Meteoric Rise: Marco Morelli and Veda Pratama, the Moto3 Super Rookies to Watch

Marco Morelli and Veda Pratama are the undisputed standout rookies at the start of the 2026 Moto3 season. Let’s keep an eye on them!

As usual, the top picks were immediately the Spanish youngsters. The best start to the Moto3 rookie season, however, sees Argentine Marco Morelli (though born and raised in Spain) in the lead, followed by the super Indonesian Veda Pratama, already in the history books of his country and of Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Particularly notable is the first world podium achieved by both of them at the Brazilian GP: Maximo Quiles won, with a year of experience under his belt, but joining him on the podium were the two fiery debutants, as seen in the cover photo. The Austin GP wasn’t great for either of them, but they remain firmly at the top of the rookie standings. We’ll certainly have to keep an eye on them for the rest of the season!

Marco Morelli, an Italian name but Argentine roots, is a young rider born in 2007 from Barcelona. Born and raised in Spain, he races under the flag of his origins, but we’ve also had the chance to see him in Italy. In fact, we saw him in the Moto3 class of the Italian Speed Championship (CIV) just last year, when GP Project 2WP fielded him as a replacement for Casalboni, sidelined due to health issues. A super winning debut was soon followed by a step up to the World Championship in the class with BOE Motorsport, with which he immediately scored points, then continued the season with MLav Racing: seven more GPs in which he took four points finishes, best result 11th in Portugal. This year he’s a full-time Moto3 World Championship rider with the Aspar Team, and at the second GP he was on the second step of the podium, on a brand-new track for everyone! Austin didn’t go that well, he finished “only” 12th, still bringing home four important points. If these are the premises...

But Asia also has a new hero to watch, and it’s not an unpredictable flash in the pan. Veda Pratama, who turned 17 last November and is a Casey Stoner fan, is one of the two rookies fielded by Honda Team Asia; unlike Morelli, he’s an absolute debutant in the Moto3 World Championship, with no prior substitutions or wild cards before joining the World Championship full-time. His arrival despite not yet being 18 stems from the stunning 2nd place he achieved last year in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, a historic result that followed the first Asia Talent Cup title for an Indonesian, his in 2023. Fast-forwarding to 2026, he nearly made the podium at the very first GP in Thailand and reached it a few weeks later in Brazil, just his second GP as a World Championship rider: it’s history—no Indonesian had ever managed it before! In Austin he crashed (caught up by Esteban) while once again battling in the leading group. As with Morelli, let’s not lose sight of him.