I race to win. If I am on the bike or in a car it will always be the same.

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

In my opinion we are at the limit now, and 17 races is really too much. With all the testing that we do now, it means we're always on the bike and it's quite difficult.

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.

Motivation is the key. More than training, more than experience or age, motivation counts. You have to ask yourself: 'Why am I racing?' I race because I like it, because I'm really enjoying it. I like to set up my bike and ride it on track. After 20 years in the GPs I'm still highly motivated. Everything else is a consequence.

My approach to the races hasn't changed in my 20-year career. If I have the chance to attack and to pass, I do it, trying to get the best possible result.

We have the 2004 M1 here for reference, which is useful. It worked well here last year; we won the race and always did fast lap times so it will be interesting to compare it to the new bike and it will help us to understand which parts have improved.