Maximo Quiles won the FIM Moto3 World Championship red-flagged race Sunday at Autódromo Internacional de Goiânia – Ayrton Senna, in Brazil. Using his Pirelli-shod CFMOTO Gaviota Inde Aspar Team KTM, the Spaniard won the 14+5-lap race by just 0.143 second.

The Moto3 race was red-flagged after 14 laps following a multiple-rider crash. It was then restarted for a 5-lap sprint to decide the final result.

His teammate, Marco Morelli was the runner-up and achieved his first-ever Moto3 podium.

Veda Pratama finished third, 1.650 seconds behind Quiles on his Honda Team Asia machine, securing his first-ever podium and Indonesia’s first podium in Grand Prix racing.

Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Alvaro Carpe crossed the finish line fourth and Guido Pini, piloting his Leopard Racing Honda, got fifth. 

Maximo Quiles leads the championship with 45 points, 17 ahead of Marco Morelli who has 28 points. Veda Pratama is third with 27 points.

More from a press release issued by MotoGP:

Quiles resists Morelli’s late charge for Goiania victory, Pratama stuns with P3. Winning and podium accounts were opened in a red-flagged Moto3 Grand Prix of Brazil. 

A sensational fightback from Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) saw the 18-year-old take victory in Goiania. He was kept honest by teammate Marco Morelli who had to settle for second and with it, achieved a first-ever Moto3 podium whilst there was big history made in P3: Veda Pratama (Honda Team Asia) took his first-ever podium and thus Indonesia’s first in any class of Grand Prix racing. Heading into the round as Championship leader, David Almansa (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) crashed out from the lead on Lap 14.

Polesitter Joel Esteban (LEVELUP-MTA) grabbed the holeshot but by the halfway point on Lap 1, it was an Argentine 1-2 as Perrone and Morelli took over at the front. Moto3 is never dull and the usual paint-swapping and fairing-clashing moves continued, with Hakim Danish (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI) coming into the top three. Quiles had worked his way up to P2 and Championship leader Almansa moved into the top five from 14^th on the grid.

At the start of Lap 4, it was Almansa who took over at the front from title rival Quiles, the top two in the Championship now the top two on-track. Lap 7 and a stunning weekend came to a shuddering halt for Esteban, who highsided at Turn 4 and out of the top three, having worked hard to get back on terms with Almansa and Quiles ahead of him. By half-race distance, the front two had broken away and were in a battle of their own for victory but the fight for third was warming up. Perrone had it over Morelli, whilst Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) and Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) reignited their rivalry from Buriram. Rico Salmela (Red Bull KTM Tech 3), Danish and Guido Pini (Leopard Racing) all featured, aiming to have their say.

On Lap 13 though, a huge moment in the Grand Prix as Almansa highsided out at Turn 4, thankfully able to walk away but crashing from the lead and leaving a certain podium in the gravel was not what he ordered. A lap later and a similar crash saw Scott Ogden’s (CIP GreenPower) Grand Prix come to an end and whilst he was OK, a red flag was shown bringing a pause in proceedings. A quick restart procedure and then a 5-lap dash, game on in Goiania!

On the restart, Quiles reasserted his authority and grabbed the holeshot as Carpe, Fernandez and Pini all battled hard behind. A crash at Turn 4 on the restart as Jesus Rios (Rivacold Snipers Team) took out Matteo Bertelle (LEVEL-UP MTA), both riders OK. Right in the mix too and up into second as the others battled, Morelli showed his pace whilst in fifth, Salmela was also in contention.

Onto the last lap and Morelli had got the hammer down in a bid to catch his teammate and going into the last sector, was right with Quiles but despite his best efforts, there was nothing that was going to stop the #28 from taking victory in Goiania and the Championship lead. An Aspar 1-2 with Morelli second whilst there was a first podium in Grand Prix racing for Indonesia as Pratama bagged third, holding off Carpe and Pini. Salmela took a mighty sixth and with in Finland’s best result in the class since 2014 whilst Perrone, Fernandez, Casey O’Gorman (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Danish rounded out the top ten.

Goiania done and dusted, straight to COTA for more twists and turns next weekend!

Full results from Moto3’s Grand Prix of Brazil at Goiania!

Marc Marquez won the MotoGP Tissot Sprint race Saturday afternoon at Autódromo Internacional de Goiânia – Ayrton Senna, in Brazil. Riding his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici GP26 on Michelin control tires, the defending World Champion won the 15-lap race by 0.213 second.

Poleman, Fabio Di Giannantonio was the runner-up on his Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Ducati Desmosedici GP26.

Jorge Martin finished third on his Aprilia Racing RS-GP26 and his teammate, Marco Bezzecchi got fourth.

Ai Ogura crossed the finish line fifth on his Trackhouse Aprilia RS-GP26.

Pedro Acosta leads the championship with 33 points, 2 ahead of Marco Bezzecchi who has 31 points. Jorge Martin is third with 25 points.

More from a press release issued by MotoGP:

Marc Marquez defeats Diggia, Martin on the podium in stunning first Sprint in Brazil. Elbows out, headlines made – it was worth the wait as MotoGP went racing for the first time in Goiania.

Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) vs Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) went to the wire in the Tissot Sprint in Brazil, with the duo split by just two tenths over the line after a cat-and-mouse showdown and a tense final lap. Completing the Sprint podium it was an emotional afternoon for Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) as the 2024 World Champion got back on the box for the first time since Sepang in 2024, impressing once again as he comes out swinging on his return to full fitness.

Diggia took the holeshot after a solid start from pole, and it was a stunning start from Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) as the Frenchman moved up into third and then quickly attacked Marc Marquez for second. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) lost out down to fourth, and further back there was drama for the returning Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) off the line as his machine slid before launching and those behind streamed past. But it was a clean start as the freight train settled in for battle.

Up ahead though, Diggia in the lead had just over half a second in hand as they started Lap 3, with Marc Marquez then attacking Quartararo back before Turn 1 to reclaim second. The Frenchman was then slightly wide, allowing Bezzecchi to pick his pocket, before Martin did the same next time down the straight as Lap 4 began.

Meanwhile at the front, Diggia was 1.2 seconds clear. Marc Marquez was second, Bezzecchi third and Martin fourth, but the #72 was then deep through Turns 10 and 11 – allowing his #89-livered teammate through into third.

Meanwhile, Quartararo was stealing more of the limelight just behind – holding off Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) brutally but cleanly. The #20 was digging in, and so was Marc Marquez as he started to reel in Di Giannantonio in the lead.

By Lap 10 of 15, Ogura was past Quartararo and Marc Marquez was half a second off the lead. Action was hotting up slightly further back too as Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) attacked Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) for P8. He got past, Pecco returned the favour, and then the #63 started homing in on Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) in seventh.

By three to go though, Marc Marquez was in striking distance at the front – so he did. Alongside out of Turn 12 and then past, the #93 took the lead, but he retained very close company from the rider in yellow. It then looked like Marc Marquez had built a few tenths up to try and protect the gap but onto the last lap, the #49 was closing and closing.

Diggia looked for a way through at Turn 6 and found none, instead forced to stay glued to the back of the red machine ahead. But Marc Marquez kept it pitch perfect – right until the final corner where he suffered a twitch – and nothing was enough to stop him claiming that first Sprint win of the season. The #93 takes the gold on Saturday for his 16th Sprint win – putting him equal with Martin as the riders who have the most Sprint victories since the format was introduced.

Speaking of Martin, the #89 made a stunning return to the podium. Slipping past teammate Bezzecchi after the #72 headed slightly wide, Martin then knuckled down and kept it clean to the flag – getting back on the rostrum for the first time since his 2024 Malaysian Grand Prix Sprint win. It was an emotional cool down lap after a rollercoaster since his Championship win. It’s also his first podium with Aprilia Racing.

Bezzechi took fourth and maintains second in the standings, now two points adrift of Acosta after the #37 came home ninth in the Sprint in Brazil. Ogura took fifth place for another impressive show of form from the sophomore, with an even more titanic performance just on his tail: Quartararo. The Frenchman grabbed his qualifying springboard as a huge opportunity and held onto sixth place to underline his elbows-out start to the Sprint.

Alex Marquez took P7 just ahead of Bagnaia, with Acosta taking that final point. Just outside the points but inside the top ten, Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) takes tenth after a stunning home performance from the rookie. For full results from the Sprint in Brazil click HERE.

After that first encounter, we can’t wait for more – so get ready for more MotoGP on Sunday as action returns in Goiania!

Fabio Di Giannantonio claimed pole position during MotoGP qualifying Saturday at Autódromo Internacional de Goiânia – Ayrton Senna, in Brazil. Riding his Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Ducati Desmosedici GP26 on the dry 2.38-mile (3.84 km) track, the Italian turned a 1:17.410. Not only was that good enough to top the 22-rider field, it was also his first pole since 2022.

Marco Bezzecchi was the best of the rest with a 1:17.480 on his Aprilia Racing RS-GP26, and Marc Marquez claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a 1:17.491 on his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici GP26.

Row-two qualifiers included Monster Energy Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo (1:17.561), Bezzecchi’s teammate, Jorge Martin (1:17.630) and Trackhouse Aprilia’s Ai Ogura (1:17.702).

More from a press release issued by MotoGP:

Di Giannantonio heads Bezzecchi after dramatic first qualifying in Brazil. The Q1 graduates steal the show, Marc Marquez takes third and Quartararo makes some magic to head Row 2.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) came out on top in a dramatic Q2 in Brazil, moving through from Q1 to head the grid despite a crash on a lap that would have put him even quicker. His 1:17.410 sees him secure pole ahead of fellow Q1 graduate Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), with Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) forced to settle for third after a crash on his first run. He was far from the only one.

A word up top for the rider in fourth too – with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) putting in a stunner to qualify fourth and head Row 2 in the new V4-powered YZR-M1’s second full-time Grand Prix.

Q1: Bezzecchi on a mission, Diggia on the chase

There was early drama for Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) as he crashed out in the first minutes – rider perfectly ok – following a crash in FP2 for the Italian too, clearly searching for the limit at a new venue. Bezzecchi was another who crashed in FP2 – compounding the pressure of being in Q1 – but the Italian was top of the timesheets from early doors.

He suffered a runoff later in Q1 but rejoined, and his place at the top of the session remained unthreatened – in fact, his Q1 lap remains the fastest of the day. Di Giannantonio joined him in the pole shootout in Q2, finding some impressive speed on Saturday and about to find even more.

Q2: Drama and magic in equal measure

Drama hit early again in Q2. First for Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) as the Italian slid out at Turn 9, rider ok, and then for Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) soon after. Acosta was electric on his feet sprinting for the service road, luckily finding KTM stablemate Mika Kallio ready and waiting on a scooter to taxi him back to the paddock.

Next, about 30 seconds later Marc Marquez was on the floor – in exactly the same place. The race back to the box was on, as Diggia led the way on the timing screens from Marc Marquez by 0.071, Acosta hovered in P7 and Bagnaia remained the only rider with no time set after binning it before putting one in.

The #63 was first back out though and soon rectified that to at least slot into P9. Bezzechi then threatened the front row and took over in second, 0.060 off Diggia, with Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) slotting into fourth after a few red sectors and then seeing the lap fade slightly.

Meanwhile, Diggia improved at the top by 0.010, and then more drama – this time fo Martin. Red sectors this time saw the #89 crash out with no time to get back into the session, although rider perfectly ok.

The next red sector stunner to end in the gravel came from Diggia as an advantage of over a tenth – on his own time – went beginning as he slid out. The yellow flags got in the way for a few riders as the clock ticked down too, leaving only a few laps left to come in.

One of those coming in was from Quartararo. The #20 was up in the first sector, up in the second, and only 0.040 off in the third. Crossing the line it wasn’t quite pole, but it was just 0.151 off it as he slotted into fourth with a near-supernatural performance on Saturday morning.

Pole position, after his awesome charge up from Q1, stayed with Diggia. The #49 heads Bezzecchi by 0.070 with Marc Marquez – who couldn’t make up time as he headed back out – just 0.011 behind him to complete the front row for MotoGP’s return to Brazil. The Q1 graduates head the grid and Bezzecchi’s Q1 laptime is actually the fastest lap of qualifying – but Diggia’s pole is only 0.002 off it.  

THE GRID

Behind Diggia, Bezzecchi and Marc Marquez, Quartararo heads that second row, only 0.070 off the #93 ahead of him and 0.069 ahead of Martin, who didn’t lose out on any more positions after his crash barring Quartararo’s leapfrog. Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) takes P6 to complete that second row.

Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) returns from injury with a P7 qualifying position, just ahead of Alex Marquez in eighth. Acosta will be ruing his crash as he lines up on the third row in P9, looking to make big progress from lights out to defend that championship lead.

Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) takes P10, with Bagnaia unable to make much headway up from a 1:18.122 – putting him P11 on the grid. Toprak Razgatlioglu will line up P12 after moving directly through thanks to his stunning exploits with Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP on Friday, and the Turkish rookie is only 0.300 off Bagnaia ahead of him.

The stage is set for a stunning first Tissot Sprint in Brazil, with Acosta looking to move up, Bezzecchi and Marc Marquez right alongside each other… and Diggia on pole looking to prove his own point. Find full qualifying results HERE and tune in from 15:00 local time (UTC -3)!