After two years in Moto3, Filippo Farioli is looking forward to a completely different challenge in 2025, debuting in World Supersport riding the F3 800 RR of the MV Agusta Reparto Corse team. A leap in the dark that does not frighten the 19-year-old from Bergamo, who is strongly intent on turning over a new leaf after the two complicated years he experienced as a rider for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 and SIC58 Squadra Corse teams. Difficulties we talked about with Farioli in this long chat, in which he also explained his plans for the future and how his dream has changed from when he was younger.
Filippo, how is the balance of this two-year period in Moto3? Did you expect more?
"I definitely expected a lot more, coming from a season in JuniorGP in which I finished 3rd and was fighting with riders who have been in front in these two years as well. I also wasn't too lucky, because last year I didn't have a lot of confidence with my technicians. So much so that the team made redundancies in the last three races of 2023, but unfortunately it was too late. This year, on the other hand, I struggled a bit more with Honda, because basically I am a rider who has a more 'Stop&Go' style, much more like the KTM. I struggled to adapt and to make a lot of speed in the middle of the corners, as the bike requires."
How did you get on with the SIC58 team and with a boss with a strong character like Paolo Simoncelli?
"The team and I worked well up to a certain point, but unfortunately at the end of the season we couldn't find the right way anymore. Perhaps, this year we could have worked better from mid-season onward and I could have handled certain situations better. Especially the subject of penalties, which could easily have been avoided in so many races. With Paolo it was difficult, because sometimes he tells you things in a harsh way and in many situations it is not easy to turn his words into something constructive. I unfortunately don't have that kind of character and maybe it wasn't the best thing for me this year. However, it's all experience that I carry with me and can help me grow."
What made you decide to completely change championships for 2025?
"As I said before, I came from two difficult years and my choice not to stay in Moto3, although I had the possibility, was due to the fact that I wanted to get out of this category, which unfortunately I could not digest in the World Championship. I also grew this year, and my weight and height definitely did not help me to be as comfortable on the bike as I was in JuniorGP. I also wanted to detoxify a bit from this environment, which is why I chose to step away. It was a decision I made and I don't have any regrets, on the contrary. I think it was the best choice, and I was also lucky that MV Agusta was waiting for me until the very end. The bike is very good, the team is one of the best and I know my crew chief well, he pushed so hard to have me on the team."
Do you see this move to Supersport as a farewell to MotoGP, or a goodbye?
"The priority would be to get back there someday, because my goal, my dream, would be to get to MotoGP tomorrow. On the other hand, many people have told me that they are two completely different paddocks and that the SBK paddock is much more familiar and with less pressure. So, we will see in a year or two: only time and racing will tell where I will race in the future. Right now I'm just thinking about finding myself and putting myself in a position to be back to who I was in 2020 and 2022. I hope to see some sunshine again after two years when it never rained but it poured. Even though it's a new championship for me, with new tracks, and I'll definitely have to adapt, my primary goal is to get off to a good start, get some good results, and get back to the front, which is what I'm missing a little bit at the moment."
Have you tried the F3 800 RR yet and started to get an idea of what to expect?
"Not yet, because they should finish it any day now. I've already adjusted the riding position, though, and toward the end of next week we should go to Spain to start using it. There I'll start to get some ideas about how the bike goes and get some expectations, but from what I've been told it has a very rigid frame, more prototype-style than the R6 or CBR, which I'm used to using in training. I think it's the right bike for me, plus it's light and has a good engine. I think it's one of the best bikes right now along with the Ducati, which has dominated the last few years and I think it will be the bike to beat."
In recent years, there have been many riders who have moved from prototypes to production-derived bikes, fewer like Huertas who have made the reverse transition. What do you think of this?
"I think Huertas deserved it, because he really went very strong this year and he is young. So, I think he made the best choice. The transition that I and many other riders have made is because in MotoGP everything is very fast: you don't have much time to prove yourself. They don't give you time to settle in or to work in a certain way, they want results right away, and if you're not in the right conditions, many times you can't express yourself and get what you want. In SBK there is more time and you are also able to prepare in a different way, because you can train with the same bike you race with, and even though there are more races, they are concentrated in fewer weekends. This also makes it easier to train and stay more relaxed."
Taking into account how critical the transition is between Moto3 and Moto2, perhaps it is also easier to think about adapting to a Supersport.
"I think so. Considering how I was mentally after these two seasons, the transition from Moto3 to Moto2 would definitely have been very difficult for me. Not to mention that to get to Moto2 you have to prove that you are strong in Moto3, or in other categories. Then, it is a very difficult class and I don't think I would have been ready to do it at this time. In Supersport I think I can follow a different preparation, which maybe tomorrow could help me make the jump to Moto2 more easily. If the possibility presented itself."
Speaking of pressure, does the fact that you are in father's footsteps create a lot more expectations of you?
"There is definitely even more pressure. It's not easy, and it wasn't easy especially last year in an official team like KTM. What struck me is that people don't look at the fact that maybe you don't get along well with your technicians, but only at the end results. Then people expect a lot from me because of my last name. Many times having it is more of a con than a pro, but then it changes everything when things go well - I saw that in 2022, when I experienced even better what I did in JuniorGP and Rookies Cup."
Is that also why you preferred circuit racing to motocross?
"I'm honest: When I was a kid, my dream was to race in America in Supercross. Although in recent years there have been many motocross racers who have managed to get there, to be sure of having that kind of career we would have had to move to America and it was an unthinkable step for my family. So, in 2016 I tried circuit racing and I didn't like it - I didn't want to do it any more. The next year, however, I had a positive test with MiniGP, started to get hooked and decided to try it in 2018, while still continuing to train frequently with dirt bikes. In the end I liked the speed, I continued, and I think it was the right choice, although it was not easy: so many of my automatisms still come from motocross and many of my rivals have twice my experience, but I have never regretted this choice."