New Moto3 generation: rookies, question marks and a favourite for 2027

Gradually, the line-ups for the leading teams in the Moto3 World Championship have taken shape – and yet there are still quite a few places up for grabs in the junior class. One thing is certain: according to the organisers of the Road Racing World Championship, there will once again be 26 young riders competing in Moto3 in 2027. The requirement is that riders must be 18 years old – unless they have finished in the top three of the Red Bull Rookies Cup or the Junior World Championship.

CF-Moto-Aspar, the team most likely to produce the world champion in 2026 – and which is promoting Maximo Quiles to its own Moto2 division – finds itself in a privileged position. This is because Marco Morelli is already a confirmed top rider, whilst Jorge Martinez has his pick of riders from the Moto3 Junior World Championship. The top three in the series are part of the Aspar junior programme. However, one of them, Giulio Pugliese, is no longer available. The Italian has already signed for CODE Motorsports for the Moto3 World Championship. The decision will therefore come down to championship leader Carlos Cano and the Kyrgyz rider Yaroslav Karpushin.

2027 Moto3-Piloten bei Intact GP: Jesus Rios und Fernando Bujosa (re.)

Foto: Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP

Everything has been finalised at the German Intact GP Team led by Peter Öttl. As recently reported on SPEEDWEEK.com, the Spaniards Jesús Ríos and Fernando Bujosa are set to succeed the two Davids, Almamsa and Muñoz.

The line-up at Red Bull KTM Ajo has also been finalised. Replacing Alvaro Carpe, who is moving up to Moto2, is Rico Salmela from the Tech3 sister team. The Finn will ride alongside Brian Uriarte, who – following his impressive rookie season with race wins and currently sitting fourth in the World Championship standings – is already regarded by all experts as the number one favourite for the World Championship.

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Moto3-Diamant Brian Uriarte

Foto: Gold and Goose

The MSi team is determined to prevent a runaway victory. Alongside rising star Hakim Danish, Valentin Perrone will race for the Spanish team in 2027. In 2028, Perrone is set to compete in the Moto2 World Championship with MSi. Following the departure of Perrone and Salmela, Tech3 had to completely rebuild its line-up. With ace rider Adrian Fernandez and rookie Kristian Daniel, the decision has now been made here too.

Rico Salmela mit Jens Hainbach (KTM) und Teammanager Niklas Ajo (re.)

Foto: KTM Factory Racing

The line-up at Leopard Racing is particularly noteworthy. The Honda team will lose Fernandez and Pini at the end of 2026. Next up are two unknown quantities. Leonardo Zanni, who finished eighth in the Junior World Championship, and David Gonzalez have been confirmed. The latter already competed as a reserve rider for Intact GP in 2026, whilst the Spaniard finished sixth in the Red Bull Rookies Cup.

Einer von zwei Rookies bei Leopard Racing: Leonardo Zanni

Foto: Leopard Racing

Alessandro Tonucci’s MTA team will also field two new riders in 2027. Tonucci secured the services of Rookie Cup winner Benat Fernandez at an early stage. His team-mate will be the only German-speaking GP rider to date: Leo Rammerstorfer.

Things are also clear at Michael Laverty’s GRYD Racing team. The English outfit will continue with Australian Joel Kelso and Eddie O’Shea. This means eight teams have finalised their line-ups. The Italian Snipers team has secured David La Costa, a rookie from France. Following Nicola Carraro’s departure, the Thai rider Singhaphong could become a regular starter in 2027.

Not unusually, things remain quiet in the Honda-Asia camp. Veda Pratatma is considered a shoo-in for 2027. It is unclear whether Zen Mitani will be given another chance. That leaves two teams that have so far kept their cards close to their chest. CIP Green Power, currently fielding Scott Ogden and Adrian Cruces, has not yet made any rider decisions, nor has SIC58, led by Paolo Simoncelli (who will be active in 2026 with Rammerstorfer and O’Gorman). One reason for this is that the Junior World Championship does not finish until after the Moto3 World Championship. Final decisions may be influenced by the final standings in this second major junior platform, alongside the Red Bull Rookies Championship.