An interview with Beñat Fernández, sensation of the 2025 season

Among the young talents emerging in 2025, one stands out in particular for his precocity and speed. His name is Beñat Fernández, and this season he has already won races in three different championships, on three different bikes, and always as a rookie. It sounds unbelievable, but it’s all true.

Born in 2007, Fernández is racing this year in the Supersport 300 World Championship with the Kove of Team #109 Retro Traffic. He is the best rookie in the series: a victory at Portimão, two other podium finishes, and consistently in the top 5 — results that, after three rounds, place him third in the championship with 96 points, just 4 behind the leader and two-time world champion Jeffrey Buis. But that’s not all: Beñat is also making his debut in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, where he immediately secured a top 5 and then won Race 2 at Le Mans, in the rain, on a KTM RC250R, which is very different from the bike he uses in WorldSSP300. And as if that weren't enough, “Pelontxu” also competed in the second round of the Italian CIV Moto3 Championship at Mugello, riding for the 2WheelsPoliTO team. The result? Second place in Race 1 and a victory in Race 2, once again as a debutant and on yet another completely different bike from those he usually races in Supersport 300 and Rookies Cup.

A pure and lightning-fast, but also humble and determined rider, Fernández is impressing fans and insiders alike, and he continues to work and grow under the expert guidance of a special mentor: Efrén Vázquez, a former Grand Prix rider with two wins and 14 additional podium finishes across 125cc and Moto3.

Palmen in Motorradsport interviewed Beñat Fernández to talk about his 2025 season, the differences between Moto3 and Supersport 300, his career, and much more.

Beñat Fernández, let's start with the Supersport 300 World Championship. What do you think of the season so far, and did you expect to already be up at the front?

I didn't know what to expect from this season, but since the first race we've been up in the front. I've felt really good on the bike, and the team is fantastic. The season has started well and now I want to see how it goes. There are still some tracks in the championship I don't know yet, so I have to work twice as hard as others who’ve already been here, but we are doing a goob job.

Have you set any particular goals for this first season in the World Championship?

My goal is just to work on myself and continue to build myself as a rider. As for a specific goal or ranking, I don’t like to set anything too high. If you think you're going to be in the Top 5 and then you finish 15th, your outlook might get a bit "cloudy" or you don’t feel as good. So I always go in without expectations, but always with the goal of trying to improve race by race.  

Talking about the Rookies Cup, you’ve also had a pretty interesting start there. What can you tell us?

Well, in the Rookies Cup you can really tell that all the bikes and setups are very similar, and all the riders are under the same conditions. But in the end, if you have consistent progression, it’s much easier to be in the top positions and fight at the front. At Le Mans it rained, and I had very good feeling on the bike in the wet. I had the pace to pull away and finish first. So yes, I felt pretty good. And in that championship, we’re also all under one tent in the paddock and we’re all talking to each other. You can also sense a bit of competitiveness, but it’s all pretty good and I am very happy for this opportunity.

And what's your goal in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup?

I actually want to take it even more calmly than in WorldSSP300, because it’s a championship where it’s even harder to be at the front. In the WorldSSP300, in the end, it gets a lot easier when you have the slipstream and a rider in front showing you the way. On the other hand, in the Rookies Cup bikes are much lighter, faster and more aerodynamic. It’s much harder to follow someone, simply because the rider is doing all the work. One of the things we’re working on a lot this season, and we’re applying it, is that as soon as we arrive at a track, I always spend the first session riding alone, to find my own rhythm and try to go as fast as possible on my own. Then, when I do have a reference in front of me, I can go even faster.

You’ve won in Portimão here in the 300 World Championship, and in Le Mans in the Rookies Cup. How does a rider feel when achieving something like that?

It’s true that since it’s the first year and I have done only a few races, there’s no pressure and when such a thing happens, after the race you’re really happy, because the result came and you’re super pleased. But the next day, the victory is already part of the past and you have to keep working to repeat it, as Efrén tells me.

What changes the most for you, technically speaking, when you go from the Rookies Cup to the Supersport 300?

Well, the 300 is a production bike and you can see it in the suspension, the setup, the chassis and so on. It’s much softer, it moves more and it adapts more easily to your riding style. The Rookies Cup bike is completely different. It’s very stiff and the chassis is very reactive. Any movement you make on the bike is really noticeable, and you have to adapt yourself to the bike’s riding style. In other words, you can’t show up with a bike on which you’re supposed to brake earlier and open the throttle earlier, and then try to brake late and open late. You have to adapt your riding to the bike, whereas in the 300 it can be the opposite.  

You came to the World SuperSport 300 after spending some seasons in the European Talent Cup. How come you joined the WorldSSP300 instead of moving up to the JuniorGP World Championship?

Mainly, when I got into the Red Bull Rookies Cup, I had a few offers for the JuniorGP, but financially it was a bit out of reach for us. Then Efrén also received other offers, and he saw the possibility of racing here. He thought it was a good opportunity for me to be here, and told us we couldn’t pass it up. So here we are. He had more confidence in my results here than the team, and finally he was right.

Can you tell us a bit about your career from the beginning?

I started riding thanks to my dad, who gave me a Chinese pocket bike when I turned four. My dad is passionate and has always loved motorcycles and anything with a motor. He also used to ride jet skis. From there we started progressing. We competed in my province, then we moved on to the Aragonese Championship and then to the Spanish Championship. In the end, my dad said that the results were coming and when training with other riders, I seemed quite strong.

In 2021 I was in Moto4 in the Spanish Championship. In the first race I finished fourth and in the second one, under the rain, I broke away with a French rider (Lorenzo Guyau, ed) who then crashed at the last corner. I crossed the line first, and the rider in second place finished 34 seconds behind me. In 2022 I moved up to the European Talent Cup, within the JuniorGP paddock, with the same team I had been with for three years (Frando Racing VHC, ed). There I made constant progress: I ended the first season with a best result of 15th, then I got some Top 10 finishes in 2023, and then I finished with more Top 5 results and a fourth place as best ranking in 2024.

What are the main pieces of advice you have got so far from Efrén Vázquez?

In general, to always stay focused on my own path, try to improve and always pay attention to the team and the bike. In the end, it’s about always staying focused, not getting distracted at any moment. Also, he taught me to be very disciplined with training and everything I have to do. There will be time later to do whatever I want, but for now I need to stay focused and do things properly when it’s time to.

Can you tell us as well about your life outside racing?

I’m studying electromechanics, and now we’re finishing. After the round in Most, I went to do an internship at a friend’s company. After the internship, I’ll go back to class to catch up on what I missed, since I am missing several days of school due to the races. If there’s a point where Efrén or my dad says it’s no longer necessary, then I’ll stop studying. But for now, it helps keep me mentally focused, and it’s really good.

So would your goal would be to become a professional rider and be 100% focused on that?

My sports psychologist also says that studying is important, because it challenges your mind and you need discipline. So for now, I’m sticking with it. There are also a few examples: Pepe Martí is racing in Formula 2 while doing a university degree, and Miguel Oliveira finished a dentistry degree while racing in MotoGP.

We know this sport is extremely demanding and difficult economically and in general. It’s good to have some alternative as well, right?

Yes, in case what I’m doing doesn’t work out. Right now things are going well, but the other side of the coin could appear at any moment. At least I’ll have a qualification that I can use to work or do something, so I won’t be left out there with nothing.

In conclusion, what’s your goal for your career in motorcycling?

Every rider will tell you they want to be world champion. To be honest, I’d love to win just like everyone else, but if the path to get there takes longer than I’d like, that will be fine too.

Palmen in Motorradsport is grateful to Beñat Fernández for his time and availability and to Éfren Vázquez for making the interview possible, and sends them the best wishes for the next races and seasons.