Motorsport · Moto3 · 2026

Date & time

1 Mar 2026, 06:00

Round

1

Venue

Chang International Circuit

Location

Buriram, Thailand

The 2026 Moto3 World Championship kicks off at the Chang International Circuit with a grid brimming with fresh talent and shifting allegiances. After a competitive pre-season, all eyes are on the Spanish duo of David Almansa and Alvaro Carpe, who have emerged as the early pace-setters. Almansa, making his debut for the Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP squad on KTM machinery, looks to convert his blistering testing form into a maiden victory. The technical nature of the Buriram circuit, with its heavy braking zones and a notorious final hairpin, always promises a classic Moto3 "slipstream battle." Watch for rookie sensation Veda Pratama, who has shown incredible adaptation to the world stage, and the experienced Adrian Fernandez, who aims to keep Honda at the front against a formidable KTM onslaught. With the temperatures soaring and the track grippy, the opening round is set to be a high-speed chess match where timing the final corner exit will be everything. The front row is completed by Alvaro Carpe and the experienced Adrian Fernandez, the latter being the only Honda rider in a top four otherwise dominated by KTM machinery. However, the story of the weekend might just be the rookie sensation Veda Pratama; the Indonesian teenager qualified a stunning fifth on his full-time debut and looks more than capable of mixing it with the veterans. With 19 laps of intense slipstreaming ahead, the race is expected to follow the classic Moto3 formula: a massive leading group where the win is decided by who can hold their nerve into the final Turn 12 hairpin.