The FIM changes the rules on age limits, Quiles to be in Moto3 in 2025

By regulation, underage riders cannot enter the Moto3 world championship, the minimum threshold being set at 18 years of age. Until 2023, however, a deregulation was granted to the winner of the two nursery categories: JuniorGP and the Red Bull Rookies cup. A further deregulation was then inserted just in 2024, extending admission to the top three finishers of the two championships.

It is with these premises that "the Quiles case" was born. The young Spaniard born in 2008 is considered one of the best emerging talents around, so much so that he was taken under the wing of Vertical Management, a company run by the Marquez brothers and their manager Jaime Martinez. In 2023 the Spaniard finished the season third in the standings, a championship that was won by compatriot Piqueras now in Moto3 with the Leopard team. In 2024, however, Quiles failed to repeat the win, after being involved in a bad crash right in Misano, thus ending the season 5th. A result that, according to the rules in force, would not have allowed him access to the Moto3 grid next year.

The "Quiles rule"

It is in this context, then, that the FIM came into play with a further amendment to the regulations (updated on September 11), which made the waiver retroactive, inserting the wording "in any season," a change that effectively opens the door wide for the Spaniard by changing the future Moto3 grid next year. In fact, it appears that Quiles will be wearing the colors of the Ajo team alongside Alvaro Carpe, winner of the 2024 rookie cup. This is not the first time such waivers have been applied to encourage a faster career for new talents. Just think of the case of Quartararo, which allowed the JuniorGP winner to race as early as age 16. Different but similar case of malleability of regulations was also the arrival of Marc Marquez in MotoGP in 2013 directly in the factory team, something that the regulations prohibited until the previous season.

Below are the two versions of the regulations compared, with the change to the exemption with the words "in any season" highlighted.