LevelUp MTA 2026: Bertelle and Esteban's "double return" to aim high in Moto3

LevelUp MTA has unveiled its livery for the 2026 Moto3 season, to be tackled with Matteo Bertelle and Joel Esteban.

A “double return,” for different reasons, to pursue ambitious goals in 2026. That’s how we can describe Alessandro Tonucci’s LevelUp MTA duo for the upcoming Moto3 World Championship, officially presented last weekend at Golf Franciacorta, in the province of Brescia. “Ready for a new season” is the message shared on the Italian squad’s social channels, reaffirming their ambition to be among the top teams in the class. They resume from four podiums and two poles with Joel Kelso (this year with MLav Racing), plus Bertelle’s podium—cut short too soon by injury—with the aim of being even more competitive in Moto3.

Matteo Bertelle, a 21-year-old from Monselice (Padua), is coming off a season marked by a serious training injury suffered right after his splendid first podium in Austin. Nearly six months out, with 13 events missed out of 22 total, although he still managed to return for the final six rounds of the year, scoring points three times including one top-10. That’s why we speak of a return, with hopes he’ll again be one of Italy’s reference points in Moto3, as he was proving to be before the accident.

On the other side of the garage will be Spaniard Joel Esteban, who has had two unusual years. In 2024 he completed his first full world championship season with the Aspar Team: a standout 4th place and points in 11 out of 20 GPs. Last year he returned to the former JuniorGP with the same squad, while also making several world championship substitute appearances for injured riders with Jorge Martinez’s team, KTM Tech3, and Leopard Racing. Now comes the second “return” mentioned earlier, as he will once again be a full-time rider in the lightweight class of the World Championship.

An interesting note is that he steps in midstream for Marcos Uriarte, who had long replaced the injured Bertelle before the Spaniard himself encountered physical issues. In mid-September he seemed confirmed for 2026 as well with Tonucci’s team, until a different announcement in mid-November officially revealed Esteban’s signing.