08/11/2026

Almansa lands spectacular start-to-finish victory at sunset in Qatar

On Sunday afternoon at the third-last Grand Prix of the season, LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP’s Moto3 team was in a class of its. David Almansa celebrated his fourth win of the season. But David Muñoz was also among the fastest riders on track. Although he had received three «Long-Lap» penalties, the Spanish rider, with his great fighting spirit, crossed the finish line in eighth place.

In what is his first season with the LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP Team, David Almansa once again demonstrated his immense potential at the Qatar Grand Prix at the Persian Gulf. Starting from second place on the front row, he made the best start of any rider and took the lead before entering Turn 1.

From that point on, his pursuers had no way of putting pressure on Almansa. The 20-year-old Spaniard rode his laps with the utmost precision and still had enough in reserve to pick up the pace when world champion Maximo Quiles briefly closed the gap. From then on, Almansa extended his lead to as much as three seconds over his closest pursuers, benefiting from the meticulous work he and his team had done during practice sessions to manage tire wear. With his victory at the Lusail International Circuit, he solidified his second-place position in the championship standings.

Teammate David Muñoz put in an equally remarkable performance. The young rider from Seville started from fifth place on the second row and was initially in the mix for the top spots. However, an overtaking manoeuvre against his compatriot Brian Uriarte, who subsequently crashed but was able to rejoin the race, resulted in his first «Long-Lap» penalty early in the race. Muñoz served the penalty immediately and rejoined the field in eleventh place.

From there, Muñoz gradually worked his way up to seventh place fighting in the first chasing group. Amid the fierce battles for position, there was another minor contact with another rider. This time it was Eddie O’Shea, causing the English rider to crash and drop out of the race. Muñoz received a double «Long-Lap» penalty from the race direction.

The 20-year-old handled this situation in a flash as well and launched another comeback from 14th place. With a sensational final lap, Muñoz gained no fewer than four positions and crossed the finish line in eighth place, just over 11 seconds behind his victorious teammate David Almansa. Who knows what he might have been capable of in today’s race.

After the long overseas trip, the championship will take a short break and return in two weeks with the Portuguese Grand Prix in Portimão.

Moto3™ Race Classification (16 Laps):
1 #22 David ALMANSA / SPA / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KTM / 33´09.479
2 Adrian FERNANDEZ / SPA / Leopard Racing / Honda / +2.516
3 Maximo QUILES / SPA / CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team / KTM / +2.585
…
8 #64 David MUÑOZ / SPA / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KTM / +11.381

Moto3™ World Standings:
1 Maximo QUILES / SPA / KTM / 392
2 #22 David ALMANSA / SPA / KTM / 253
3 Alvaro CARPE / SPA / KTM / 216
…
16 #64 David MUÑOZ / SPA / KTM / 72
22 #71 David GONZALEZ / SPA / KTM / 7
24 #88 Marcos URIARTE / SPA / KTM / 6

Moto3™ Team Standings:
1 CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team 533
2 Red Bull KTM Ajo 423
3 LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP 337

David Almansa

Race: Winner
Moto3 World Championship 2026: P2 – 253 Points

«I’m absolutely thrilled about this victory, because this track is always very special to me every year. Yesterday during Free Practice 2, we worked with the soft tires on both the front and rear, and I learned how to use them properly. That was very important for me and the team. As for the race, it was incredible; I gave 100 percent right from the start and on every lap. That’s why I’d like to thank the entire team and my family, not to mention my fitness trainer, because we train hard to be ready for these challenges. This year, I’ve learned a lot about our sport, which will help me when I move up to Moto2 next season. I’ll continue to follow this philosophy. Of course, it was a bit of a shame that we couldn’t really compete seriously for the championship. But we’ll fight for the runner-up title as if it were the championship itself and give it our all in the last two races to achieve our goal.»

David Muñoz

Race: P8 +11.381
Moto3 World Championship 2026: P16 – 72 Points

«II'm pleased with overall performance of the team this weekend. We steadily improved as the weekend went on. To be honest, we didn't get off to a great start, since I had a crash on Friday. But as the weekend progressed, we improved step by step, worked hard, and achieved the results we were looking for. Of course, the race was a disappointment because of the three long laps. We have to accept that and try to handle such situations better in the future to avoid penalties. We need to keep working and look ahead. We’re on the right way because we’ve been steadily improving, but unfortunately we weren’t able to show our potential in the race, which is, of course, a shame. Many thanks to the team for all their hard work. We’ll be back on the attack in Portimão and aim to achieve more.»

Peter Öttl

Team Manager

«Friday got off to a bit of a bumpy start for us this time. David Muñoz had a serious crash on his second lap. Fortunately, he got away with just a few bruises. But the first session didn’t go smoothly for David Almansa either, as he finished in twelfth place. In Practice session, both put in strong performances, with Almansa taking second place and Muñoz right behind him in third. They confirmed this on Saturday in the second free practice session with a second- and fifth-place finish. In qualifying, they secured the same positions, proving their strong level of performance. David Almansa started from the front row today, immediately took the lead, and dominated the race all the way to the finish line. He steadily extended his lead and ultimately secured his fourth victory of the season. In doing so, he also solidified his second-place position in the overall standings. Congratulation to him and his crew!!»

«David Muñoz was in better shape than he had been since his comeback a month and a half ago, and he felt that today, for the first time in a long time, he could race at the very front and fight for a podium finish. Unfortunately, he may have been a little too aggressive in some situations, which led to two penalties totalling three «Long-Laps». That was, of course, a real shame, because given his pace, he could have fought for a podium finish. We’re truly sorry for him. But his performance today gives us hope that we might achieve a double podium in the final two races with our two Davids in the same race. Finally, I’d like to thank the entire team for their outstanding work over the past few weeks during our long overseas trip.»

#QatarGP Sunday

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