Máximo Quiles sealed the 2026 Moto3 World Championship with a controlled victory at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia, clinching the crown with five rounds remaining at the Mandalika circuit on Sunday.
A sixth-place start, a champion's charge
Quiles began the race from sixth on the grid while pole-sitter Brian Uriarte, David Almansa and Alvaro Carpe lined up ahead on the front row. He wasted no time, climbing to third at the start and passing Uriarte for second on the opening lap.
Almansa took the holeshot but dropped as low as eighth in the early chaos, while Adrian Fernandez pushed to the front and home rider Veda Pratama also featured early. Quiles seized the lead by lap 3 and immediately began building a cushion, opening a gap of about two seconds over the first six laps in scorching conditions.
One mistake, then a champion's recovery
Mid-race brought a brief scare. Quiles ran wide at Turn 16 and suddenly felt the pressure.
He crossed the line 2.994 seconds clear of Almansa for his tenth win of the season. "I made a mistake: I ran wide at Turn 16 and then got nervous," Quiles told reporters, describing the solo ride as mentally draining.
The victory, his 15th podium in 17 races, lifted him to 351 points and an unassailable 132-point lead. Almansa finished ahead of Matteo Bertelle, while Uriarte just missed the rostrum in fourth.
Into the record books at eighteen
With five rounds still to run, Quiles became only the fourth rider in history to win a grand prix world championship this early, joining Marc Marquez, Giacomo Agostini and Mike Hailwood. He is the first rider to do it in the Moto3 class.
Born in 2008, the Murcia native was named Rookie of the Year in 2025 and missed only one beat in 2026, winning four of the opening six races and bouncing back from a broken collarbone at Silverstone to win the very next round. His move to Moto2 with the Aspar team is already confirmed for 2027.
