Moto2, Tony Arbolino: “The earlier you get into MotoGP, the better”

Not all good stories have happy ending, sometimes you get a step away, but for one reason or another, a worthy conclusion is just not achievable. Something like Tony Arbolino, who only missed the Moto3 title by 4 points this year. What he had to do was bad luck, playing the role of a passenger found positive for Covid on a plane trip, enough to miss Tony a race that would have given him a world title in retrospect.

Arbolino is now starting a new phase of his career in Moto2 with Intact GP and he doesn’t want to leave anything to chance. In the last few days he has been in Spain and trained on the Ribeira circuit. “Vacation? I already had my vacation, a few days of relaxation after the championship, but now my body wants to train, ”he smiled.

Looking back, what memories do you have of your last season in Moto3?

“The feeling is strange, but I’m very focused on the move to Moto2 because I know it will be very important to me. But every now and then I think back to Moto3 The last year has been really amazing, I’m very proud of the improvements I made between late 2019 and early 2020. When I look at my races, I say that I did well there in the last part of the season. “

What was the best race?

“There are some: Le Mans, Valencia and Portimao”.

“I believed in winning the Moto3 World Championship until the very end”

You fought for the world title in Portimao, did you think you could win it?

“I believed a lot, a lot, a lot in it. Because I knew that I could put Arenas under pressure and that I was very strong in these conditions, I was in a very good psychological situation. I just wanted to get ahead of him, I tried in every way, after the start I believed in it more and more, curve by curve, lap by lap. “

You complicated your life on Saturday by not getting into Q2.

“The worst qualifying at the worst time of the year (laughs). I made a mistake, but in the end these things happen. In the end, I started so far behind that I was sure – and that made the difference – that” I could do that. I was very motivated. “

“I lost the World Championship in Misano, so I should have scored more points”

When did you lose the world title?

“It would be obvious to say in Aragon (where he did not take part in races and was quarantined, albeit negative for Covid, because he had traveled by plane with a positive passenger, Note d. I should have done this race and if I had made it, would be the second did not go as it did, the other drivers had an additional weekend full of experience. “

If we exclude Aragon, then …

“In my opinion, I lost the World Championship in Misano, where I should have scored more points in both races. We started with enthusiasm, but we had a lot of problems: There was new asphalt, but we started with the set-up from last year. I had problems and my championship would have been different if I’d done these two races better.

“This year taught me not to knock down”

What did you learn from this season?

“That you don’t have to blow yourself with 40 points behind, even if it seems like a lot. This year I learned to always stay 100% focused in every race and was able to achieve my best performance, like in 2019 I wasn’t influenced by the result of the previous GP. I’ve grown mentally. “

Are you very sorry to leave Moto3 without winning the title?

“I’m very disappointed because I really gave everything, not only on the track, but also at home. I’m very proud to have gotten close, but I wanted to win it. I could have gone to Moto2 this year, but I wanted to stay in Moto3 to learn more and win the World Championship. In the end I am happy, especially because I finished all races in the points. “

“My future will be decided in Moto2, if I get beaten I’ll work twice as hard”

Now is the time to start thinking about Moto2. How do you approach this jump?

“When I talk to my father and the people I am close to, I always say it this is the most important step in my life, my career, because it decides my future. I’ll give everything to get 100% in shape in the first race, also physically. But it will be difficult, on the first race weekend I have to understand how the tires are used, what the pace is. It won’t be easy and if I get beaten, maybe already in the tests, I’ll have to work twice as hard. I think I can do good races, I have the right qualities and the team is very serious, I like it, but at the same time there are very nice people, I feel good. I hope to give the team a lot of satisfaction ”.

In next year’s Moto2 all top 5 drivers of this year’s Moto3 World Championship will be there …

“The title of Rookie of the Year is important because it gives you confidence for the following year. Given the level, I think the driver who wins it will take podium places too.”

Who could be the most dangerous rival of all the other rookies?

“I think Fernandez will be strong and I think Vietti won’t do badly either. We are all fast drivers, we all have desire and quality, whoever adapts first will win ”.

Moto2 is the last step before MotoGP. Riders like Vinales and Rins were only there for a year …

“That depends entirely on your performance. IIf you get strong in the first year, then everyone wants you and that’s what I have to strive for. I think the sooner you get into MotoGP the better so you have more time to get to the top.

The last question is again about Moto3, who is the favorite?

“I think Jauma Masia”.