David Almansa won the FIM Moto3 World Championship race Sunday at Lusail International Circuit, in Qatar. Using his Pirelli-shod Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP KTM, the Spaniard won the 16-lap race by 2.516 seconds.
Adrian Fernandez was the runner-up on his Leopard Racing Honda.
Maximo Quiles was third on his CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team KTM.
Veda Pratama crossed the finish line fourth on his Honda Team Asia machine.
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Alvaro Carpe got fifth.
Maximo Quiles leads the championship with 392 points, 139 ahead of David Almansa who has 253 points. Alvaro Carpe is third with 216 points.
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More, from a press release issued by MotoGP:
Outstanding Almansa eases to fourth victory of 2026 with dominant Lusail display. A lights to flag victory for the 20-year-old sees him connect 4 this season whilst Fernandez pips Quiles for P2.
Taking his most dominant and comfortable win yet, David Almansa (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) snatched the holeshot at Turn 1 and never looked back. Win number four for 2026 and a mighty display saw him pull clear and finish 2.5 seconds clear of ex-teammate Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) in second and World Champion Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) in third. Taking 14th after a collision and crash early on, Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) has wrapped up the Rookie of the Year title in Moto3.
Holeshot honours went the way of Almansa who got a great launch from second on the grid. Polesitter Quiles dropped to P3 behind Uriarte before being beaten back to seventh by the end of Lap 1 by Fernandez, David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Rico Salmela (Red Bull KTM Tech3). The Champion recovered into the top five by the start of Lap 2 but at Turn 1, contact between Muñoz and Uriarte left the latter on the floor. For causing the crash, Muñoz was handed a Long Lap Penalty.
Avoiding all the fighting behind, Almansa began to stretch his legs and by Lap 3 had a second over Quiles but the Champion was already starting to hunt down the #22, bring Fernandez and Carpe with him. By Lap 6, the gap was hovering at 1.2s but behind, Muñoz had got himself in more trouble, this time for taking out Eddie O’Shea at Turn 14 and therefore being given a double Long Lap Penalty. At half GP distance, Almansa and Quiles were matching each other with Fernandez clinging on whereas Carpe couldn’t stay with the podium battle and had dropped back into the chasing pack of Joel Kelso (Gryd Racing) and Veda Pratama (Honda Team Asia).
With the #22 clear off out front into the closing stages, it was tight for P2 as Fernandez piled on the pressure to Quiles, eventually seeing the World Champion make a rare mistake at Turn 6 with two and a half laps to go. The #31 got into P2 but Quiles hadn’t given up the fight just yet. Try as he might though, Fernandez had too much going into the final lap.
At the front of the field, Almansa was cruising to another victory, a fourth of the season and looking to put one hand on the silver medal for 2026. Victory at the chequered flag and leading every single lap from start to finish and going unchallenged, it was one of the #22’s best yet. Fernandez resisted Quiles’ late charge to the line by 0.069s and whilst P3 left the Spaniard wanting more, it was enough to wrap up the Teams’ Championship for the year.
Behind, Pratama overcame Carpe whilst Kelso, Hakim Danish (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI), Muñoz, Ryusei Yamanaka (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI) and Scott Ogden (CIP GreenPower) rounded out the top ten. Uriarte recovered to pick up two points, enough to give him the Rookie of the Year accolade for 2026.
Two rounds to go, Almansa can secure P2 overall next time out with a top four finish at Portimao; don’t miss it!
