Agius goes back-to-back in Moto2 as Quiles conquers Jerez in Moto3

2 hours ago 2

ARTICLE AD BOX

Round Four – Jerez

Moto2

Senna Agius goes back-to-back with Jerez Moto2 victory

Senna Agius continued his rapid rise in the 2026 Moto2 World Championship with a second straight victory, the Australian prevailing in a tense three-rider fight at Jerez to beat team-mate and championship leader Manuel Gonzalez by 0.885s, with polesitter Collin Veijer a further 0.222s back in third. It was Agius’ second consecutive win after Austin and completed a huge weekend for the Intact GP rider, who had already stamped himself as the man to beat with Friday’s all-time lap record.

Senna Agius on the Moto2 grid at Jerez before the race start.

The race was run in dry conditions, with the track considerably hotter and grippier than it had been through much of the unsettled weekend. Veijer started from pole, but Gonzalez made the better launch and briefly had the advantage before the Dutchman quickly retaliated to establish himself at the front. Agius, starting from fourth, slotted straight into the leading group and very quickly turned the race into the three-way contest it would remain for most of the afternoon.

Moto2 riders negotiate the opening laps of the race at Jerez.

Behind them, David Alonso’s race was immediately compromised by a dreadful getaway that dropped him deep into the pack. The Colombian later revealed the bike hit neutral off the line after he failed to shift correctly, leaving him with far too much work to do. Barry Baltus and Alonso Lopez initially looked the most likely riders to bridge across to the front three, while Alex Escrig, Daniel Holgado and Daniel Muñoz all tried to force their way into the next battle.

Manuel Gonzalez leads Collin Veijer, Alonso Lopez, Senna Agius and Dani Holgado at Jerez.

For several laps, the race was defined by the pressure Agius applied to Veijer and Gonzalez without overcommitting. The Australian later admitted he would have liked to attack earlier, believing that if he could have cleared the front in the opening laps, he had the pace to dictate his own rhythm, but front-tyre limitations forced him to be more patient than he wanted. Instead, he sat at the limit, protected his position and waited for the race to come to him.

Collin Veijer leads Manuel Gonzalez, Senna Agius and Alonso Lopez during the Moto2 race at Jerez.

That patience proved crucial once the chasing group started to disintegrate. Baltus crashed out while running fourth, and Lopez followed him down shortly afterwards, turning what had looked like a wider strategic race into a pure three-rider shootout for victory. Aron Canet had already crashed earlier, while Taiyo Furusato, Jorge Navarro and Mario Aji also failed to finish. Adrian Huertas was out almost immediately with a technical issue, and Sergio Garcia spent the race limiting the damage after serving a double long-lap penalty.

Collin Veijer leads Senna Agius and Manuel Gonzalez during the Moto2 race at Jerez.

The decisive phase came in the final third of the race. Agius first worked his way past Gonzalez, then made the key move on Veijer to seize control. Gonzalez soon demoted Veijer as well, giving Intact GP first and second and leaving the team perfectly placed to control the Grand Prix. Agius could not quite escape completely, but every time Gonzalez threatened to edge closer, the Australian had just enough in reserve to respond.

Senna Agius leads Manuel Gonzalez and Collin Veijer under braking during the Moto2 race at Jerez.

Veijer remained in touch as the race entered its closing laps, but never looked to have the extra margin needed to attack both Intact riders and reclaim the initiative as arm pump affected the Dutchman.

Senna Agius leads Manuel Gonzalez and Collin Veijer during the Moto2 race at Jerez.

The raw pace backs up the impression that Agius had the edge when it mattered. He set the fastest lap of the race, a 1m39.642s on lap three, with Gonzalez next best on a 1m39.731s and Veijer on a 1m39.862s. It was not an overwhelming margin, but it was enough to underline why Agius looked the most likely winner once the race settled into a true rhythm contest at the front.

Senna Agius leads Manuel Gonzalez during the Moto2 race at Jerez.

Alonso’s recovery to fourth was one of the stronger rides of the day. Despite the terrible start and later contact in the midfield battle, he came home only 2.032s off the win. Celestino Vietti also impressed with a climb from 13th on the grid to fifth, while Daniel Muñoz took sixth and Izan Guevara recovered from 12th to seventh.

Senna Agius pours a drink into his boot during the Moto2 podium celebration at Jerez.

Tony Arbolino, Alex Escrig and Ivan Ortola completed the top ten, while Holgado had to settle for 11th after a race he described as mentally difficult once his confidence began to fade.

Senna Agius drinks from his boot on the Moto2 podium at Jerez.

The result had a major effect on the championship. Gonzalez remains in front on 59.5 points, but Agius has surged to second on 50 and now sits just 9.5 points behind his team-mate. Guevara holds third on 45, with Vietti closing to 43 in fourth. Intact GP’s one-two also lifted the team to 109.5 points at the top of the standings.

Senna Agius smiling in parc ferme after winning the Moto2 race at Jerez.

Agius described back-to-back victories as one of his major goals as a World Championship rider, and Jerez suggested this latest win may be more significant than the first. Austin showed he could break through. Jerez showed he could manage a race, stay calm when he could not immediately impose himself, and then execute when the moment came. Gonzalez, meanwhile, rode the kind of mature race that keeps a title campaign on track even on a weekend where he was not fully comfortable. Together, they left Jerez having delivered Intact GP its first Moto2 one-two since Austin 2019.

Senna Agius celebrates with the Intact GP team in parc ferme after winning Moto2 at Jerez.

Senna Agius – Winner

“Celebrating two wins in a row has always been my dream for me being a World Championship rider. Of course, you have to get that first win first, but winning two races in a row after a few victories is a huge goal of mine. I’m super proud right now. As for the race, it was tough because I was so strong at the start. I was firmly convinced that if I’d been able to pass in the first few laps and would have had a bit more speed on the straights, I could have set my own pace at the front, since I had a much better pace. But I was at the limit with my front tyre. So I was at my limit, just held my position, and tried not to lose any time. I couldn’t attack. Then I saw how the others were struggling, while I gradually realised where my strengths lie. Towards the end, I pushed hard one last time to win the race. That said, it was definitely not an easy race for me in terms of the front tyre. But I’m so proud of the work we’ve done here once again. A huge thank you to Jürgen and the entire Intact GP team for their support. That also goes to my crew, including my crew chief and data technician, as well as everyone involved in this project. Things are going fantastically for us right now, and we’ll continue to give it our all to fight for this championship. But first, it’s back to training, keeping our feet on the ground, and heading to Le Mans with a strong mindset.”

Senna Agius holds the Moto2 winner’s trophy on the podium at Jerez.

Jerez Moto2 Race Results


Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	S. Agius	Kal	35m17.948
2	M. Gonzalez	Kal	+0.885
3	C. Veijer	Kal	+1.107
4	D. Alonso	Kal	+2.032
5	C. Vietti	Bos	+4.212
6	D. Muñoz	Kal	+10.013
7	I. Guevara	Bos	+10.660
8	T. Arbolino	Kal	+11.649
9	A. Escrig	For	+12.289
10	I. Ortola	Kal	+12.564
11	D. Holgado	Kal	+12.934
12	A. Sasaki	Kal	+14.893
13	D. Öncü	Bos	+15.386
14	F. Salac	Kal	+15.539
15	J. Roberts	Kal	+16.239
16	M. Ramirez	Kal	+17.444
17	Z. vd Goorbergh	Kal	+20.838
18	L. Lunetta	Bos	+27.305
19	S. Garcia	Kal	+28.559
20	J. Rueda	Kal	+29.672
21	A. Ferrandez	Bos	+36.244
Not Classified
NC	M. Aji	Kal	4 Laps
NC	J. Navarro	For	11 Laps
NC	T. Furusato	Kal	13 Laps
NC	B. Baltus	Kal	15 Laps
NC	A. Lopez	Kal	15 Laps
NC	A. Canet	Bos	16 Laps
Not Finished First Lap
NC	A. Huertas	Kal	NF

Moto2 Championship Standings


Pos	Rider	Points
1	M. Gonzalez	59.5
2	S. Agius	50
3	I. Guevara	45
4	C. Vietti	43
5	D. Holgado	38
6	D. Alonso	37
7	D. Muñoz	36
8	A. Escrig	30
9	C. Veijer	29.5
10	T. Arbolino	24.5
11	I. Ortola	23.5
12	A. Lopez	18.5
13	B. Baltus	13
14	J. Roberts	8
15	A. Huertas	8
16	A. Sasaki	7
17	D. Öncü	6.5
18	A. Canet	5.5
19	M. Aji	3
20	F. Salac	3
21	J. Rueda	1
22	A. Ferrandez	0.5
23	T. Furusato
24	S. Garcia
25	M. Ramirez
26	Z. vd Goorbergh
27	J. Navarro
28	L. Lunetta
29	D. Foggia

Moto3

Quiles times late charge to perfection for home Moto3 victory

Maximo Quiles delivered a home-soil victory at Jerez after another fierce Moto3 contest, the Aspar rider timing his decisive late push perfectly to beat Adrian Fernandez and David Muñoz, who then staged their own final-lap battle for second. Quiles crossed the line 1.991s clear of Fernandez, with Muñoz just 0.018s further back in third, while Marco Morelli completed an outstanding comeback to miss the podium by only 0.040s.

Starting from pole after dominating qualifying, Quiles immediately had to prove he could convert one-lap speed into race control. Muñoz briefly had the early advantage, but Quiles quickly took the lead back and began to establish the rhythm that would define much of the first half of the race. Even then, there was never any suggestion this would be straightforward. Fernandez soon joined the lead battle, and the race quickly settled into a three-rider contest at the front, with Morelli leading the chase behind.

There was drama almost immediately elsewhere. Leo Rammerstorfer did not get away at all and was listed as a non-starter, while Matteo Bertelle’s weekend ended almost before it began when he crashed on the opening lap. Bertelle briefly rejoined before ultimately retiring, while Guido Pini and Nicola Carraro also crashed out later in the race. Those incidents thinned the field of likely front-group challengers and helped define the shape of the race.

What made the Jerez Moto3 race especially compelling was that the lead changed hands without any rider ever looking fully in command. Fernandez forced his way to the front around lap seven and for a spell looked as though he might be able to turn the race into a Leopard Racing statement. Muñoz remained aggressive, Quiles never allowed the gap to breathe, and the trio kept pulling each other along while Morelli edged closer from behind with some exceptional late pace.

The critical moment came with four laps remaining. Quiles reclaimed the lead and then instantly increased the pace, dropping from the consistent mid-1m45s rhythm into the high 1m44s and asking a question neither Fernandez nor Muñoz could answer cleanly. Muñoz then made a mistake at Turn 1 with three laps to go, and that was effectively the opening Quiles needed. From there, the Spaniard was able to edge just far enough clear to take the scrapping behind him out of play.

Fernandez set the outright fastest lap, a 1m44.554s on lap four, with Quiles only 0.052s slower and Perrone just another thousandth back. Muñoz was also right there on pace, while Morelli’s 1m44.667s on lap 17 underlined how strong the Argentine was in the closing stages. That late speed nearly transformed a strong recovery into a podium.

Valentin Perrone leads Marco Morelli and several riders during the Moto3 race at Jerez.

Morelli’s fourth-place finish was one of the rides of the day. Starting 11th, he spent much of the race dragging himself through the second group, then bridging the gap to the lead fight with a series of strong laps once he found some space. By the final lap he was close enough to turn the podium scrap into a four-rider contest, ultimately falling short by only four hundredths of a second. The Aspar team was entirely justified in highlighting both its riders afterwards, because Quiles’ win and Morelli’s charge together underlined the overall strength of the package.

Fernandez had to work hard to keep second. Muñoz attacked repeatedly on the final lap, and the pair swapped positions and paint through the closing corners before Fernandez just won the drag to the line. For Muñoz, third still represented a major return after injury, while Fernandez’s second was reward for a weekend in which he had shown front-running speed from qualifying onward. Spain locking out the podium on home ground only added to the atmosphere of the result.

Maximo Quiles leads Joel Esteban and David Muñoz during the Moto3 race at Jerez.

Behind the top four, Alvaro Carpe finished fifth to consolidate his strong championship position, while Veda Pratama delivered an eye-catching sixth for Honda Team Asia. Valentín Perrone recovered to seventh after a race that had at one stage taken him as high as fourth, while David Almansa was eighth. Jesus Rios was classified ninth and Joel Esteban 10th, though both had contact-related penalties hanging over their afternoons. Joel Esteban was ordered to drop one position during the race, while Rios was later given a two-position penalty for causing contact.

For Joel Kelso, it was a more difficult race than qualifying had promised. The Australian came home 14th, 13.091s off the win, and now sits 18th in the championship on eight points. His best lap, a 1m45.103s, showed enough pace to keep him inside the points battle, but not enough to drag him into the sharper end of the race once the front split formed.

The championship picture is now starting to tilt heavily in Quiles’ favour. He leads on 90 points from the first four rounds, 37 ahead of Carpe, with Fernandez up to third on 49, Perrone fourth on 47 and Morelli fifth on 45. Aspar also heads the team standings on 135 points, while KTM continues to lead Honda in the constructor chase, 95 to 72.

Quiles described this as his best win, and it is hard to argue. He was fast enough to take pole, calm enough not to panic when he lost the lead, and decisive enough to change the pace exactly when the race demanded it. That is what stood out most at Jerez.

Jerez Moto3 Race Results

Pos

Rider

Bike

Time/Gap

1	M. Quiles	KTM	33m23.556
2	A. Fernandez	Hon	+1.991
3	D. Muñoz	KTM	+2.009
4	M. Morelli	KTM	+2.049
5	A. Carpe	KTM	+9.926
6	V. Pratama	Hon	+10.027
7	V. Perrone	KTM	+11.526
8	D. Almansa	KTM	+11.601
9	J. Rios	Hon	+11.482
10	J. Esteban	KTM	+11.647
11	B. Uriarte	KTM	+11.758
12	C. O’Gorman	Hon	+12.537
13	H. Danish	KTM	+12.584
14	J. Kelso	Hon	+13.091
15	R. Salmela	KTM	+21.818
16	S. Ogden	KTM	+25.870
17	R. Yamanaka	KTM	+29.334
18	E. O’Shea	Hon	+29.713
19	C. Buchanan	KTM	+30.066
20	A. Cruces	KTM	+30.068
21	Z. Mitani	Hon	+30.104
22	R. Moodley	KTM	+30.180
Not Classified
NC	M. Bertelle	KTM	8 Laps
NC	N. Carraro	Hon	11 Laps
NC	G. Pini	Hon	12 Laps
Did Not Start
NC	L. Rammerstorfer	Hon	NS

Moto3 Championship Standings


Pos	Rider	Points
1	M. Quiles	90
2	A. Carpe	53
3	A. Fernandez	49
4	V. Perrone	47
5	M. Morelli	45
6	V. Pratama	37
7	G. Pini	36
8	D. Almansa	33
9	B. Uriarte	28
10	D. Muñoz	22
11	R. Salmela	21
12	C. O’Gorman	16
13	A. Cruces	14
14	J. Esteban	13
15	H. Danish	12
16	S. Ogden	10
17	J. Rios	8
18	J. Kelso	8
19	M. Bertelle	7
20	E. O’Shea	7
21	R. Yamanaka	2
22	M. Uriarte	2
23	L. Rammerstorfer
24	R. Moodley
25	Z. Mitani
26	N. Carraro
27	C. Buchanan

2026 MotoGP Calendar


Rnd	Date	Event	Circuit
1	01 Mar	Thai	Chang International Circuit
2	22 Mar	Brazil*	Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna
3	29 Mar	US	Circuit of the Americas
4	26 Apr	Spain**	Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto
5	10 May	France	Le Mans
6	17 May	Catalonia	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
7	31 May	Italy	Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello
8	07 Jun	Hungary	Balaton Park Circuit
9	21 Jun	Czech	Automotodrom Brno
10	28 Jun	Netherlands	TT Circuit Assen
11	12 Jul	Germany	Sachsenring
12	09 Aug	GB	Silverstone Circuit
13	30 Aug	Aragon	MotorLand Aragon
14	13 Sep	San Marino	Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
15	20 Sep	Austria	Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
16	04 Oct	Japan	Mobility Resort Motegi
17	11 Oct	Indonesia	Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit
18	25 Oct	Australia	Phillip Island
19	01 Nov	Malaysia	Petronas Sepang International Circuit
20	08 Nov	Qatar	Lusail International Circuit
21	22 Nov	Portugal	Autodromo Internacional do Algarve
22	29 Nov	Valencia	Circuit Ricardo Tormo