“I don’t consider going up to MotoGP without being champion in Moto2”

Albert Arenas no longer a beginner Moto2 and in his signing for KTM Garlic Team, winner of the last two World Cups, is clear that he should be more ambitious. To do this, he will face his third season in the category without thinking too much about the future and will stay every day with a winning mentality.

How was the preseason for you? How was your daily preparation?

This year the season starts later than usual, we have a longer pre-season. It’s just that we will have more time to prepare but in the end it doesn’t change much. It’s time to train physically, mentally, on the motorcycle… especially putting in a lot of time and a lot of energy to start doing more specific work as the start of the season approaches and in good shape.

What I want to change compared to other years is to go day by day, not rushing to start despite many desires. Reach weekly goals. Feel ready but not rushed.

How is the adaptation to the KTM Ajo? You left the Aspar group, where you had been for many years. What do you think you will see in this structure that you didn’t before?

I did a practice last November that I keep thinking about and seeing. I went into the winter with a new vision, a new mindset. The truth is that I did not have time to see what it would contribute to me, but it is true that in the first contact I saw another way of work to which I tried to adapt. From March 11, when we travel to Jerez, we will have two weeks to get to know each other better. I have a very good feeling, it’s a very competitive team, like me. So we coordinate well.

It’s your third season in Moto2. Do you have goals between your eyebrows?

I will tell you this way: more than a goal, it is a lifestyle, which is to win. I want to win in life, in everything. I face this season with this value. Not as if I had to do it yes or yes, I am preparing 100% and this is how I ride. I’ll see what the result will be. I don’t want to create expectations, there is also the fact that it is a new team, a new bike, which I know clearly. But everything is new and so I want to approach the season with these values ​​that I have as a driver and athlete. After these two years they helped me learn how to manage what happens when you don’t win and it helped me become stronger and see what to do to improve personally.

Augusto Fernández left a strong team to join KTM Ajo and emerged champion. Do you take this as an example?

completely. The changes are good and it just shows you how competitive the team is and how clear things are. I have to take the reference of having an independent mind and see what I can do, the weapons I have and know how to use them.

He has already talked about knowing the bike because he will continue with Kalex. Why does it suit your style better?

completely. The changes are good and it just shows you how competitive the team is and how clear things are. I have to take the reference of having an independent mind and see what I can do, the weapons I have and know how to use them.

Pedro Acosta is one of the biggest names on the grid. What does it mean when you share a box with someone who attracts so much attention?

In the first place I see it as something positive, both for him and for me. When the drivers in a team are competitive and push each other, the level of the team rises. He carries the weight of the category after the end of last year and is clearly one of the favorites. It is also a way to learn because it is also one of the favorites and to be able to conclude closely.

When he was champion in Moto3, you already fought with riders like Arbolino, Ogura, Vietti… and now a very good new batch is coming with Guevara, Sergio García or Foggia. Do you think there are more candidates than ever?

maybe. This is something I never really thought about. Every year the level increases. We’re getting stronger, the riders are getting better. Records are broken every year. That is why we have to be very focused on ourselves to make the most of it.

The jump from Moto2 after Moto3 cost more than expected and his case is not the only one. Why is category change so complicated?

2021 is a pretty tough year, especially because one of the goals when you’re a world champion is to keep winning. When there is this difference in results, it is not only difficult at the level of numbers, but also personally because you see that you can no longer meet an expectation that you have set for yourself. It’s also a combination of circumstances, it’s not the best adaptations to the bike or the team. I think in general it is difficult for all of us to understand what to take from the performance of the bike. I felt fast but I wasn’t able to do well. These two years have helped me to train and now I am ready to get what I wanted to get from Moto2 in the first place and even later it can also be enjoyable.

And in these years, what has changed in your style?

It can be harder for me to understand how to get the most out of the tires, the traction or how to distribute the weight to set up the bike. Sometimes you can go fast but the times don’t work and in Moto2 if you’re two tenths off the pace, you stay over 15 and I’ve learned to know what I need to be better and get the potential from the bicycle

To close Augusto Fernández only stepped up to MotoGP this year. Do you think it’s worth it to be a champion?

It definitely gets more complicated and has more levels. But as I said before, my goal as a rider is always to win and I will not consider entering MotoGP if it is not by any means other than getting 100% from the category and that means winning the title. What comes comes. One goal I have set is to get to MotoGP but living what I have now and whatever comes will be welcomed.

In addition, what do you expect in MotoGP in 2023 in the Bagnaia-Quartararo duel, the role of Márquez…?

It’s going to be interesting because we’ve had a lot of moves since Suzuki left. I think it will be a very competitive year where more than 10 drivers will win, as has happened in the past. And I hope Marc is back to his best level, Yamaha gets its act together, Ducati wants to revalidate… it will be very competitive. I really want to see Márquez again because what he does inspires other drivers.