Even an untimely downpour couldn’t slow down Máximo Quiles in Moto3 this season. The rain hit Le Mans just minutes before the race, soaking the entire circuit—something that hadn’t happened all weekend—and forcing the entire grid to start blind.
As a result, the race was shortened from 20 laps to 12+1, and riders were given 10 minutes to form up on the grid, allowing them a few extra laps to familiarise themselves with the dangerously slippery asphalt. Despite the excellent performance of the new Pirelli tyres, which faced their first wet race in Moto3, crashes multiplied on a track already known for lacking grip in dry conditions. A total of 12 riders crashed, with Uriarte falling twice. The other 11 were Muñoz, Buchanan, O’Gorman, Perrone, Kelso, Carraro, Carpe, Morelli, Ríos, Ogende, and Salmela.
Quiles remained untouched, leading from start to finish to secure his third victory in five races. He now has 115 points out of a possible 125, holding a 46-point lead—almost two race wins—before even reaching the first quarter of the championship. His joy was understandable, and he also remembered his long-time mentor, Marc Márquez, who was undergoing surgery in Madrid today on the fifth metatarsal of his right foot and, more importantly, on his right shoulder to replace a broken screw affecting the radial nerve.
Second place, 1.8 seconds behind, was Adrián Fernández, who started from pole but slipped to fourth at the start. One of the riders who passed him was Morelli, but the Spanish-Argentine crashed just in front of the Madrid rider when already running second on lap four. The podium was completed by Matteo Bertelle, a rider who was in a coma last season after a terrifying training crash. Among those celebrating his podium was Pecco Bagnaia, who visited him in parc fermé, just as Álex Márquez did with Máximo.
Completing the top ten in a survival race were Pratama, Esteban (who climbed from 20th), Pini, Cruces (who served a long lap penalty), Almansa, O’Shea, and Danish. Further back, Perrone was 11th, Morelli 13th, Uriarte 14th, and Muñoz 18th.
