Joel Esteban to Step up With Red Bull KTM Tech3 to Replace Injured Jacob Roulstone

With team leader Jacob Roulstone forced to sit out for a minimum of six weeks to recover from a neck injury sustained during a private training, it will be Spaniard Joel Esteban who will step up with Red Bull KTM Tech3, starting with the Moto3™ pre-season tests in Portimao on February 10th and 11th, followed by the Official Jerez Test from 18th to 20th of February.

It is expected that Esteban will take part in the first rounds of the 2025 season, set to kick off in Buriram with the Grand Prix of Thailand, on February 28-March 2nd, 2025, alongside rookie Valentin Perrone.

From Catalunya, the nineteen years old recruit from the Aspar Academy made his debuts in Moto3™ in 2024 with the CFMOTO Aspar Racing Team, alongside no one else but David Alonso, crowned Moto3™ World Champion after a record-breaking campaign in the lightweight class. The young Spaniard finished his rookie campaign with a 17th place in the championship, highlighted by a best result at the French Grand Prix with a P4. In 2025, Esteban will compete in the FIM JuniorGP™ Championship in Aspar colours, with the season opener taking place on May 4th in Portugal at the Circuito do Estoril.

The Red Bull KTM Tech3 team would like to extend a warm welcome to Joel Esteban, as well as thanking the Aspar team, Jorge Martinez Aspar and Nicolas Terol, for the opportunity to work with Joel for the next weeks, until Roulstone’s return.

Joel Esteban: “I am very happy and proud to be offered the opportunity to continue competing in the Moto3 World Championship with a great team like Red Bull KTM Tech3. My goal is to help the team as much as I can until the return of Jacob Roulstone, and I will give my best. I wish Jacob a speedy recovery, and I want to say a big thank you to Hervé Poncharal and his team for trusting me to take on this role.”

Hervé Poncharal, Team Principal: “We feel sorry for what happened to Jacob Roulstone who had a solid rookie season with us in 2024, and we were all looking forward to a strong second campaign in 2025. Riders train during the off-season, not without risks, but it is part of their winter preparation ahead of a new season. Jacob’s crash could have been without consequences, but sadly it was not the case for him, and he will have to stay still for a while until his neck is fully recovered. It was very important for us to find a competitive substitute, and we are extremely happy to have Joel Esteban take on this role with us. He had a solid rookie year in 2024, and he deserves to have another chance in Moto3 until Jacob’s return. We would like to say a huge thank you to Jorge Martinez Aspar and Nicolas Terol from the Aspar team for letting Joel take this opportunity with us, and we are sure that it will be a great collaboration.”