. I defended as much as I could, but he (Maximo) did a really good last lap, and in the end, it was a very close finish, but I am very happy. We always want more, but I know we will get there! We have many more opportunities to get our first win, so let's just enjoy the moment with the team and everyone around who supports me! We have gained so much experience from these last races at the front, I feel that I am a different rider, but I am enjoying the process so much! Let's see what we can do in Barcelona!"
JACOB ROULSTONE: "I felt really good at the start of the race with the soft tire, I could be aggressive enough to stick with the front, but then the struggles began. I was not feeling confident enough, a lot of braking, just like Austria, and it is not really where I can ride at my best. We made some progress this weekend though, we are working a lot internally, and I hope we can see the results very soon as we are now heading to tracks which suit me best, the high speed ones with a lot of flow. Big thanks to the team as always, we are getting there slowly but surely, but I know our time will come."
HERVE PONCHARAL, Team Principal: "After the slight disappointment of the last lap in Austria, we are so happy to be back on the podium this weekend! Valentin Perrone did everything perfectly in Balaton, from a direct Q2 ticket on Friday, P2 on the grid, to then fighting for the victory until the very last corner today. I really thought we could win that one, but it ended up being a very close finish. I am so happy with Valentin’s race, he was at the front all race long, even led for a few laps, and sometimes we have to remember his background. He is coming from the ETC and the MotoGP Red Bull Rookies Cup, with no previous experience on a Moto3 bike, and he already has two Moto3 podiums. This shows how great of a platform the Red Bull Rookies Cup is for young talents, and it also proves that there is not just 'one' path to make it to the Grand Prix. I hope profiles like Valentin will give hope to many young riders. Anyway, congratulations to Valentin and his crew led by Hector Testuri. We are so close to that first win, and I hope that it will come very soon. Jacob Roulstone had a solid weekend, finishing with a top 10 after a strong qualifying. He was in the chasing group behind the leaders, battling with the fast riders of the championship, so we can be happy with his performance. I think it was one of his best races of the year, so many positives to bring to the next back-to-back races for our whole Moto3 crew!"
RACE RESULTS
1. Maximo Quiles (SPA), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, 35'31.839
2. Valentin Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +0.018
3. David Munoz (SPA), Dynavolt IntactGP, +0.858
10. Jacob Roulstone (AUS), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +20.109
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 250pts
2. Angel Piqueras (SPA), MT Helmets - MSI, 181pts
3. Maximo Quiles (SPA), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, 164pts
7. Valentin Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 92pts
15. Jacob Roulstone (AUS), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 42pts
TRACK RECORDS
All Time Record: 2025 - D. Munoz (SPA) - 1'45.700 - 138.7 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2025 - D. Munoz (SPA) - 1'45.700 - 138.7 km/h
Best Pole: 2025 - M. Quiles (SPA) - 1'46.060 - 138.3 km/h
Top Speed: 2025 - M. Quiles (SPA) - 219.9 km/h
