Angel Piqueras Joins MT Helmets MSi Moto3 Team for 2025 & 2026
Angel Piqueras, Moto3 rookie sensation, switches to MT-MSi team from Leopard Racing in a deal involving a significant transfer fee.
Leopard Racing has finalized its Moto3 lineup for 2025. This year’s best Honda team in Moto3 signs David Almansa for 2025. The Spaniard joins Adrian Fernandez, who will remain with the team for his second full year in Moto3.
Almansa’s entry comes after a difficult rookie campaign with the Rivacold Snipers Team, where he finished 22nd in the standings. The year was marred by a fractured hand sustained at Portimão. With his best race results being an 11th-place finish, the 18-year-old showed promise toward the season’s end with consistently strong qualifying performances.
“I’m very happy for the trust they’ve placed in me after such a tough year, handicapped by injury,” Almansa said. “Leopard Racing has always been the team I’ve dreamed of joining. I’m eager to learn, improve, and repay their faith with my work and dedication.”
While Almansa has yet to secure a podium in Grand Prix racing, his record in the Junior World Championship includes a race win and multiple podium finishes and hints at a lot of untapped potential in Moto3.
Adrian Fernandez enters 2025 as Leopard Racing’s clear number-one rider. Finishing sixth in the championship, his 2024 season featured three consecutive podium finishes in Indonesia, Japan, and Australia. With the departure of Moto3’s top four riders to higher categories, the 20-year-old could well be one to watch for the title in 2025.
“I’m thrilled to stay with Leopard Racing, a team that feels like family,” the younger Fernandez brother said. “This year, I achieved my first podiums and made significant progress. We’re starting 2025 with a clear goal, and I’m ready to fight from day one.”
Leopard Racing faced a tumultuous 2024 season. After clinching the 2023 Moto3 title with Jaume Masia, the team fell short of their high expectations, mainly due to their Honda machinery being rather uncompetitive in the early stages of the season.
Team Manager Miodrag Kotur acknowledged the need for a strong lineup to regain momentum starting in 2025. Having lost Moto3 mega-talent Angel Piqueras to MT Helmets MSi, David Almansa’s signing raised eyebrows in the paddock following a modest rookie year.
However, as Leopard Racing remains loyal to Honda machinery in 2025, Almansa, who only rode Hondas in his Moto3 career, will likely benefit from this continuity as he adjusts to the new team and the pressure of the high expectations in his new employer.
