The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team arrives in the Netherlands as the undisputed leader of both the riders’ and teams’ standings
This weekend, the Moto3 World Championship heads to one of the longest-standing circuits: the TT Circuit Assen. The ‘cathedral of speed’ will be the latest challenge for Máximo Quiles and Marco Morelli, who have had barely any time to rest since the Czech Grand Prix. Thanks to his podium finish at Brno, Quiles has once again extended his lead in the overall standings to a new high of 65 points. The category leader is pulling away from his rivals and aims to maintain this momentum to reach the summer break with the widest possible gap. With Quiles leading the world championship on his own, Álvaro Carpe remains in second place, 65 points behind. He is followed by his team-mate Brian Uriarte, who has moved up to third place following his podium finish at Brno. The Moto3 rookie leads a group of riders separated by ten points, including David Almansa in fourth, Marco Morelli in fifth and Veda Pratama in sixth. Similarly, the CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team still holds a 59-point cushion in the team standings.
Máximo Quiles’ third-place finish also marked the Aspar Team’s 100th podium in Moto3, and came very close to becoming the team’s 50th victory in the junior category. With this result at Brno, the rider from Murcia is now the Aspar Team’s second-most frequent podium-finisher in Moto3, with 17 top-three finishes – one more than Sergio García, who achieved this feat on 16 occasions between 2021 and 2022. Ahead of him, David Alonso still stands out, having amassed a total of 23 podiums during his dazzling spell in the junior category.
The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider has now racked up a run of eight podium finishes in the nine races contested, five of which were victories. The Spaniard’s form in 2026 has been outstanding, and on this occasion he will have the added motivation of fighting for that 50th victory at Assen. In 2025, Quiles could only manage fifteenth place at the Dutch circuit after crashing whilst battling for victory, but the experience he has gained since then and the maturity the young rider has shown in recent races are strong indications that he will once again be one of the class leaders.
His team-mate Marco Morelli has not yet raced at this circuit in Moto3, although he knows what it’s like to win at Assen: he achieved it in the second race of the 2024 Rookies Cup. The Argentine, who staged a spectacular comeback from twenty-fifth position to finish seventh at Brno, saw his race hampered by a mistake on the first lap that prevented him from competing with the leading group. Now, Morelli wants to take that final step he needs to become more consistent and stay at the top of the standings.
Máximo Quiles: “Our mission is to keep working at our own pace and on our own terms. This approach is working well for us. Over the next few days we’re going to switch off a bit so we arrive in the Netherlands feeling more motivated. Last year I was too anxious at Assen and made a few mistakes, but with what I’ve learnt since then, I’m going there with the right mindset.”
Marco Morelli: “I’m looking forward to the Dutch Grand Prix. I’ve ridden at this circuit before, when I was competing in the Rookies Cup, and I really like it. We’ve had hardly any rest between the Brno race and this Grand Prix; there’s no time to think, so I’m really keen to carry on working and improve on the areas where we still have room for improvement.”
