I think the secret is to understand that you still want to be part of the game. To do so, you have to forget all the victories you've managed to get in the previous years and have a great humility. You also need to realise that, if you want to go on, you have to work hard. If you dwell too much on your past successes and say "well, I have won nine world titles and more than 100 races", you'd rather stay home.

It's a big, big advantage because understanding what changes we might make takes time and it takes time to work out settings and to understand everything about the new machine.

Maybe the bike is more dangerous, but the passion for the car for me is second to the bike.

To be a great motorbike racer, the most important thing is passion for the bike.

In 2009, I didn't like that Yamaha signed such a young and competitive teammate [Jorge Lorenzo]. But now everything is different. We are more mature. Everyone knows his role and position. Things are clear.

The work that we do during the winter is very important; we have a new bike and it's important to develop it during this time.

I am still here because I like to prove myself. I still like to ride the bike on track and enjoy the races. I still have good reasons to be in racing after so many years.