Veda Pratama secured the first pole position of his motorcycle racing career during official qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, clocking a lap time of 1:35.299 on his Honda. At just 17 years old, the Indonesian rider edged out newly crowned Moto3 world champion Máximo Quiles by a razor-thin margin of 21 milliseconds. Local favorite Joel Kelso finished third, 67 milliseconds off the pace, in a fiercely contested session on the Victorian coast.
Rain Scares and Dry Tire Strategy on the Phillip Island Circuit
Qualifying got underway with lingering uncertainty over whether rain would return to the track. With the racing line thoroughly dried out following the preceding MotoGP sessions, the entire Moto3 grid rolled out on slick tires. Ireland’s Casey O’Gorman initially set the pace in Q1 before Pratama surged through to advance. As conditions evolved, the leaderboard shifted rapidly through several contenders, including Italy’s Guido Pini and Australia’s Kelso, who fought to capitalize on home soil before light rain began to threaten parts of the circuit.
A historic first #Moto3 pole position for Veda Pratama and Indonesia, with Quiles and @joelkelso66 on the front row 🤩#AustralianGP 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/b5xirnv6MN
Late Drama and Canceled Laps Seal the Grid
As the clock wound down, riders scrambled for a final flying lap despite light precipitation flags waving around the circuit. David Almansa suffered a crash at Turn 4 but managed to keep his KTM running and rejoined the track. Spain’s Joel Esteban briefly climbed to second with a 1:35.376. Quiles then posted a 1:35.320 that looked strong enough for provisional top spot, only for race control to cancel his lap. That ruling left Pratama’s earlier 1:35.299 intact, handing the Indonesian teenager his historic pole.
The Starting Grid for the Australian Grand Prix
Behind the front row featuring Pratama, Quiles, and Kelso, the second row of the grid will be anchored by Joel Esteban, Eddie O’Shea, and Adrián Fernández. Fernández returns to the track this weekend after the FIM International Court of Appeal accepted his team’s appeal regarding disputed engine components, restoring his championship points. Scott Ogden, Guido Pini, and Kiattisak Singhapong fill out the third row, while Matteo Bertelle, David Almansa, and Álvaro Carpe line up on the fourth row for Sunday’s race.
Pembalap Indonesia Veda Pratama meraih pole position pertamanya di ajang Moto3 Grand Prix Australia 2026 yang berlangsung di Sirkuit Phillip Island. Pembalap Honda Team Asia tersebut mencatatkan waktu tercepat 1 menit 35,299 detik pada sesi kualifikasi, sekaligus menjadi pembalap… pic.twitter.com/ZhCcEdwsNM
