Valentín Perrone battled back from a precarious position to score important points for twelfth place at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday, while team-mate Rico Salmela was holding a solid fourth place thanks to a brilliant start and aggressive opening when he suffered an unfortunate crash at Turn 6.
Grand Prix of Austria
Practice
Riding at the scene of his maiden Grand Prix pole position, Perrone was immediately fast in a damp FP1 before suffering a notable crash at Turn 6. The young Argentine struggled to get back his feeling in the afternoon as he placed 17th in Practice. Salmela was immediately quick around the Red Bull Ring and ended Friday’s sessions in sixth and eighth.
Qualifying
For the second weekend in succession, plans to prepare for Sunday’s race were influenced by the weather, as early morning rain left the track completely wet for FP2. Thankfully, the sun soon came out and dried the track in time for Moto3 Qualifying over lunchtime.
Perrone looked more like his best version in Q1 as he topped the session by a full 0.3s to comfortably qualify for Q2. Yet the 18-year-old couldn’t piece together the perfect lap in the next session as he struggled in Sector four. Still, his best time was good enough for twelfth on the grid. Sector four was also Salmela’s weakest part of the track, but the talented rookie posted the tenth best time.
Race
Early morning mist had cleared from the Styrian mountains before Moto3 kicked off at 11:00 (UTC+2). Front tyre choice was critical for the 20-lap race around the heavy-braking track. Both Perrone and Salmela went for the medium option Pirelli front while twelve others opted for the soft.
Perrone had a steady opening and gained a place on lap two, but the four-time Moto3 podium finisher quickly realised his feeling was far from ideal. With the grip from the rear tyre pushing the front, he struggled to brake aggressively and lost time as a result.
After dropping back to 16th on lap six, Perrone nonetheless dug in and set about regaining positions. Sitting 14th by lap eight, he continued fighting until the end to come home in twelfth, just over three seconds back of fourth place.
Salmela enjoyed a fantastic getaway and aggressive lap one to sit sixth. While the podium contenders escaped at the front, the young Finn was soon fighting with Joel Esteban and David Muñoz for fourth place. However, the 18-year-old suffered an unexpected crash at Turn 6 soon after taking fourth from Esteban, when he lost control of the front end of his Red Bull KTM Tech3 machine on the ninth lap.
After three rounds in the past four weeks, Perrone and Salmela can enjoy a weekend off before flying east for the Japanese Grand Prix at the Mobility Resort Motegi (2-4 October). Red Bull KTM Tech3 remains fourth in the 2026 Team’s Championship after 15 races.
Valentin Perrone: "Well, we’ve finished the weekend here in Austria. It’s been a difficult event overall. I struggled a lot from Friday. In FP1 I had a crash. Then in Practice there were some small mistakes and issues and I couldn’t go to Q2 directly. In Q1 I started to feel better, but I couldn’t manage Q2 so well and I didn’t post a good lap. Anyway, I started from P12. From the beginning of the race, I couldn’t get a good feeling. I felt really on the limit with the front and the rear was sliding. The rear was pushing the front a lot and I couldn’t turn so well. I struggled all the way through the race, and we finished P12. Of course, the goal was not this - it was to fight at the front, because last year, we were really fast, and the feelings were super good here. Now we go to Japan, which is a track I like a lot. Let’s enjoy the last races of the season and we’ll keep pushing.”
Rico Salmela: "We’ve finished the weekend in Red Bull Ring. It was quite a good weekend already from Friday and Saturday. While we did not make the best Qualifying, I felt quite OK for the race. We went into the race just focussing on the first laps and trying to follow the plan, which was to do my own riding and keep on progressing. I struggled a bit with the feeling on the new tyre, but I started to feel better lap-by-lap. Then I was alone in P4, and I had a big gap to the guys in the group behind. If I just kept my pace, and finished the race, it would have been an easy P4. It hurts when you know you could have had a good race. I’m so sorry to my team. We had a good feeling all weekend. I made a mistake, and I must learn from it. I will do my best in training and work super hard to bounce back and get back to fighting at the front."
QUALIFYING RESULTS
1. Brian Uriarte (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 1'39.544
2. David Almansa (SPA), Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP, +0.064
3. Álvaro Carpe (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, +0.315
10. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +1.063
12. Valentín Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +1.220
RACE RESULTS
1. Maximo Quiles (SPA), CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team, 33'24.323
2. Brian Uriarte (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, +2.334
3. Álvaro Carpe (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, +7.394
12. Valentín Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3 , +23.852
DNF. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 12 Lpas
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Maximo Quiles (SPA), CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team, 306 pts
2. Álvaro Carpe (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 175 pts
3. David Almansa (SPA), Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP, 174 pts
6. Valentín Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 118 pts
10. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 70 pts
TRACK RECORDS
All Time Record: 2026 - D. Almansa (SPA)- 1'39.485 - 157.3 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2026 - D. Almansa (SPA)- 1'39.485 - 157.3 km/h
Best Pole: 2026 - B. Uriarte (SPA)- 1'39.544 - 157.2 km/h
Top Speed: 2025 - J. Kelso (AUS) - 225.0 km/h
