World Championship favourite Manuel Gonzalez: “That increases the pressure – whether you like it or not”

As Manuel Gonzalez explains in this relaxed conversation, his positive progress is evident not only in his strong results with the Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP team from Memmingen, but also in the way he approaches the race weekends, handles the pressure and understands the races. Part 1 of the major exclusive interview by SPEEDWEEK.com.

Manu, how are you finding the break? Good. It’s doing me a world of good, because even though people might think otherwise, we’ve had a lot of races in quick succession. I’m using the time to train in peace again. Last week I mainly did fitness training, and this week I’ll be back on the bike.

Apart from leading the World Championship, you’ve also been very much in the spotlight in recent weeks because of everything to do with your future. How do you cope with all this media attention? When you’re leading a championship, the year seems to drag on. You always want it to be over as quickly as possible because you know there’s still a lot ahead of you and the pressure is on. In the end, you get used to it. The fact that people are talking about you for one reason or another is just part and parcel of being at the top. I try to keep focusing on my own game and not worry about it too much.

Pressure is nothing new to you: at 17, you became World Champion in Supersport 300 and had already won the European Talent Cup before that. Exactly . I’ve been competing for championships for many years now, so I’m already familiar with that side of things. It’s just that every class attracts more attention, and so the pressure increases. That’s something that just keeps growing as your career progresses.

You went into the summer break with a 51.5-point lead, having finished off the podium in just three of eleven Grands Prix. If you had to give this first half of the season a mark… I’d give it a 9.5 out of 10. Compared to last year, we’ve improved practically everything that needed improving. Of course, nothing’s perfect and there are always situations beyond your control, as was the case at the Sachsenring with the race conditions. But I can’t complain about how this first part of the championship has gone.

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Of all places, it was the Sachsenring that produced your worst result before the break. Did that leave a bitter aftertaste? Yes, especially as it was the team’s home race. Jürgen Lingg reminded me before the weekend that it’s one of the few circuits where we’ve never won, and that – whether you like it or not – increases the pressure. We were desperate to pull it off, but it didn’t work out.

Looking at the remaining calendar: are there tracks where you think you can go on the attack, and others where you’ll have to defend your position? I know I can fight for the podium at practically all of them, but it’s true that there are a few where I feel particularly strong. Silverstone, Portimão and Indonesia are tracks I really like and where I believe I can make the difference. On the other hand, I always find it a bit tougher in Austria or Misano. Nevertheless, the aim is to be competitive on every track.