Veda Ega Pratama: Indonesian Rider’s Moto3 Podium & Avoiding Champagne Spray

Veda Ega Pratama, a 17-year-old Indonesian racer, achieved a historic third-place finish in the Moto3 Brazilian Grand Prix at the Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna in Goiânia on Sunday, March 22, 2026, becoming the first Indonesian to reach a Grand Prix podium.

Pratama, riding for the Honda Team Asia, completed the race behind Maximo Quiles and Marco Morelli of the Aspar team. His performance marks a significant milestone in his debut Moto3 season, following a fifth-place finish at the opening round in Thailand. The result elevates Pratama to third place in the Moto3 World Championship standings with 27 points.

The Brazilian Grand Prix was the first time a Moto3 race had been held in Brazil, taking place at the newly constructed Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna. Notably, no Moto3 rider or team had prior experience racing on the Goiania circuit, making data collection during Friday’s practice sessions crucial for all competitors. Pratama’s strong qualifying position of fourth, behind Joel Esteban, Valentin Perrone, and Hakim Danish, set the stage for his podium finish.

Beyond his racing achievement, Pratama garnered attention for his actions during the podium ceremony. As a practicing Muslim, he respectfully avoided the traditional celebratory spraying of champagne, subtly moving away from the spray as the other riders celebrated. He later joined the celebrations, opting to raise a drink of energy drink during a celebratory touch with his fellow podium finishers.

The Moto3 race served as the opening event of the Brazilian series, with the MotoGP race scheduled for Monday, March 23, 2026. Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46 Racing Team started the MotoGP race from pole position, followed by Marco Bezzecchi and Marc Marquez. Marquez had previously won the sprint race held earlier that day.