Valentín Perrone jumped up four positions to score eight important points for his championship campaign after being involved in a hectic race-long fight for sixth.
Grand Prix of Aragón
Rico Salmela enjoyed a brilliant start to also sit in the fight for sixth place but suffered an unfortunate last lap crash, which dropped him from seventh to 22nd.
Practice
Feeling confident after his stellar Silverstone podium, Perrone started the weekend with serious purpose, as he ended Friday’s Practice session with the third quickest time. Aware he took too long to get up to speed at the British Grand Prix, team-mate Salmela was immediately in the game on Friday as he set the second quickest time of the afternoon, just 0.07s off top spot.
Qualifying
Saturday morning’s FP2 gave a glimpse at the potential over longer runs. Salmela – fourth overall – again displayed impressive consistency, as he lapped repeatedly in the 1’57s over a 13-lap run. Perrone also did some good work over 15 laps, even if he noted a slowing of pace on used rubber.
The temperatures of 29 degrees for Qualifying were the hottest of the weekend for the Moto3 class, which made the track surface particularly slippery. Perrone found he was hampered by a lack of speed through the Turn 10 left-hander, but was otherwise strong. He qualified ninth, even if he was just 0.4s off David Almansa’s pole time. Salmela was three places behind in twelfth.
Race
Conditions on Sunday for the 17-lap race were a little cooler at 26 degrees when the season’s 13th Moto3™ race got underway at 11:00 (UTC+2).
Perrone meant business from the off, gaining two places on the first lap to sit seventh. After some early movement, he was caught up in a scrap for sixth with six other riders, including team-mate Salmela. Speed wasn’t an issue, as the Argentine set the fourth quickest lap of the race on the sixth lap.
Overtakes were coming thick and fast, and Perrone was told to drop one position on lap 14 after causing contact. Although a move at the penultimate corner on Casey O’Gorman didn’t come off, the 18-year-old came home in eighth, less than half a second back of sixth.
Salmela’s race would ultimately end in heartache. The Finn gained three places on the first lap and was soon in the thick of the fight for sixth. A mistake on lap twelve saw him drop back to eleventh, but the 18-year-old quickly recovered. Salmela was contesting sixth place on the final lap, when he was just pushed off line at Turn 7, which caused an unfortunate crash. To his credit, Salmela did not give up and remounted to finish 22nd.
The team-mates have a free weekend before the start of a crazy run of nine races over twelve weeks. Next up is the San Marino GP at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, which runs from September 11-13. Tech3 remains fourth in the 2026 Team’s Championship after 13 rounds.
Valentin Perrone: "It was a difficult race here in Aragón. I started quite well and was able to overtake riders in front of me, but I didn’t have so much grip. I was struggling with the front tyre and already felt the drop on the second lap. I was a bit scared to use a lot of the tyre at the beginning as I knew I’d struggle at the end. Overall, I’m happy as I had to manage the tyres and the group as well. It was difficult but I learned a lot and P8 wasn’t a bad result. We keep scoring good points, which is good for the championship. Next up are two of my favourite tracks – Misano and Austria – where I scored two pole positions last year. So, I’m looking forward to repeating these good results in the next races..”
Rico Salmela: "The feeling with the bike was very good and we did a good job all weekend. We were P2 or P4 in most of the sessions, so finishing toward the top each time. The pace was really good for today. During the race I felt super-good but there was a lot of fighting with a few guys. It wasn’t easy to do my own thing, and I couldn’t get away from them. That cost us a bit. It’s disappointing how the race ended. Not much more to say on that. Let’s keep working for Misano and hope the races will be a bit cleaner in the future."
QUALIFYING RESULTS
1. David Almansa (SPA), Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP, 1'56.347
2. Maximo Quiles (SPA), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, +0.033
3. Marco Morelli (ITA), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, +0.043
9. Valentín Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +0.443
12. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +0.622
RACE RESULTS
1. Maximo Quiles (SPA), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, 33'15.478
2. David Almansa (SPA), Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP, +0.264
3. Marco Morelli (ITA), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, +0.715
8. Valentín Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3 , +11.841
22. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +40.965
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Maximo Quiles (SPA), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, 256 pts
2. Álvaro Carpe (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 159 pts
3. David Almansa (SPA), Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP, 154 pts
6. Valentín Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 103 pts
10. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 60 pts
TRACK RECORDS
All Time Record: 2026 - D. Almansa (SPA)- 1'56.347 - 157.0 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2026 - M. Morelli (ITA) - 1'56.675 - 156.6 km/h
Best Pole: 2026 - D. Almansa (SPA)- 1'56.347 - 157.0 km/h
Top Speed: 2025 - L. Lunetta (ITA) - 249.6 km/h
