Moto3: Arenas Leads to Andalusia

One week on from the second round of the 2020 season, the Moto3 World Championship will remain in Jerez this weekend for round three. 

One week ago it was Albert Arenas who took his second victory of the season to ensure he goes into round three with a maximum points haul so far in 2020. The Spaniard is currently looking like the main contender for the championship, and it will be important this weekend for his rivals to prove that he has real competition. 

One of those riders could be Ai Ogura, who is the only rider other than Arenas to have finished on the podium in both races so far this season. The Japanese rider suffered on Friday and Saturday last weekend but strong pace in the final part of the Spanish Grand Prix brought him to the podium. Similar conditions await the riders this weekend, so the #79 will be expecting to be fighting once again for the top three. 

Although Qatar did not go to plan for Tony Arbolino, he was one of the strongest riders last weekend in Jerez. However, in such a short season, to be already 33 points down on Arenas means that the Italian has a lot of work to do in the next races to really enter championship contention.

Celestino Vietti was able to lead for much of the first half of the race last weekend, but once he was passed he was never able to return to the front. Remaining in the top three will be critical for Vietti this weekend. Like Arbolino, the #13 has proven his speed in recent races – including in 2019 – but a non-scoring ride in Qatar means that with – most likely – 12 rounds to go, he has to claw back 39 points on Arenas if he wants to be crowned champion. 

Despite his non-finish in the Spanish round last weekend, John McPhee remains in the top three in the championship, although he now sits 30 points behind Arenas and 16 behind Ogura. However, McPhee clearly had one of his most impressive races last weekend, and had the pace to fight for the win in the second half of the race. Without the contact in the final corner with Arbolino and Vietti, McPhee’s points situation looks more promising, and with essentially the same race being run this weekend, the opportunity is there for McPhee to start clawing his way back into the championship discussion. 

Two wins to start the season is never a bad thing, but it is also clear that the inconsistency of his rivals have assisted Albert Arenas in opening up such a substantial advantage so far. This does not diminish his achievement to date, in fact it reinforces it – in such an unpredictable class, Arenas has managed to do as the previous champions like Joan Mir and Brad Binder, and seek out consistency and predictability. The Spaniard’s understanding of Moto3 races has proven unmatched so far in 2020, although arguable Ogura is close, so it will be interesting to see this weekend if the #75 can continue this form.