Albert Arenas (Gaviota Aspar Team Moto3) is the 2020 Moto3™ World Champion. The Spaniard, who started the year with a win in Qatar, sealed the deal in the final race of the season with a 12th place, taking his first World Championship by four points after three wins and two other podiums.

Arenas hit the ground running in the CEV 125 Championship, as it was then, with the Spaniard’s first season in 2011 seeing him score some solid points. The next year he took his first podium and pole position as it changed to Moto3™, and the season after that his first win in the series. The end of 2014 saw Arenas make his Grand Prix debut in the final round in Valencia, before 2015 proved one of his most important seasons of competition so far.

The first year it became the FIM Moto3™ Junior World Championship, Arenas gained traction from top fives early on to take podiums and then go on a winning spree late on, ending the 2015 season in second overall after an impressive run. He made some appearances as an injury replacement in the 2016 Moto3™ World Championship earlier in the season with Mahindra, before then becoming a permanent fixture from Austria on.

His first full Moto3™ season in 2017 was a tougher one but Arenas scored points and took a top 10 in Misano, before it all started to come together for 2018. After a tougher start, glory was just around the corner as the Spaniard took his first Grand Prix victory in a stunning French Grand Prix at Le Mans. He won again before the end of the year as he stood on the top step Down Under, now a bona fide contender.

2019 was more consistent. A victory came his way in Thailand that began a run of three consecutive podiums in Japan and Australia, with Arenas eventually ending the year 11th in the Championship on 108 points after one win, one second place and one third place.

Then, 2020. His season began with a phenomenal victory in Qatar as he and John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) went toe-to-toe for the 25-points. With COVID-19 putting a halt to proceedings, Arenas would have to wait until July to reignite his title charge. And on home soil in Jerez, the number 75 proved he was the real deal in 2020 with a second win in two.

A DNF in the Andalucia GP was quickly put to the back of his mind with two more podiums in the Czech Republic and Austria, the latter being a third win of the campaign. At this stage, Arenas was a title favourite but he wouldn’t return to the rostrum until the French GP, five races after Austria. DNFs and bad luck in Misano and Catalunya for Arenas were followed by his Le Mans P3, and that turned out to be his last podium of the season.

In the end though, despite a black flag in the European GP and a P12 finish in an outstanding final battle of 2020, Arenas’ consistency and three victories saw him stand on top of the Moto3™ world this year. An incredible effort from rider and his Aspar Team saw Arenas eventually take the title by four points, a very deserving World Champion.

Congratulations to Albert Arenas and the Aspar Team on a wonderful campaign.