David Alonso is one of the favourites in the Moto3 class, with Joel Esteban making his debut in Qatar this weekend

The Moto3 World Championship returns to action this weekend with the Qatar Grand Prix. The small category begins a new season full of excitement in which the 26 riders on the grid will fight to succeed Jaume Masià as world champion after his move to Moto2. The small category is always unpredictable, but after five days of pre-season testing between Portimao and Jerez, several names such as José Antonio Rueda, Dani Holgado, Iván Ortolá and Collin Veijer are beginning to stand out. 

Among them, there’s also CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider David Alonso . The Colombian starts as one of the favourites in the fight for the title after finishing 2023 in third position and being the Moto3 rookie of the year. But not only that: the Colombian has shown great pace throughout the pre-season and has been the fastest in four of the five days of testing. On the other side of the CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team garage, Joel Esteban faces his debut in the Moto3 World Championship in Qatar. The Spanish rider faces his first World Championship race with a lot of enthusiasm and confidence after completing a great preseason in which he has shown great progress. Esteban hopes to continue learning and to be consistent in his first Grand Prix. 

David Alonso: "This year I have the same hunger as the first one. After a good work in the preseason, we are looking forward to the first race, where it will be important to finish and to adapt again to a race weekend. From there, we have to build a good base for the whole year. We have to start the first race with intensity, but also calmly, because there are 21 races in total and the World Championship is very long. My main goal is to be consistent all weekend and to finish the race." 

Joel Esteban: "I'm really looking forward to ride in Qatar. It's a very nice circuit and I've seen it a lot in video games. I have been preparing for this moment for a long time, because making my debut in the World Championship is a dream I have had since I was a kid, and now I have achieved it. My goals in Qatar are to keep learning from the faster riders and to take more steps forward. I hope to be more effective with new  tyre, to get better lap times and, in the race, I hope to fight for the front group."