After initially contesting the podium places, Rico Salmela finished the Grand Prix of Qatar in 12th place after suffering from deteriorating rear grip, which caused him to drop from eighth.
Valentín Perrone faced an uphill fight after being pushed back to 20th at the first corner but continued fighting to come home in 16th.
Grand Prix of Qatar
Practice
Even if he had never lapped the technical, flowing Lusail International Circuit before Friday, Salmela immediately got to grips with the 5.38km track. Fourth in the weekend’s first session, the 18-year-old was an impressive sixth in Practice, which guaranteed a spot in Q2. Perrone also made the all-important top-14 cut on Friday afternoon, after he set the 13th fastest time.
Qualifying
There was reason for optimism after Salmela’s 14-lap stint in FP2. Not only did he set seven laps in the 2’04s in the afternoon session; his fastest time came on his last lap, which was enough for tenth. He then repeated that performance in Q2, when his final flying lap lifted him to tenth, 1.3s off the pole time.
Just like his team-mate, Perrone showed strong pace in FP2, when he set his fastest lap at the end of a 15-lap run. The 18-year-old was just 0.02s off Salmela’s time in his final qualifying lap to take eleventh spot on the grid.
Race
The 16-lap Moto3 race got underway at the later time of 16:00 (UTC+3), just as the blazing afternoon sun was going down. Conditions were close to perfect, with temperatures sitting at 33 degrees when the race started. The wind that was blowing earlier in the day had also calmed down.
A penalty for another rider meant the two Red Bull KTM Tech3 team-mates were promoted one place on the grid. Salmela launched from ninth, with Perrone promoted to tenth.
Salmela enjoyed his now customary brilliant start from tenth on the grid as he gained two places on the first lap. As David Almansa broke clear at the front, the flying Finn was part of a four-way fight for second, along with Maximo Quiles, Adrian Fernandez and Alvaro Carpe.
But Salmela found his rear tyre was spinning more than expected. He soon fell back into the scrap for fourth, where he steadied his pace. Just back of the four riders contesting fourth in the closing laps, Salmela was set for a solid eighth place finish. But his rear grip continued to drop, which caused him to lose four positions on the final lap.
Perrone’s race was coloured by a tricky first lap, when he didn’t have an ideal run through the first corner and was then pushed off track at Turn 4. The young Argentinean ended the lap in 20th and faced an uphill task from there. He recovered four places and led home two other riders who were contesting 16th in the race’s second half.
After a hectic run of three rounds in as many weekends Salmela and Perrone now have a well-deserved week off before they return for the penultimate round of the season at the Algarve International Circuit from 20-22 November. Tech3 continues to sit fifth in the 2026 Team’s Championship.
Rico Salmela: "We finished the weekend here in Qatar. We did a really good job all weekend. We worked a lot on race pace and it was good today. We knew we could be fighting for the podium. We had a good start and I had an amazing feeling when following the first group. But on lap three, out of nowhere, I started to spin the rear tyre a lot and was losing grip. Then I couldn’t do anything on the bike. Finally, we finished the race and the tyre wasn’t in the best shape. It’s really strange because we did long runs throughout the weekend and I was able to do my fastest times on the last lap. The tyre was always really good at the end. But it wasn’t like that today. It’s really disappointing that the race went like this. But what can we do? I did my best. We knew we had the pace to do something today, but it wasn’t in our hands. Let’s keep working and I’m sure we can fight for something good at the next two."
Valentin Perrone: "A difficult weekend. I didn’t feel so bad on the first two days here. I felt like I was getting back some of the confidence and the speed that was missing over the past races. I started today with a lot of motivation and I braked super late going into Turn 1. I didn’t go down the gears as I wanted so I did the first turn in third gear. That meant I lost many positions and I went into Turn 4 on the outside. Another rider touched me and I went off track. I started losing confidence. My mind was a bit blocked and I couldn’t ride as I wanted. I didn’t feel good during the rest of the race. Now I need to go home to rest a bit and put my mind on something that isn’t racing. I want to get ready for the last two races of the season. We’ll try to finish the season as well as we can. Thanks to the team for all their hard work, especially Jordy who is always believing in me. I want to get some good results in the last two races for him and all the work he’s been doing.”
QUALIFYING RESULTS
1. Maximo Quiles (SPA), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, 2'02.288
2. David Almansa (SPA), Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP, +0.155
3. Brian Uriarte (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, +0.495
10. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +1.336
11. Valentín Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +1.356
RACE RESULTS
1. David Almansa (SPA), Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP, 33'09.479
2. Adrian Fernandez (SPA), Leopard Racing, +2.516
3. Maximo Quiles (SPA), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, +2.585
12. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3 , +11.982
16. Valentín Perrone (ARG),Red Bull KTM Tech3, +20.176
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Maximo Quiles (SPA), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, 392 pts
2. David Almansa (SPA), Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP, 253 pts
3. Alvaro Carpe (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 216 pts
9. Valentín Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 121 pts
11. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 93 pts
TRACK RECORDS
All Time Record: 2024 - D. Holgado (SPA) - 2'02.276 - 158.3 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2024 - T. Suzuki (JPN) - 2'03.135 - 157.2 km/h
Best Pole: 2024 - D. Holgado (SPA) - 2'02.276 - 158.3 km/h
Top Speed: 2024 - T. Furusato (JPN) - 250.5 km/h
