After catching the eye on his debut appearance in the 2026 Moto4 European Cup, Qabil Irfan Azlan is ready to take on an even greater challenge as he heads into Round 2 at the Estoril Circuit in Portugal this weekend with the aim of securing his first podium finish of the season. The challenge at Estoril is expected to be even tougher as SIC-GRYD Racing has not conducted any private testing at the circuit, unlike many other teams that have already gathered valuable data through pre-event test sessions in preparation for the race.

Adding to the challenge, there will be no unofficial practice sessions on Thursday as has often been the case in the past, making every official session from Friday onwards crucial for the team as they work to find the best possible set-up for Qabil’s machine. To make matters even more demanding, two races will be held on Sunday – Race 1 and Race 2 – with each race consisting of 15 laps, meaning every championship point on offer will be extremely valuable.

Qabil demonstrated his ability to compete against Europe’s best young riders by finishing fourth in the opening round at Barcelona-Catalunya despite starting from eighth on the grid. In a fiercely contested race, he displayed remarkable maturity by establishing himself among the front runners from the very beginning and exchanging positions several times with the championship’s leading contenders. Even more impressively, the young Malaysian rider spent time battling within the podium positions before narrowly missing out on a top-three finish after an intense fight right to the chequered flag. The result earned Qabil 13 championship points and leaves him fourth in the overall standings after the opening round.

His encouraging performance in Barcelona not only boosted the confidence of the Terengganu-born rider, but also proved that he is capable of adapting quickly to a new and far more competitive environment than any championship he has previously contested. His focus now shifts fully to Estoril, a circuit renowned for its combination of technical corners and long straights, which will provide another important test for the Malaysian youngster. Qabil has enjoyed success at Estoril before, having claimed victory at the same circuit during Round 6 of the Spanish Superbike Championship (ESBK) last year.

However, the Moto4 European Cup presents a much greater challenge, with the championship featuring more than 50 permanent riders from over 20 different countries, as well as several wildcard entrants that further increase the level of competition. Despite being fully aware of the challenge ahead, Qabil remains optimistic that the experience gained in Barcelona will allow him to be even more competitive and aggressive when he takes to the track in Portugal this weekend.

Qabil Irfan:

“Round 1 in Barcelona gave me a lot of new experience. I was able to see first-hand how the European riders race and how they manage a race when competing in such a closely packed group. I learned a great deal throughout the weekend. Every session taught me something different, and I believe those experiences will help me perform even better in Portugal.

For me, one of the biggest differences is that the riders here are extremely fast and aggressive. They are constantly applying pressure and rarely make mistakes. For the round in Portugal, I want to be more aggressive than I was before. My target is to stay with the leading group and challenge for a podium position. I will do my best to make full use of everything I learned in Barcelona and give my all throughout the race weekend.”

Zulfahmi Khairuddin:

“Qabil has shown impressive maturity for a 14-year-old rider. He did not take long to adapt to the bike, the team and the level of competition in the Moto4 European Cup. What was most encouraging was that Qabil was not simply keeping pace with the leading group, but was genuinely fighting for a podium position right until the closing stages of the race.

That is a very positive sign because it shows that Qabil has tremendous potential to develop even further. Of course, there are still many areas where he can learn and improve, but we are pleased with the progress he has shown so far. My hope is to see Qabil deliver his best performance from the very first practice session and put himself in the strongest possible position during qualifying.”