Veda Ega Pratama Secures Runner-Up Finish at Sepang
Veda Ega Pratama finished second at the Moto3 Malaysia Grand Prix on Sunday, November 1, 2026, delivering the strongest result of his debut world championship season at the Sepang International Circuit. Honda Team Asia manager Hiroshi Aoyama praised the podium performance, describing the atmosphere as thrilling in front of Asian fans, Juara.net reported. Aoyama gave the highest praise for Veda Ega Pratama, who secured second place at the 2026 Moto3 Malaysia Grand Prix, Juara.net reported.
Veda traded places with Alvaro Carpe and local rider Hakim Danish in a tense battle, ultimately securing second place, Kompasiana.com reported. Starting from eighth position, Veda was initially pushed back one spot at the start of the race before managing to break through the front group to fight for a podium spot, Juara.net noted.
How the Sepang Weekend Unfolded for the Honda Rookie
During Saturday’s second free practice session under clear skies, the Gunungkidul native navigated a series of mid-session lead changes involving Guido Pini, Alvaro Carpe, and Maximo Quiles before finishing eighth in that specific practice heat, CNN Indonesia reported. Veda briefly held the fastest time in the early stages before Guido Pini surged ahead, dropping Veda to second place. During the first 10 minutes, Alvaro Carpe moved into the lead after beating the lap times of Maximo Quiles and Pini, while Veda slipped to seventh position. The Honda Team Asia rider briefly went off the track before returning to ride his machine. Veda then moved into third place above Malaysian rider Hakim Danish, while Quiles remained unchallenged at the top. At minute 18, Hakim Danish improved his lap time to break into third position behind Quiles and Carpe. In the final five minutes, David Almansa took over first place and remained uncatchable until the practice ended, with Maximo Quiles and David Munoz trailing Almansa. Veda failed to sharpen his time on the final lap and had to settle for eighth position, two spots behind Hakim Danish. The FP2 classification concluded with David Almansa first in 2 minutes 10.985 seconds, followed by Maximo Quiles, David Munoz, Alvaro Carpe, Adrian Fernandez, Hakim Danish, Rico Salmela, Veda Ega Pratama, Brian Uriarte, and Kiattisak Singhapong, CNN Indonesia reported.
That Saturday performance followed a productive opening day where Veda placed fourth in FP1 and third during practice. When the lights went out on Sunday, Maximo Quiles capitalized on his pole position to build a commanding gap at the front, leaving the remaining podium contenders to scrap for position in his wake, Kompasiana.com reported.
Tactical Battles in the Closing Laps
The battle for the remaining podium steps saw intense position changes among Veda, Carpe, Danish, and David Almansa. With five laps remaining, Veda climbed to second place before a momentary drop in concentration pushed him back down, Kompasiana.com noted. With three laps remaining, Veda successfully overtook Almansa to secure second position, according to Kompasiana.com.
Demonstrating composure under pressure, Veda fought back in the final laps, executing crucial overtaking maneuvers on the final circuit to lock down second place across the finish line. Quiles claimed the victory with a 3.734-second advantage over Veda, while Carpe rounded out the podium in third and Danish took fourth, Kompasiana.com reported.
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Veda Secures Second Podium Finish of 2026 Moto3 Campaign
The result in Malaysia marks Veda’s second podium finish of his 2026 Moto3 campaign, following a previous top-three appearance in Brazil. The rookie’s progression through international racing has included a dominant run in the 2023 Asia Talent Cup where he secured nine victories, followed by strong campaigns in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, Enamplus reported. Veda also finished as runner-up in 2025, Enamplus reported.
Guided by his father and former racer Sudarmono after beginning his career in motocross and joining the Astra Honda Racing School at age nine, Veda continues to build experience in Grand Prix racing with an eye toward future progression in the MotoGP paddock, Enamplus reported.
