From the Jerez GP 2010 pre-event where Alvaro and four other MotoGP stars rode with jet skis to the bwin Yacht to play a round of Poker.

Another interview with Alvaro comes from as.com, conducted by Mela Chércoles after the Jerez GP where Alvaro got his first points in the MotoGP class this weekend.

So you got your first points in MotoGP.
Although I finished the race in the top ten, I’m not satisfied, because I didn’t enjoy riding during the race. In the warm up we tested some changes for the bike, but it didn’t work for us in the race and I didn’t feel comfortable from the first lap to the last. The bike pushed me a lot in the corners and I couldn’t turn as I wanted. I tried to make the best out of the situation and was able to catch the group going from 7th to 10th place, finally engaging in a few fights at the end. The race was bittersweet for me, because I finished among the first ten, but I wasn’t comfortable.

Here the points are more costly than in 125cc or 250cc…
[laughs] Yes, and especially when you start badly as I did in Jerez. I did the whole race without being able to enter the corners well and only when the tank emptied I started to feel more comfortable. It was strange, because during the practice I did well with a full tank. In any case, the points are more costly here than they were in 250cc, even with less riders.

How do you cope with not being at the front like you’ve been all the time before?
You have to get used to everything and know what situation you are in. I am in MotoGP to learn, to improve in each race and to get closer to the front. The level is very high and you need to work hard to find some tenths. I am absolutely clear that it will be very difficult for me to be at the front this year. We need to keep working and file away tenth by tenth of the gap to the guys at the front.

Is it more difficult than you imagined?
Whenever you move up from a category where you’ve been at the front, you think that you’ll be able to fight. I thought that it was going to be just a little bit “easier”, in quotation marks, but these are the best riders in the world here and three tenths cover seven riders. You need to go step by step, know how to do what needs to be done and not become obsessed and demoralized when I’m not in the positions I want to be in. I have to work without putting myself under too much pressure.

You’ve already done the first two races. Do you dare to predict this year’s MotoGP champion?
There’s much equality on the track and if I had to put money on it, my bet would be between Lorenzo and Rossi.

Clever answer. You’re really going out on a limb there.
[laughs] There are also Stoner and Pedrosa, so I’ve played with 50% of the favorites.

Interview by Mela Chércoles for as.com.
Translation by the crew of www.alvarobautista.com & www.batifans.com