Super Quiles judges San Marino Moto3 Grand Prix victory to perfection for CFMOTO
Max Quiles seals the win at San Marino
The Grand Prix of San Marino brought MotoGP to the Italian mainland for the second time in 2026, and for the eighth occasion the CFMOTO Aspar Team starred in Moto3. Max Quiles sealed the win by a blink of an eye around the flat, fast and grippy 5km course on the eastern coastline.
Misano has almost half a century of MotoGP history and legacy. The circuit first hosted a Grand Prix in 1980 and has been part of the Italian motorcycle racing landscape ever since. The track itself has morphed in shape over the years and has been reversed in the direction. Misano is popular and well used throughout the year for testing and track days: it has become synonymous with MotoGP icon Valentino Rossi and is a frequent training site for the Italian’s VR46 Academy. Misano, or ‘MWC’ used to be tricky and slippery but the asphalt was re-laid in recent years and is now renowned as one of the grippiest tracks in MotoGP.
Round 14 of 22 in 2026 MotoGP meant the 33rd Grand Prix to take place at MWC and is a place where CFMOTO have good memories. David Alonso has won twice at the circuit in Moto3. Thunderstorms in the region meant sessions in mixed conditions for Moto3 on Friday and Saturday mornings but the run through qualification was dry and normal and in decent sunny.
Moto3 was tricky for Max Quiles and Marco Morelli. Quiles was only half a second from Pole Position but ended up in 5th after Q2 and rolled onto the middle of the second row. Morelli was further back and his slot of 14th meant the Argentine would need to surge quickly into the leading group Sunday morning.
Quiles made a top four start and worked his way up to 2nd place inside five laps. The lead pack was formed from seven riders, and Morelli was adrift in the second contingent, but still in the top ten. The pace was fierce and with less slipstreaming than usual as the gaggle of front-runners were dispersed until the crucial final two laps of 20. Candidates for victory whittled down to three with Quiles on the charge and became a duel with David Almansa that went down to the final metres! Quiles was 2nd out of the final corner but was very close to Almansa and won the drag race to the line. The difference was only 0.021 of a second! Marco passed the flag for 9th.
#28 now has 8 wins this season and 11 in two years (he is the third most successful in Moto3 history) Quiles has moved his tally of Moto3 career podiums to 21; 12 alone in 2026. Max leads the championship by 107 points with Marco in 5th. Quiles could be world champion in three Grands Prix time.
Max Quiles: “It was crazy, he [David] was so, so strong. I have to congratulate him because he is getting faster and stronger and it is getting harder and harder for me to be with him…but I’m really happy. I did the ‘1 vs 1’ well, and the energy from all [the fans] at the track wanted a good show. I think we made a good show! It was really nice.”
Moto2! Qualifying on Saturday brought mixed fortunes for Daniel Holgado and David Alonso. Daniel was sharp and carved a rapid lap in Q2 that allowed him to be within a fraction of a second of Pole Position. The Spaniard was content with 2nd place on the grid and with decent options for the podium on Sunday. David was frustrated. The Columbian was circulating in the formative stages of Q2 when another rider crashed in front of him and also sent the youngster spiralling into the gravel. David had no time to return to the pits and reset and classified 17th without a lap on the board.
The Grand Prix chase lasted for 22 laps but it was Holgado’s turn for some poor luck. He was the victim of a three-rider incident into the first corner and his Grand Prix was over before it had barely started. Alonso, meanwhile, was mired mid-pack and had to push hard to enter the top ten, even though he has a muscle problem in his left arm. David persevered to reach 9th for seven championship points.
David Alonso: “I had a small tear in my left bicep and for the first laps it was OK but then I struggled a bit to keep the line and not run wide. After a while I was able to manage the pain and made a rhythm. We didn’t finish the race where we wanted…but at least we finished. Some points. Now we have to work on a recovery for Austria so we won’t have problems there. We have to make the most of the opportunities we have.”
The Austrian Grand Prix came back onto the MotoGP calendar in 2016. The ultra-modern and distinctive Red Bull Ring, that lies on the foot of a mountain range in the Styria region, is the last European round before the overseas trek to Japan, Indonesia, Australia, and Malaysia. MotoGP gets fast again next week.
Results Moto3 Grand Prix of San Marino
1. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team 33:42.713
2. David Almansa (ESP) KTM +0.021
3. Brian Uriarte (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +1.343
5. Valentin Perrone (ARG) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +12.258
6. Rico Salmela (FIN) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +12.303
9. Marco Morelli (ARG) CFMOTO Aspar Team +21.867
17. Alvaro Carpe (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +26.356
World Championship standings Moto3
1. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 281 points
2. David Almansa (ESP) KTM, 174
3. Alvaro Carpe (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 159
4. Brian Uriarte (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 154
5. Marco Morelli (ARG) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 138
6. Valentin Perrone (ARG) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 114
10. Rico Salmela (FIN) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 70
Results Moto2 Grand Prix of San Marino
1. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP) 34:57.913
2. Collin Veijer (NED) Red Bull KTM Ajo +2.451
3. Barry Baltus (BEL) +4.692
9. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Aspar Team +11.408
21. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +38.751
DNF. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team
World Championship standings Moto2
1. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP) 232.5 points
2. Izan Guevara (ESP) 185
3. Ivan Ortola (ESP) 157.5
5. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 139
6. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 137
10. Collin Veijer (NED) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 75.5
18. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 27
