Exclusive Moto3 2026 line-up: New talents and some surprises

KTM will again supply 16 Moto3 GP riders in 2026, while Honda remains with 10. The 250 cc single-cylinder four-stroke prototype bikes will remain for two more years. In 2028, Yamaha will supply the 698 cc R7 twin engine for the new one-make championship

The 16 Moto3 World Championship teams will again see massive changes to their rider lineups for the 2026 season. The only thing that remains unchanged is that ten teams will continue to race with Pierer Mobility RC4 motorcycles – KTM and CFMOTO – while five teams will continue to rely on Honda.

The new world champion, José Antonio Rueda, is moving up to the Moto2 World Championship with Red Bull KTM Ajo. Moto3 World Championship runner-up Ángel Piqueras will also compete in Moto2 in 2026 – with the MSI Racing Team.

Red Bull KTM Ajo and Red Bull KTM Tech3 will integrate two rookies into their line-ups for the 2026 Moto3 World Championship with the all-conquering KTM RC4: a technical base that has won all eighteen rounds of the 2025 campaign to date. Brian Uriarte joins Alvaro Carpe in Ajo colours while Rico Salmela will race alongside Valentin Perrone at Tech3.

Brian Uriarte confirmed ownership of the 2025 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup at Misano in September for what was the finale of the popular youth contest. The 17-year-old Spaniard, who hails from Santander, came through the European Talent Cup series and finished as 2024 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup runner-up. In 2025 he posted seven victories to vie for the crown and then confirmed P1 in Misano, joining a prestigious list of former winners who are now in Grand Prix; names like Pedro Acosta, Jose Antonio Rueda, Alvaro Carpe, Angel Piqueras and David Alonso. Uriarte has also been setting the standard in this year’s FIM JuniorGP by walking the top step of the rostrum five times with rounds taking place on Grand Prix circuits in Spain, France and Italy.

Salmela will enjoy the distinction of being the only Finnish rider active in the MotoGP paddock in 2026. The 17-year-old will compete alongside Perrone, who is currently negotiating his own Moto3 debut charge in 2025 and has already grasped trophies. Salmela gained four podiums in the 2024 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup before switching his focus to FIM JuniorGP in 2025 where he registered five consecutive top three results and is running second overall for the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda team.

The 2026 Moto3 World Championship will be populated by several new talents from outside of Europe. Argentinian Marco Morelli, who rode for GRYD Mlav Racing Laverty in Lombok, has signed with the Spanish CFMOTO Aspar Team.

Podcast

Several teams have not yet confirmed their lineups for 2026. Mirko Cecchini's Rivacold Snipers will only confirm its two riders at the Portimão GP. Research by GPOne.com has revealed that current JuniorGP seventh-place finisher Jesús Rios, from the Finetwork Mir Honda Racing Team, is set to make his debut in the 2026 Moto3 World Championship for Rivacold Snipers. Since Riccardo Rossi and Nicola Carraro only occupy positions 20 and 21 in the 2023 Moto3 World Championship, the second spot at Snipers could be filled by a new rider who brings in money. However, a Carraro & Rios duo is also conceivable.

Irish rider Casey O'Gorman will compete for SIC58 Squadra Corse next year. He is holding fourth in the JuniorGP standings for the Estrella Galicia 0.0 team and already rides a Honda RS250RW. Veteran Dennis Foggia (now with CFMOTO Aspar) is hoping to sign a contract with team owner Paolo Simoncelli, but Swiss rider Noah Dettwiler has also come knocking with a large sum of money.

Hiroshi Aoyama's Honda Asia team will field the duo of Veda Pratama and Japanese rider Zen Mitami in 2026, who rode a Honda for Rivacold Snipers in Indonesia.

Liqui Moly Intact KTM team owner Peter Öttl (who already celebrated three GP victories with David Muñoz in 2025) lost the fast Italian Guido Pini (third place in Mandalika) to Leopard Honda, but acquired the promising Spaniard David Almansa from the very same team.

As usual, some of the best Moto3 riders are moving up to Moto2: in addition to World Champion Rueda, for example, Piqueras, who finished second in the World Championship, will join the MT Helmets MSI Moto2 team in 2026.

Jacob Roulstone, the former Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider, has not yet found a job. He came from the Rookies Cup, was frequently injured, and has only achieved one top 5-place finish in two years – at the latest GP in Mandalika.

After two years, the unsuccessful Swiss rider Noah Dettwiler has to leave Alain Bronec's Green Power CIP team. He will be replaced at CIP by Adrián Cruces, who stepped in for the injured Dettwiler in 2025, scored points in the first three World Championship races, and even achieved a strong eighth place in Texas.

Indonesian Veda Pratama, another young rider, is joining the Moto3 World Championship as a regular contracted rider. Despite an injury break, he achieved second place overall behind Uriarte in the 2025 Red Bull Rookies Cup with two wins and two second-place finishes, and he already won the Idemitsu Asian Talent Cup in 2023.

The MT Helmets MSI KTM team will field two Asian riders in 2026. Muhammad Hakim Danish Ramli (born July 30, 2007) hails from Malaysia and, as a member of the SIC Racing MSi team, is currently running in ninth place in the JuniorGP standings on a Honda. Danish was already the overall winner of the 2022 Asian Talent Cup – the only Malaysian to achieve such a performance to date. He will soon make his GP debut at the Sepang GP.