QUILES CLAIMS MOTO3 CROWN WITH FIVE ROUNDS TO SPARE

Maximo Quiles clinched the 2026 Moto3 championship with five rounds remaining after a dominant victory in the Indonesian Grand Prix at Mandalika. The CF Moto Aspar rider arrived with a 127-point lead over closest challenger David Almansa; Alvaro Carpe and Brian Uriarte were also still in contention. Quiles needed to preserve a margin of at least 125 points to secure the title.

The win was Quiles’ 10th of the season, and he has finished outside the podium only twice in 2026. His mentors, Marc and Alex Marquez, celebrated with him after the race. Quiles will move up to Moto2 with Aspar in 2027, with Marc promising to support him as he takes on the new challenge.

Marc, who finished sixth at Mandalika, praised Quiles’ approach and talent. “What Maximo is doing, the way he’s doing it, I mean, the mentality, the way to approach, the way to attack, he is a special one, he’s a special rider,” he told TNT Sports.

The nine-time Grand Prix champion said he hopes Quiles finds the step up difficult at first, arguing that early struggles can help a rider learn. “I hope and wish he struggles a bit in the beginning, because it’s the best way to learn,” Marc said. “But, he is a super-talented rider, and he will be super fast from the beginning.”

Marc won the Moto2 title in 2012, having missed out the previous year after double vision affected him in the closing races. He has also promised to wait for Quiles to reach MotoGP. Marc is contracted to Ducati through 2028, which could be the earliest year his protégé joins the premier class.