Máximo Quiles stopped just knocking on the door of the World Championship a long time ago. This year, he’s thrown it wide open and is now taking it all. On Sunday, under the rain at Le Mans, he claimed his third win of the season, his sixth in the Moto3. On the wet track, he looked more like a Brit than a Spanish rider, so natural was his riding. Now, he's looking down on everyone from the top, with a 46-point lead over Adrian Fernandez. The feeling, which was already hinted at in 2025, is that Quiles could turn this World Championship into a long solo run with just another year of experience.
His ambitions, his temperament, his character, even these seem to be made of the right stuff. And in fact, the CFMoto rider accepts being compared to his mentor, Marc Marquez, without hesitation since, after all, the goal is the same: “to set records and make history”. So, why hide if the results (for now) are proving him right?
“I’m riding really fast, having a lot of fun, and really enjoying it,” Quiles told his Motosan colleague, Manuel Pecino. “Riding like this, even in the rain, came naturally to me. It was a mix of instinct and finesse. I feel the bike with my butt sensor… like Nico [ed. Terol] tells me,” the young rider from Spain said, jokingly.
From the outside, like you said, you seem very instinctive while racing. But do you also have more reflective moments during a race?
“At the start, at Le Mans, I didn’t think about anything. I was very focused, and the first five laps flew by. Then, yes, I started overthinking, even about things that had nothing to do with the race. And I said to myself, ‘Don’t lose your head, focus again'."
Even though you’re only in your second year in the World Championship, many see you as someone ready to dominate.
“I try to work hard in practice sessions, in order to go into Sunday with confidence. I don’t like the idea of staying in the pack and seeing what happens. I prefer to go into the race with an advantage.”
People have already made major comparisons when talking about you, like with Marc Marquez. Does that put pressure on you?
“Well, that’s fine. I like it, and it motivates me to hear these things. I want to set records. I want to make history. That’s my goal, but I also want to be different.”