Rookies Cup: David Da Costa achieves the best French result in 15 years

The 2026 season of Red Bull The Rookies Cup opens under the best possible auspices for France. During qualifying for the inaugural round of the year in Jerez, David Da Costa set the third fastest time with a lap of 1:48.461. Thus, for the first time since Alan Techer in 2011, a Frenchman has qualified on the front row in this championship.

A renewed sense of hope for the rider who had a difficult 2025 season, his adaptation to the category hampered by an injury. His sacrifices to return to the top of the field have not been in vain, however.

« Last year was quite complicated, David Da Costa told AUTOhebdo after Qualifying at the Jerez circuit. I missed 3 or 4 consecutive race weekends. I trained really hard during this winter, it wasn't easy every day. I even had to leave my family for a while to be able to train properly, but you can see that the hard work pays off.

After already promising winter tests, this result confirms Da Costa's potential in a competitive championship, which serves as a stepping stone to Grand Prix racing. « Now I know I have the rhythm all by myself. He continues. During qualifying, I try to position myself behind someone to get a bit of a slipstream, because it helps a lot at Jerez.

 

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David Da Costa raises his voice

A better result was within reach, as Fernando Bujosa, who will start just ahead of him on the grid for this weekend's races, beat him by only a thousandth of a second. This third place finish, however, doesn't put any extra pressure on Bujosa, who remains focused on his weekend of competition.

“I still keep my feet on the ground, I’m not above it or anything. I think the important thing is really to score as many points as possible. If I have to think about playing for the title, we We'll talk about it at mid-season, but right now the goal is really to score as many points as possible, and above all, to finish the races.