Moto3 race, Sepang: Quiles unbeatable, Hakim Danish narrowly missed out on a sensation

The good news: unlike just a week ago, with light cloud cover and tropical heat at the Sepang Circuit, cancelling the Grand Prix was never on the cards. However, with an air temperature of 35 degrees and track temperatures of around 45 degrees, the conditions posed a major challenge even for the Moto3 riders. The youngest GP riders were scheduled to complete 15 laps of the 5.54 km circuit in Kuala Lumpur.

After a cautious performance on the first day, Maximo Quiles – who had been crowned Moto3 World Champion in Indonesia – had cemented his position in Q2 and secured pole position. Alongside the Aspar rider, KTM Ajo rookie Brian Uriarte was preparing for the battle in the heat. However, all eyes among the fans were on third place on the front row. The Malaysian Hakim Danish, also riding a KTM, was being tipped for victory even before the start.

The two Moto3 winners, David Almansa in fourth on the grid and Alvaro Carpe, were also determined to prevent that from happening. MTA rider Matteo Bertelle had also secured a good starting position in sixth place. Sepang debutant Leo Rammerstorfer had to start from the very back of the grid following a disappointing qualifying session.

At 12 noon, the 25 Moto3 riders returned from the warm-up lap – a name that didn’t seem particularly fitting at Sepang. Polesitter Quiles handled the long run-up to the tight first right-hand bend best, but David Almansa had already taken second place behind him as they entered Turn 2. The front-runners made it cleanly through the first sector, but further back in the field, the Spaniard Jesús Ríos on the Snipers Honda crashed out.

Just two corners later, David Almansa was leading the race. Behind him, Quiles, Carpe and, to the delight of the fans, Hakim Danish were battling for second place. Close behind were Honda prospect Veda Pratama from Indonesia and the second Intact rider, David Munoz. The loser of the start was Brian Uriarte; the Ajo rider dropped all the way back to 11th place.

Topic of the week

Soon-to-be world champion Kimi Antonelli: The inevitable will then follow in Mexico

The 20-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli had the chance to secure the 2026 World Championship title at the US Grand Prix. He did everything right: victory in Texas. The title celebrations have nevertheless been postponed. Until Mexico.

Mathias Brunner

Read More

TV Program

Today

Sepang: Rennen MotoGP

MotoGP World Championship

01.11.2026 - 07:15

David Almansa (Intact GP) führte den GP vor Quiles an

Foto: Gold and Goose

On the third lap, the yellow flags came out again. The Italian Matteo Bertelle had crashed at Turn 9. Shortly afterwards, an interesting group of five had formed at the front, comprising Almansa, Quiles, Carpe, Pratama and Danish. Munoz, in sixth place, had lost just under a second.

After a third of the race, Quiles overtook Almansa again as they braked into the final left-hand bend. The duel did not benefit the overall pace. Muñoz had closed the gap again, and the Honda riders Kelso and Fernández were also catching up. In 22nd place was the Austrian Leo Rammerstorfer, still within striking distance of Perrone in 17th.

Veda Pratama (9.) kämpfte sich in Sepang bis auf Platz 2

Foto: Gold and Goose

As the race entered its second half, Aspar rider Quiles tried to break away. The newly crowned Moto3 champion was riding half a second faster. Behind him, the chasing pack had reshuffled. Carpe and Pratama were battling for second place, whilst Danish had overtaken Almansa, who was now down to fifth. Meanwhile, rookie Rico Salmela had crashed out of the GP in the final corner.

As the race entered its final stages, the atmosphere in the stands reached fever pitch. With Pratama in second and Danish in third, two youngsters from South-East Asia were on course for the podium. At the front, Quiles had pulled further ahead, extending his lead to 1.4 seconds. With three laps to go, the race was all but decided. Quiles had now pulled away by almost three seconds. A four-way battle for second place was raging between Quiles, Carpe, Pratama and Hakim Danish. Joel Kelso was no longer in the mix – the Aussie had crashed in Turn 4.

Die Fans in Malaysia fieberten mit Moto3-Ass Hakim Danish

Foto: Gold and Goose

At the front, the 2026 champion kept his nerve – Maximo Quiles won in commanding fashion. The four-way battle for second place ended in sensational fashion. Pratama, Danish, Carpe and Almansa battled it out for every millimetre. Almansa made a tiny mistake – and finished fifth. Behind Quiles, Honda Asia rookie Veda Pratama took second place. Danish was aiming for third, went ‘all in’ going into the final Turn 3 – and went too far. Carpe countered and made it onto the podium. The Malaysian hero had to settle for fourth place – and the cheering main grandstand.

Ajo rookie Brian Uriarte could not manage better than ninth place at Sepang, whilst Valentin Perrone (Tech3) claimed the final World Championship point after serving a double long lap. Leo Rammerstorfer finished the gruelling race just a few tenths behind in 18th place.

There were no changes in the top six of the World Championship standings. Champion Quiles leads unassailably ahead of David Almansa and Alvaro Carpe. Veda Pratama moved up to 7th in the World Championship standings with his 2nd-place finish. A KTM rider has now won 17 out of the 18 races.

Die Top-3 der Moto3 in Sepang: Quiles, Pratama und Carpe

Foto: Gold and Goose