In his first world championship event, competing against riders with up to 140 grands prix under their wheels, Redding climbed to third place on his Blusens Aprilia, and set the fastest lap before eventually finishing fifth.
He thus became the youngest rider ever to finish in the top five of a grand prix race. He had already created history by becoming the youngest ever rider to start from the front row of a grand prix after qualifying in fourth place.
"I had a bad start, but I managed to pull back and a few people crashed and helped me to pick up places," he said, displaying a racer's ruthless mentality at a splendidly early age.
"I expected to finish about tenth or 11th, and when I saw that I had got up to third I thought, 'This isn't supposed to happen!'
"But I learnt a few things in the Spanish championship last year about holding a line. I wasn't pushing full on tonight, I was just holding my line, and now I've learnt something else from this race."
Redding won the last three races of the Spanish championship in 2007 and finished second in the series. His father Adrian was in Qatar to see his son battle it out fearlessly with the kings of the razor-fine 125cc class.
Sunday pm - Broken Steering Damper Costs Bradley His Chance
A simple broken steering damper robbed Bradley Smith of the chance to become Britain's first 125cc grand prix winner in 35 years at Losail here tonight.
The problem struck after he had led the first lap on his Polaris World Aprilia. But then the bike wobbled violently, and he dropped back to finish in 16th place, nearly 25 seconds behind winner Sergio Gadea on the Bancaja Aspar Aprilia.
"The damper came off at the mounting point on the frame," Bradley said as he watched the subsequent 250cc race in the Polaris World pitbox.
