EXCLUSIVE - Guido Pini: "I don't like a lot of things, just motorbikes"

The 2025 Moto3 World Championship has seen a raft of new rookies making their way into the MotoGP paddock, including 2022 European Talent Cup Champion Guido Pini.

Part of a small group of Italians making their way up the ranks of the Road to MotoGP after the VR46 Rider Academy's demise as a talent-building organisation – along with the likes of Luca Lunetta, who debuted in the World Championship in 2024, and Giulio Pugliese, who this year has debuted in JuniorGP and claimed his first Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup podium after winning races last year in the European Talent Cup – Pini has made his way into the Moto3 World Championship this year after a striking run to second in last year's JuniorGP standings despite missing the first five races through injury.

Moving up with the IntactGP team, 17-year-old Pini initially stood out for his size, but improved steadily over the opening races of the season before fighting for the podium for the first time in Le Mans.

Crash.net spoke to Pini a couple of weeks on from that eye-catching French Grand Prix performance – which ultimately ended in 17th following a crash – on the Thursday of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, a circuit new to the Italian but where he was able to take his equal-best finish of the season in seventh.

Alex Whitworth: How would you say the season has gone to now? On-paper it looks like you’ve improved at every race, so how would you evaluate it?

Guido Pini: From the beginning to now, I think we improved race-by-race and this is the important thing. In Thailand it was really difficult, the first race after being injured for the whole winter, but from Thailand to Argentina we improved; after, from Argentina to Texas we improved more; and now in Le Mans we did a good qualifying – P2 is a really good result – and after, in the race, I was in the first group and I was happy for this: 14 laps in the front group, and after the crash. But, anyway, I’m here. I’m happy for the progress we do and let’s continue in this way.

AW: It’s your first time here at Silverstone. How do you prepare for learning a new track?

GP: In Qatar, it was my first time, I did P4 in the first session. I’m a rider who takes the track really fast; if it’s a new track I’m really fast from the first moment. So, let’s see. This is a really big track, really long, the biggest of the calendar. But I feel confident, also for our progress and the Le Mans race week. I want to try this track and tomorrow I will try to give my best.

AW: Silverstone was a track with a lot of fast corners, is that something that you think suits your style?

GP: It’s a lot like my style. I’m a fast rider in the corners, I don’t like to stop the bike too much. Yes, Le Mans, I don’t know why, but you have to stop the bike and I was fast. But, I think usually the fast corners like Mugello or Jerez I’m good.

AW: Are there any other types of training that you like to do other than with the track bike?

GP: Well, in the winter I tried motocross for the first time and I broke my legs. 

I usually ride, from the beginning of my career, I usually ride also in the winter on the track. I don’t do off-road, but now flat track also in the winter is really important; also for Moto2 or MotoGP the sliding is really important – for the Moto3 not too much, but you have to start to have this [throttle control]. 

My best training is the asphalt, the track, and I like to do that. Also now with the 600 [Pini rides a Honda CBR600RR for training] in Mugello I enjoy it a lot so I continue training like this.

AW: In the past a lot of Italian riders came up with the VR46 Riders Academy, but now things have changed a bit. Do you think that has changed how Italian riders can come to the World Championship?

GP: Probably also Valentino [Rossi] helped a little bit from Bagnaia to Bezzecchi – with the Academy it was a little bit easier to enter the World Championship. 

Now the Spanish riders are doing really good, also there’s a lot of schools in Spain [but] in Italy not too much. Also, I moved to Spain in 2021 to train and improve myself, because in Italy also the weather is too cold in the winter but in Spain it’s better for training also in the winter. 

I think, about me, I’m Italian, I think I’m fast, I’m here, and I try to do my best. I had to move to Spain to train. I hope in the future it will be the inverse: the Italians will be better than Spain; but for now it’s like this.

AW: Like you said, you went to Spain in 2021, and were champion in 2022. It must have been satisfying for you to go to Spain and win in the second year?

GP: 2021 and 2022 were really different years. 2021 was my first year in ETC [European Talent Cup] and I did I think the worst season of my career: P18 in the standings. In the final races I did some P10s. [After the 2021 season], I trained in the winter in Malaga, I tried to give my best, and after in 2022 I saw the results. 

I started the season with a podium, and after I tried to be the most consistent race-by-race, because I was not the fastest, but I was really good to [take what I could]. If I have to do P10 I do P10, if I can do P5 I do P5, also if I can win, I win. But, for example, my rivals crashed a lot of times, so I beat [them] for that reason. But 2022 has been a really good year for me, also because 2021 was the worst.

AW: Then in 2024 you went to JuniorGP. It didn’t start well because you got injured before the season [Pini broke his elbow in a Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup preseason test], which delayed you a lot, but then you came back and won a lot of races.

GP: 2024 for me was a magic year. I broke a lot of bones, but after I did amazing races. I was really focused because I know if you crash you can’t enter in the World Championship. So, with a lot of pressure, also the last races in Estoril, but I tried to give my best. It was a new team also, but I was feeling from the first moment amazing. So, I have tried to do my best with the team and we did a magic season.

AW: You signed late to come here, the announcement was in December, then soon after you broke both legs. So, then, going to Thailand, how was the journey to get there from where you were in December?

GP: I stayed one-and-a-half months without walking, because with two feet broken it was impossible. It was really difficult also to train, because if you can’t run, if you can’t move  – you can move only the upper body. So, in Thailand it was really hot, I was not training from December, more or less – I tried to train, but not too much. 

So, it was a really difficult weekend for me, also the first weekend in the World Championship [so it] was not easy. But I tried to be always happy because I’m here, I’m a World Championship rider, it’s not so easy to arrive here. So, I say ‘Now I have to work more, to be faster and try to be more in front race-by-race,’ and now we can see finally the result. 

We did just six races, but I want more, I want to be more in front, and in Le Mans we saw – unfortunately I crashed, but I was P4 in a front group with just four riders. All these riders made a podium, I was the only one without, so I was really happy in the helmet, and after I crashed but I was happy for these 14 laps.

AW: Do you look at the other rookies this year differently to the other riders who have been in the World Championship longer?

GP: The difference from the two riders to the World Championship riders is: from the beginning, the World Championship riders are really fast and in JuniorGP you don’t have this problem because you have four days to train, you have the test. 

So, you arrive in the track on race day and you have a lot of experience. Here is the opposite: you have to be really fast from the first moment, and this is the biggest difference. But I think me, Maximo [Quiles], Carpe want more, but we are the fastest of JuniorGP and I hope to be the future of this category and improve and be better and better.

AW:  You’re already quite tall, when I look at you on-track, I think with the Dainese and the AGV and the black bike and suit, you look a bit like Nicolo Bulega in his first years. Do you think already about Moto2 for 2026, or would you be happy to stay another year in Moto3?

GP: No, I would like to stay in Moto3 and try to win the World Championship. My dream from when I was younger was to go through Moto3, Moto2, and arrive in MotoGP having already won some World Championships. I

’m taller, yes, but in the [IntactGP] team last year there was Collin Veijer who was also really tall and he was really fast. So, it’s not a big problem for this category. To jump to Moto2 I think you have to [have] a lot of experience, because it’s not an easy category – I think it’s the [most] difficult category of the World Championship, so you have to be ready to make this jump. Let’s see. We made just six races, so we have time to decide.

AW: How did you get started in motorcycles? For most people, it’s that their dad brings them to it, was it like that for you?

GP: Yes, my dad was riding a minibike when I was younger, and I was asking to him always to follow race-by-race. After, he said ‘Okay, you can try it,’ and, finally, I tried his minibike and it was a love from the first moment.

AW: Do you follow any other motorsports or sports in general? Like, Formula One or motocross…

GP: I think something with bikes, with an engine – not more. Like football, I don’t like too much. If I have to see the final of the World Cup I see it, but I don’t follow any championship – just motorbikes and Formula One sometimes.

AW: What do you do away from the track to relax? Films? Music?

GP: I don’t like a lot of things, just motorbikes. When I have free time I train. 

Also, the relationships with the people of my age from my village – I don’t have a lot of relationships, also because in 2021 I was in Malaga training. I stopped also with the school and I don’t have a lot of relationships. 

Fortunately, I have [someone] with my age so I [go out] with him but not too much. So, when I have free time I prefer to stay at home, play PlayStation or something like this to be ready for the race.

AW: To come back to this season, what goals do you have going forwards? Podiums? Wins?

GP: This is the target: to make some podiums and, if I can, I try to win as well. In Le Mans I was really close, so I think this is the target to make as soon as possible, also for the ‘rookies championship’. It’s not the important thing, but improve race-by-race like we did from Thailand to Le Mans, and after if I can do some podiums or some wins I will take it.

AW: It’s often mentioned that you’re from Borgo San Lorenzo, so with Mugello coming up is it almost even more of a home race for you than for the other Italians?

GP: I’m super-excited, I’m really looking forward to this race. I will have of course the support of all the fans, and it will be a magic weekend. So, looking forward to staying ready and to make my best.