Entering his second full season in the Moto2 World Championship, there was a feeling that Senna Agius could be a potential standout in the category in 2025. Now with a third-place podium to his name to start the season in Buriram, it’s all right there for the taking. CycleOnline was able to Check In with the 19-year-old this week to get the lowdown on his Thailand podium.

Image: Supplied.

Senna, congratulations on the podium to start the season! It must feel awesome to kick the championship off in that way. Talk us through the race, the highs and lows, the long lap penalty, you faced a lot of drama but pulled through and still managed to get yourself back up to P3.

Yeah, I’m stoked! I’m really happy with the whole performance in general, to be honest. That race was a big step forward on all the points that I was actually suffering from last year, so I’m quite proud of it. You know, yes, I want more, I want to get my first victory. But to start the season in P3, especially with what was dealt during the race, I’m happy with it. I’m really happy with it. I was stoked with how the bike felt at the end and I’m stoked how with the end result. So yeah, it was such an interesting race, because I was so aggressive at the start to hold my position, and then I wasn’t exactly like managing at the beginning, I was chasing as hard as I could to go with the first two. Then, the opportunity presented to pass [Celestino] Vietti. Yes, it was a little bit ballsy or on the risky side, but I decided to go for it and yeah, I got the penalty for the accident which I understood, because in the end he did go down, but that wasn’t my intention of course. At first I was a bit devastated in the moment when I got the penalty, but I did it as fast as I could and then did the late charge to to past [Diogo] Moreira. By the time I got to him I was physically exhausted, the bike was well over temperature and the tyres were cooked. I was happy that I actually got it done at the end, that’s why I was feeling so satisfied after the race to be honest. It was definitely one of the hardest races physically that I’ve ever done. The heat was incredible and there was no grip, so everyone was running on fumes at the end of the race. I’m glad to get it done honestly.

Talk a little bit about that moment with Vietti. I’m sure that’s not the way you wanted it to unfold, but at that point, was the mindset for you to get to the front, was that why there was that sudden sense of urgency to make that pass happen?

It was two things, because at that point Manuel [Gonzalez] was still in a distance where if I passed the Vietti, I could tag onto him pretty quickly and hopefully he would’ve dragged me along. I knew I’d have a good late race pace, so I needed to get to second if I was going to go with him. What people might not realise though, Vietti was ridiculously strong under brakes. I knew if I got stuck behind him, I wasn’t outbreak the guy, so I found a gap on the flowing part of the track where I felt like I could pass him on momentum, and yeah, it was a bit 50/50, and then unfortunately, I went for it and he went down. I keep on saying like it’s unfortunate and it was probably not the right thing to do but at the end of the day, it was a gap and I’d go for it again. If he wasn’t so good on the brakes, I would’ve passed him happily in the next corners on the brakes, but I’d followed him for 10 laps before that and I could see that he was struggling but somehow braking later than anyone. It was a combination of those things and I decided to just get it over with early in the race and it played out like it did.

Image: Supplied.

What’s the biggest difference for you entering this season? You’ve obviously got a year under your belt now, but you just seem so much more competitive and racey straight off the bat.

I’m definitely a different character this year, not intentionally, but just I’m a lot more mellow and understated in my work process. Maybe I was a bit highlighted, or amplified last year, quite emotional. Like I was happy, then I was mad, then I’d be going fast and be happy again, then I’m angry that I’m not. I’m just quite stable now. I’m a more stable person to work with, and that’s just come with experience and time in the arena, really. Like I’ve got a full year under my belt. I know what works and what doesn’t now, and that mentality arrived when I got to Europe in the preseason. I had my head down the whole time just going through my plan. Another thing was, as soon as I jumped on the new bike, it has a slightly different chassis and funny enough, a silly little detail, like the front wheel is a lot skinnier and it allows the bike to fall from a higher point and the centre of gravity is different with the front wheel. I’ve noticed a different style, and especially how to ride the bike a bit different this year. But yeah, along with a bit of attitude stuff towards the plan, riding style, and then as well as that, in the summer break here I found some new things in my training. I’m a bit of a bit better athlete to be a motorbike racer, rather than someone that enjoys hobbies for fitness. Like my cycling and stuff in the past, I’ve found myself training a little bit more more specific this year and I’m just a better athlete, so hopefully I can keep the results coming.

What’s the mindset like now after kicking the season off on the podium? As a racer I’m sure your mindset is always to win, but is there more belief now that you’re in the hunt from the get-go?

It’s a bit of a weird feeling to be honest with you. Because right now – more than ever – I truly believe that I am a contender for the podium every weekend. It’s a weird sense, because I’m actually calmer and more humble than ever. I’m genuinely so petrified of not feeling what I felt when the chequered flag fell in Thailand, like I love it so much and I’m so motivated and hungry that I’m actually calm about it. Like I know it’s there, I know what possible, but I know that rather than just believing it and marching into it, I know what’s required to make it happen. I know I have to be consistent with my riding, that means putting the work in. I’m pretty firey, like I feel more motivated than ever obviously, and the team now know what we’re capable of. So now, it’s just time to keep it all together and keep consistent with everything to make it happen again. Otherwise if you just believe it’s going to happen again easily because you’ve done it once, it’s not the case – so feet are on the ground and I’m pretty focused to keep it going.

Image: Supplied.

The team – Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP – has got to be happy with the double podium in Thailand. Did that come as a shock to you, or is this a position that you knew you were all capable of after pre-season testing?

The team is capable of a lot this year man. Manu has come in and there’s no f**king around with him. He’s even more quiet and even more focused than me. He’s such a calm guy and he’s just there to get the job done. He just wants to win and he’s not cocky about it, so he’s more focused than ever and, at the moment, he is slightly better than me. I’m not far, but it’s his fourth year now and he’s obviously going for the championship this year. I believe he’s a championship contender, and I feel like for me, I’m not that far behind him in general, so if I can keep learning and match him and implement what he’s doing better straight away into my riding, which is easier said than done, but it’s what I started to do from the first day of pre-season. I diagnosed some key things that he did better than me and I’m still working on them every day on the bike to try and achieve that, so he will be the reference for me. It’s so nice to have that right next to me in the box so I can learn off it.

Thanks for that chat mate, keep the ball rolling and we look forward to seeing you on that podium more often!

Sounds good mate, thanks.