Kiandra Ramadhipa Climbs Standings After Dramatic French GP

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesian rising star Muhammad Kiandra Ramadhipa secured a hard-fought 10th-place finish in the first race of the 2026 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup at the Le Mans Circuit on Saturday, May 9. Starting from 12th on the grid, the 16-year-old from Sleman, Yogyakarta, displayed resilience in a tightly contested middle pack to earn six valuable championship points.

Throughout the race, Ramadhipa found himself embroiled in a battle for positions 11 through 13. By the final lap, he was maintaining 11th place; however, a dramatic turn of events occurred at the final corner. Race leader David Gonzalez suffered a late crash, causing the remaining riders to move up one spot in the final classification, Antara reported.

Benat Fernandez of Spain capitalized on the late-race drama to take the victory with a time of 26:24.308. Ramadhipa crossed the finish line 6.283 seconds behind the winner.

With this 10th-place result, combined with his stellar performance at the Spanish GP in April, where he secured a 7th-place finish and a victory, Ramadhipa now sits in a strong third place in the overall standings.

The current top three rankings in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup are led by Benat Fernandez from Spain, who holds the top spot with 66 points. He is followed by fellow Spaniard Fernando Bujosa, who currently sits in second place with 44 points. Rounding out the top three is Indonesia’s Muhammad Kiandra Ramadhipa, who remains a strong contender with a total of 40 points.

Ramadhipa is no stranger to the competitive environment of the Rookies Cup, having finished the 2025 season as the eighth-best rider. He continues to follow in the footsteps of his compatriot Veda Ega Pratama, the 2025 runner-up who has since moved up to Moto3 competition.

The French GP action continues with the second race scheduled for Sunday, May 10, where Ramadhipa will look to capitalize on his current momentum and close the gap on the leaders. ***