The Moto3™ World Championship kicked off the 2026 season with an action-packed Grand Prix of Thailand, delivering an early podium for Red Bull KTM Tech3 at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram.
Grand Prix of Thailand
Valentin Perrone produced a stunning charge from 14th on the grid, winning a fierce four-way battle in the final corner to secure P3 in the season opener.
On his Moto3 debut, Rico Salmela showed resilience after a difficult start and limited track time, fighting his way back through the field to finish 19th and gain valuable experience in his first Moto3 Grand Prix.
Practice
Perrone used Friday’s morning session to continue building his experience at the 4.554km, 12-corner layout, before going on to take an impressive P3 in Practice, setting the 18-year-old up nicely for Saturday’s Q2.
Salmela concentrated on learning and building rhythm throughout the day in his first Moto3 Grand Prix weekend, but a crash in both FP1 and Practice put the Finnish rider on the backfoot and into Q1.
Qualifying
Salmela responded strongly after Friday’s difficulties. The rookie initially slotted into P8 in Q1 but delivered an outstanding final effort to jump up to P2 in the closing moments. Following red laps from two other riders, he held onto P4 for promotion into Q2, marking an impressive turnaround and securing a strong opportunity for his first Grand Prix grid.
In Q2, both riders headed out for their opening runs before returning to the pits as most of the field prepared for their second stint. At that stage, Perrone was running P11 and Salmela P17.
On his second run, Perrone unfortunately suffered a crash that forced him back into the pits. Despite the setback, the Argentinian returned to the action and secured 14th on the grid.
Salmela continued to push in the closing stages and improved his time to claim 13th, completing a strong qualifying performance for the rookie as both Red Bull KTM Tech3 riders secured positions inside the Top 15 for Sunday’s race.
Race
Sunday’s 19-lap race proved dramatic from the outset, with multiple crashes in the opening four laps reshuffling the order and allowing Perrone to surge forward into P6. From there, the Tech3 rider showcased impressive pace, setting the fastest lap of the race as he firmly established himself in the chasing pack.
From 14th on the starting grid, Perrone found himself in fifth within just nine laps, positioning himself right behind the riders in third and fourth. The tightly packed group battled for the final spot on the podium, with positions constantly changing between third and sixth in the closing stages of the race.
With four laps remaining, Perrone again slipped to sixth before executing a bold double move to pass two riders and rejoin the fight at the front of the group. Timing his next move perfectly, Perrone struck at the final corner to seize P3, securing a hard-fought podium finish in the season opener.
For Salmela, the race began more difficultly. After a challenging start that dropped him to P21, the rookie regrouped and began carving his way forward. Gaining positions steadily, he moved up to 16th in the opening laps and continued to battle inside the points contention group. Collecting valuable experience in the demanding conditions, Salmela ended his first Moto3 race in 19th with plenty of lessons learned.
Valentin Perrone: "Overall it was a very positive weekend. I felt strong on the bike from the beginning, but unfortunately a crash in qualifying meant I had to start further back than we deserved. That made the race more complicated, but we stayed focused and delivered a great recovery.
“It was a big fight for that last place on the podium. I knew it was going to be difficult to make it happen, so I tried to stay calm but at the same time push when it mattered. The group was very aggressive with a lot of overtaking, and even the riders behind were catching us, so we were battling every lap. I focused on staying inside the top four and in the final corner I just went for it on the inside — almost losing the front — but it paid off. To finish P3 after such a battle feels amazing. We learned a lot from this race and from fighting with some very strong riders all weekend. It’s a great way to start the season and we’ll keep building from here.”
Rico Salmela: "It wasn’t the easiest start to the weekend. We had a couple of crashes early on which limited my track time and made it harder to build confidence, especially at a new circuit. Despite that, we managed to improve step by step and qualifying wasn’t too bad considering the circumstances. We’re still working on finding more consistency with the race pace and my overall speed, but this is all part of the learning process. We’ll take the positives, analyse everything carefully and come back stronger at the next round.”
QUALIFYING RESULTS
1. David Almansa (SPA), Dynavolt Intact GP, 1'40.088
2. Alvaro Carpe (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, +0.430
3. Adrian Fernandez (SPA), Leopard Racing, +0.605
13. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +1.606
14. Valentin Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +1.664
RACE RESULTS
1. David Almansa (SPA), Dynavolt Intact GP, 32'14.186
2. Maximo Quiles (SPA), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, +0.003
3. Valentin Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +9.480
19. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +25.898
TRACK RECORDS
All Time Record: 2026 - A. Almansa (SPA) - 1'40.088, 163.7 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2025 - D. Munoz (SPA) - 1'41.042, 162.2 km/h
Best Pole: 2026 - A. Almansa (SPA) - 1'40.088, 163.7 km/h
Top Speed: 2026 - E. O'Shea (GBR) - 242.1 km/h
