Rico Salmela scored a brilliant fifth place in Sunday’s Moto3 race at the Sachsenring having fought with two other riders for the final podium place, as well as numbness in his left leg, across a tough 23-lap race at the German GP.
Grand Prix of Germany
Valentín Perrone had an unfortunate end to the weekend after enduring a big crash at Turn 1 on the second lap. Having undergone x-rays at the medical centre, it was found that he suffered a contusion to his right ankle.
Practice
After contending for the podium at the Dutch GP, hopes were high for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo at Sachsenring. At one point, Salmela’s chances of progressing automatically to Q2 hung by a thread as he crashed at Turn 13 late into Practice. The Finn recovered brilliantly, however, to sneak into the top 14 by setting the 14th fastest time on his final lap of the day. Teammate Perrone was 17th after riding with a suspension issue.
Qualifying
Much like Friday, skies were partly cloudy ahead of Qualifying, with temperatures standing at 23 degrees. After setting the sixth fastest time in FP2, Salmela continued his excellent form in Q2. The 18-year-old didn’t feel comfortable in Sector 2, yet he more than made up for it in the second half of the lap as he set the sixth fastest time in Q2 - equalling his best qualifying performance of the year.
Meanwhile Perrone showed his potential over a strong 21-lap run in FP2. The Argentinean was then unfortunate to not progress through Q1, with his personal best just 0.034s off a place in the top four, meaning he qualified 19th overall.
Race
Managing the left side of the rear tyre was paramount to a good result on Sunday. Salmela enjoyed a brilliant first lap, overtaking Maximo Quiles and Hakim Danish to sit fourth and was soon amongst a five-rider fight for victory. The Finn set the second fastest lap of the race on the third circuit, but ran into difficulties from lap five, when he began to experience pain in his lower left leg.
By lap ten, Brian Uriarte and Quiles escaped in the victory fight, leaving Salmela to fight with two other riders – Marco Morelli and Matteo Bertelle – for third. In the final laps, the #27 rider was unable to feel his lower leg. Despite this disadvantage, he remained in the podium fight until the end and crossed the finish line just 0.086s back of third place. This fifth-place equals Salmela’s best results in the Moto3 class from Austin and Hungary.
On the other side of the box, Perrone had a tough morning. Having gained two places in the opening corners to sit 17th, the three-time podium finisher suffered a huge high-side at Turn 1 of lap two in an incident with three other riders. After complaining of pain in his lower right leg, the 18-year-old was taken to the medical centre, where he was diagnosed with a contusion to his ankle.
After a hectic period of seven races in ten weekends, Perrone and Salmela will take profit of the three-week summer break before returning to action for the Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone from 7-9 August. Red Bull KTM Tech3 still sits fourth at the half-way point of the 2026 Team’s Championship.
Rico Salmela: "All weekend we struggled quite a lot to be honest. There were points where I was strong but others where I was one of the slowest on track. We just kept working on those places. Going into the race I didn’t expect so much because I was really on the limit in Sector 2. Finally, I gave my everything. I had a lot of pain in the left leg from lap five and after a while I couldn’t feel my calf anymore! The last five laps were super difficult, as I couldn’t feel anything, so I was just trying to survive. On the last lap I saw two guys in front, fighting for the podium. I thought they’d make some contact in the last two corners – that’s what it looked like. In the end, they thought better of it. It didn’t quite go to plan, but we learn from these things. Now it’s the summer break and we’ll keep working hard. I plan to watch a lot of the races from this year, train a lot with the bike and work on my weak points. I really want to come back stronger and fight for victory. We have the speed now, so it’s just about putting everything together."
Valentin Perrone: "Well, it was a difficult weekend here in Germany. In FP1 I felt super good. I managed to finish P2 but in Practice we had a bit of a problem with the front suspension, and we struggled to go into Q2. Then on Saturday I was struggling with the feeling. In Q1 I was on a good lap but the riders in front were going slower and I had to cut the throttle, so I lost a lot of time there. Then I went alone but I ran into the gravel when I was pushing so I finished P5, just 0.03s off a place in Q2. Then in the race I felt strong on the first lap and tried to do a good comeback. On the second lap I overtook two riders, but when I went to open the throttle in Turn 1, it felt like someone hit me from behind and I flew into the air. Luckily, I don’t have any injuries – just some pain. We have three weeks now to recover and rest before Silverstone, where we’ll give our 100% as always.”
QUALIFYING RESULTS
1. Brian Uriarte (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 1’24.880
2. Marco Morelli (ARG), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, +0.024
3. Hakim Danish (MAL), AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI, +0.029
6. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +0.381
19. Valentín Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +0.319 (Q1)
RACE RESULTS
1. Brian Uriarte (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 33’02.694
2. Maximo Quiles (SPA), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, +0.063
3. Matteo Bertelle (ITA), LEVEL UP – MTA, +5.053
5. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +5.139
DNF. Valentín Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +22 laps
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Maximo Quiles (SPA), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, 231 pts
2. Brian Uriarte (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 127 pts
3. Álvaro Carpe (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 126 pts
8. Valentín Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 79 pts
11. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 51 pts
TRACK RECORDS
All Time Record: 2025 - D. Muñoz (SPA)- 1'24.767 - 155.9 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2026 - M. Quiles (SPA) - 1'25.227 - 155.0 km/h
Best Pole: 2026 - B. Uriarte (SPA) - 1'24.880 - 155.6 km/h
Top Speed: 2024 - X. Zurutuza (SPA) - 219.9 km/h
