Joel Esteban and Máximo Quiles, fourth and fifth respectively, fought for the podium at Phillip Island until the very last metres

The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team had a great Sunday of racing at the Australian Grand Prix. Joel Esteban and Máximo Quiles fought their way back to cross the finish line in fourth and fifth place respectively, just a few thousandths off the podium. José Antonio Rueda secured his tenth victory of the year, followed by Joel Kelso in second. Rookie Álvaro Carpe completed the podium in a race marked by strong winds.

The Moto3 race at the Australian Grand Prix offered a thrilling battle for the podium. The competitors in the lightweight category had to ride very cautiously due to the strong winds, which even forced a delay in the usual schedule. However, the pace was very fast from the start and the CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team riders remained in the leading group at all times. Máximo Quiles made a good start, which allowed him to move into third position after the first lap. The Spaniard tried to lead the group after the first and second-placed riders pulled away from the rest of their rivals. After losing a few positions, he looked for the perfect moment to attack and return to the provisional top three. The rookie in the category gave his all until the last lap, when he was overtaken by his teammate and crossed the finish line in fifth, although only a tenth behind third place. This result does not allow Quiles to mathematically secure the title of ‘Rookie of the year’, but it has allowed him to close the gap in the fight for the runner-up spot, which has been reduced to three points. On the other hand, Joel Esteban put in an outstanding performance on his return to the world championship. The Spaniard remained in the top positions from start to finish and, despite losing a few places in the early laps, he maintained a good pace and gradually overtook his rivals. The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider put in a great performance and fought for third place on the podium in a group of up to eight riders. On the last lap, he overtook his teammate Máximo Quiles to move into fourth place and cross the finish line just a few thousandths off the podium, equalling his best result in the world championship.

4th Joel Esteban (+12.696): “I'm very happy with the weekend after being told last Sunday that I was coming to Australia. The whole team worked very well, I had good pace, although I wasn't quite comfortable in the group. There were moments when I felt I had a little more than the rest, but there was a lot of fighting. In the last few laps, a gap opened up and I started to push until I caught up with Quiles and Carpe. I saw the podium so close that I had to fight for it. In the end, it wasn't meant to be, but it was a great result.”

5th Máximo Quiles (+12.773): “It was a very difficult race. I didn't feel good from the first lap with the hard tyre. We thought this option would work better at the end of the race, but it didn't make much difference. I did the best I could, considering that I haven't been able to do many laps on this circuit. I had to ride very smoothly in the fast corners because I could have crashed at any moment, but we were very close to the podium. We will continue to learn so that we can get rid of this thorn in our side in Malaysia.”