The second race of the year for the Moto3 World Championship was a tough one for Red Bull KTM Ajo. Niccolo Antonelli and Bo Bendsneyder, who started from the fifth and sixth row, respectively, suffered misfortune in the Sunday showdown, and leave South America without the results that they had hoped to achieve. The Dutchman was able to finish the race in 23rd position, after a difficult start, while the Italian crashed out on the second lap after being clipped by another rider. Niccolo Antonelli made a good start, crossing the line fifteenth on the first lap. However, on the seventh corner of the next lap, contact from a rival rider meant that he was eliminated from the race. Bendsneyder dropped down the order when the lights went out, being relegated to 29th. Little by little he was able to gain positions, finally completing the 21-lap contest in 23rd. Following the first two races of the season, Niccolo Antonelli is ninth in the overall standings with 9 points and Bendsneyder, twenty-seventh. The next round of the Moto3 World Championship will be held in two weeks’ time, at the Circuit of the Americas in the USA on April 23rd.
Results (Race)
| POS | Rider | TEAM | Time / gap |
| 1 | Joan MIR | Leopard Racing | 38’33.377 |
| 2 | John MCPHEE | British Talent Team | +0.261 |
| 3 | Jorge MARTIN | Del Conca Gresini Moto3 | +0.339 |
| 4 | Philipp OETTL | Südmetall Schedl GP Racing | +0.641 |
| 5 | Andrea MIGNO | SKY Racing Team VR46 | +0.890 |
| 6 | Livio LOI | Leopard Racing | 7.598 |
| 7 | Romano FENATI | Marinelli Rivacold Snipers | 7.761 |
| 8 | Tatsuki SUZUKI | SIC58 Squadra Corse | 7.831 |
| 9 | Juanfran GUEVARA | RBA BOE Racing Team | 12.000 |
| 10 | Kaito TOBA | Honda Team Asia | 12.079 |
| 11 | Aron CANET | Estrella Galicia 0,0 | 12.278 |
| 12 | Darryn BINDER | Platinum Bay Real Estate | 12.294 |
| 13 | Nicolo BULEGA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 12.393 |
| 14 | Marcos RAMIREZ | Platinum Bay Real Estate | 12.480 |
| 15 | Tony ARBOLINO | SIC58 Squadra Corse | 12.620 |
| 16 | Maria HERRERA | AGR Team | 13.083 |
| 17 | Adam NORRODIN | SIC Racing Team | 18.861 |
| 18 | Jakub KORNFEIL | Peugeot MC Saxoprint | 20.573 |
| 19 | Marco BEZZECCHI | CIP | 26.774 |
| 20 | Ayumu SASAKI | SIC Racing Team | 26.905 |
| 21 | Manuel PAGLIANI | CIP | 27.400 |
| 22 | Jules DANILO | Marinelli Rivacold Snipers | 27.534 |
| 23 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 27.612 |
| 24 | Nakarin ATIRATPHUVAPAT | Honda Team Asia | 35.218 |
| 25 | Albert ARENAS | Aspar Mahindra Moto3 | 50.124 |
| 26 | Patrik PULKKINEN | Peugeot MC Saxoprint | +1’18.379 |
| 27 | Enea BASTIANINI | Estrella Galicia 0,0 | +1’20.064 |
| Not Classified | |||
| Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | Del Conca Gresini Moto3 | 9 Laps | |
| Lorenzo DALLA PORTA | Aspar Mahindra Moto3 | 9 Laps | |
| Gabriel RODRIGO | RBA BOE Racing Team | 10 Laps | |
| Niccolò ANTONELLI | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 20 Laps |
23 NICCOLO ANTONELLI
“Today was a strange day. We tried to be fast from the outset, but the start wasn’t the best. After the opening lap, I started to overtake people. It was on the second lap that another rider hit me and I couldn’t avoid a crash. It’s a pity, because I was hoping to have a good race and get more experience on the KTM, with which I feel much more comfortable. We have to look ahead and do a good job in the USA.”
64 BO BENDSNEYDER
“The race was tough. We struggled a lot throughout the weekend, as we didn’t have the same feeling that we had in either preseason testing or Qatar. This was a hard weekend for us, but we never give up. We will work harder than ever for the coming races. I think that we have learnt a lot over these days, so now we have to look to Austin. I like that circuit, so we’ll see what we can do. I want to thank the team, because they always support me with everything.”
AKI AJO – TEAM MANAGER
“There is little we can say about today’s Moto3 race. It is clear that we are quite disappointed with the results and about not being able to get any points. I can’t remember a similar race for our Moto3 team, but racing is like that. Sometimes you have these moments and you have to use them to grow and learn. It is very important to analyse and study what happened today and look ahead. Difficulties make us stronger. Niccolo [Antonelli]’s race was over very soon, which is always a shame, but it is even more disappointing when it is because of another rider knocking you over. That happened to Bo [Bendsneyder] in Qatar and now it has happened to Niccolo. I feel especially badly for him, because he had improved his work a lot in recent weeks. We are looking forward and I am sure that Niccolo will fight for the top positions soon. With Bo’s race we still have to analyse what happened both today and throughout the weekend. It looks like he has lost a little confidence and we have to work to get that back after the good preseason he had.”
