Paris, September 20th 2024 - After a complicated start to the season, Tony Arbolino found his way back to the podium at the Grand Prix of Aragon. The Italian from the Elf Marc VDS team says he is ready for a strong second half of the championship.
Aragon was your first podium of the season. How did you feel at the finish? Were you happy? Relief?
Recognition! I've worked so hard to get here. In my mind, I never thought for a minute that I'd become a bad rider. I always knew that I was still fast and that I had talent. But I'd like to thank the guys in the team for their great work. Even in the difficult moments, they kept thinking we had real potential. There are still a few things we need to fine-tune to improve. But I'm sure we can do it. I'm convinced that we can continue like this and even go one step further to finish this year in the best possible way by regularly stepping onto the podium.
What is the most difficult thing for you this year? The change from Dunlop to Pirelli tyres?
Let's just say that it was this change that shook up the Moto2 championship hierarchy. We had to adapt at different levels, and we didn't all manage to do it at the same pace. I never doubted our potential, I knew we'd get there in the end. But extracting that potential wasn't easy, and even today I think we're a long way from the maximum of what we can do.
What did you lack?
Confidence, speed and consistency. In other words, a lot of things needed to compete for the top spots. I'm finding it hard to identify the limits of the tyres so that I can take advantage of them in qualifying. And managing tyre degradation is also very different from what we're used to with Dunlop tyres. But since the start of the year I've been saying that we'll be up there in the second half of the championship. I still believe that.
What difference do the new tyres have in terms of riding?
They offer more grip, so you have to go further out to find the limit. And to do that, you have to be confident. The fact that they offer more grip has also raised the general level of the Moto2 category. The front tyre makes it possible to brake harder, which means that everyone brakes later at the entry to the corner. Overtaking is therefore trickier. And when you qualify badly, as I all too often do, you get into trouble even before the start. Once again, it's all a question of confidence, and I feel that this confidence is returning.
Last year there was a lot of talk about you moving up to MotoGP. Your difficulties at the start of the season have put a stop to any negotiations you might have had. Is that morally difficult to accept?
No, I'm concentrating on my job in Moto2. I'm not worried about my future. I know that if I get back to the forefront in this category, I'll have my chance to move up to MotoGP when the time comes. I'm still young. I have to do things in the right order.