Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) is officially the 2026 Moto3 World Champion, and he’s done it in style! A dominant victory at the Indonesian Grand Prix saw the 18-year-old wrap up the title with five rounds still remaining, putting the rest of the grid on notice and capping off a sensational season.
Quiles arrived at Mandalika with a 127-point advantage over his closest rival, David Almansa (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), with Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) also mathematically in the title fight. With a 125-point advantage enough to seal the championship, the target was clear: keep the points gap where it was, and the crown was his.
The weekend hadn’t exactly started with Quiles on the front foot. Saturday’s qualifying saw the title challengers lock out the front row, with Uriarte taking pole ahead of Almansa and Carpe. Quiles, meanwhile, had work to do from sixth on the grid, lining up behind Leopard Racing duo Adrian Fernandez and Guido Pini. But if anyone thought the championship leader would sit back and play it safe, they clearly hadn’t been paying attention.
Quiles was straight into action when the lights went out, charging from sixth to third off the line before dispatching Uriarte on the opening lap. Next up was Almansa, his closest championship rival. Quiles made his move at Turn 1, taking the lead and immediately putting himself in control of the race.
From there, the #28 was in a league of his own. Quiles built a two-second advantage during the opening six laps before stretching his lead further, leaving the chasing pack with little answer to his pace. There was no last-lap drama, no desperate final-corner lunge and no need to do the championship maths on the run to the flag. This was a statement victory from a rider who had been the benchmark all season.
Quiles crossed the line 2.9 seconds clear to claim his tenth Grand Prix victory of 2026 and, more importantly, the Moto3 World Championship. His advantage stretched to an unassailable 132 points, making him the first rider in Moto3 history to secure the title with five rounds still to run. Not a bad way to get the job done!
Almansa had to settle for second, bringing home another strong result for Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP, while Matteo Bertelle (LEVEL UP – MTA) completed the podium in third. Uriarte narrowly missed out on the rostrum in fourth after starting from pole, while his Red Bull KTM Ajo teammate Carpe saw his race come to an abrupt end after crashing out with ten laps remaining.
What makes Quiles’ title-winning season even more impressive is that he has converted 58.8% of his races into victories, a remarkable strike rate that underlines just how dominant the Spaniard has been in 2026. His campaign wasn’t without its setbacks, either. Quiles broke his right collarbone at Silverstone and underwent surgery at Ruber Internacional Hospital in Madrid to repair the fracture. To come back from such an injury and continue winning at this level makes his championship triumph all the more impressive.
Maximo Quiles is your 2026 Moto3 World Champion. And he’s only 18.
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