David Almansa won on Saturday night (the 3rd) the Japanese Grand Prix, the 16th round of the 2026 Moto3 season. The rider of bike number 22 started from pole position at the Motegi circuit, briefly dropped from the lead for a few laps, but regained the top to complete the 17 laps of the race in first place, preventing Máximo Quiles from sealing the championship tonight.
The second place went to Quiles, who even tried to attack Almansa in the final laps, but could not overtake. Álvaro Carpe completed the podium with third place in Motegi, followed by Brian Uriarte, who led part of the race but was penalized after his team worked on the bike three minutes before the formation lap. Rico Salmela finished in the top five.
Matteo Bertelle crossed the finish line in sixth place at Motegi, finishing just ahead of David Muñoz, seventh best in the 17-lap event. Ryusei Yamanaka ended the race in eighth, while Joel Esteban was ninth. The top-ten group also featured Adrian Cruces.
The race featured crashes. On the second lap, Kiattsak Singhapong fell at turn 9 of the Motegi circuit. Then, on the 12th lap, Guido Pini crashed at turn 8. On the penultimate lap, Eddie O’Shea tumbled, also at turn 9, and retired from the race.
Moto3 heads to the Indonesian Grand Prix next weekend, scheduled for the Mandalika Circuit.
