Red Bull KTM Ajo: Alvaro Carpe set to leave, Rico Salmela joins

KTM’s programme for nurturing young talent, in partnership with Ajo Motorsport and with Red Bull as a long-term sponsor, is well established. Ideally, winners from the Red Bull Rookies Cup are moved up to the Moto3 programme led by Niklas Ajo. This is exactly what happened with the current stars Brian Uriarte and Alvaro Carpe.

Alvaro Carpe won the Cup in 2024 – ahead of Uriarte, who followed suit a year later. Incidentally, the next two finishers in the 2024 season were Valentin Perrone and Rico Salmela – the very pair who currently make up the second Red Bull junior duo at Tech3. The World Championship standings say it all about the career ladder. All four are ranked in the top 10, with Carpe in second place, two places ahead of rookie Uriarte.

Moto3-Talent aus Finnland: Rico Salmela

Foto: Gold and Goose

In a perfect world, the Ajo riders would then be promoted internally to the next class. However, by the end of 2026, this path will remain blocked. The team intends to continue there next year with Moto3 World Champion Jose Antonio Rueda and Collin Veijer. This is not an option for rookie Uriarte, who is set to claim the final KTM title in Moto3 history in 2027. For Alvaro Carpe, another year is not an option. After two years, the Spaniard is determined to move up to Moto2. Carpe is considered the top choice at Pramac. A replacement for Izan Guevara, who has secured promotion to the premier class, will be brought in to the Yamaha junior squad.

Which also means: a place is set to become available in the Finns’ Moto3 line-up – and it will go to his compatriot Rico Salmela. The rookie is also enjoying a fabulous debut season, and his move to Red Bull KTM Ajo is already a done deal. As the Argentine Perrone is also leaving Tech3 and intends to continue his career in Moto3 and Moto2 with MSi, Günther Steiner’s French team will be completely restructuring its rider line-up not only in MotoGP but also in the smallest World Championship class.

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28.08.2026 - 08:55