PACO SANCHEZ SAYS WORLD TITLE AMBITION GUIDES HIS RIDER CHOICES

Manager Paco Sanchez says he only takes on riders he believes can contend for a world championship. In an interview, the representative of Joan Mir and Raul Fernandez explained that prospective clients approach him, usually through the rider, family members or friends. He then assesses their record and potential. “If I don’t believe he has what it takes to fight for the world title, I prefer not to work with him,” he said.

Money, Sanchez stressed, is not what drives him. Riders have offered him a fixed salary, but his motivation is winning. He said about 90 percent of the riders he has represented became world champions or runners-up, and that his clients have fought for more than 24 titles and six or seven runner-up finishes across motorsport disciplines. Those results, he said, make the travel and sacrifices worthwhile.

His evaluation goes beyond speed. Sanchez studies a rider’s surroundings, career and achievements, as well as their attitude. He believes a champion needs three ingredients: natural talent, a willingness to work and make sacrifices, and the determination to put winning a title first.

A rider who relies on talent while lacking commitment is not enough, he argued. “If the priorities are women, parties, Ibiza, cars and so on, that doesn’t interest me,” Sanchez said. Even a talented, hardworking rider may fall short if their focus is elsewhere; in his view, they might win once but then fade from contention. When all three qualities come together, he said, a rider is generally capable of fighting for the championship, although the final outcome can depend on details and luck. Some runner-up campaigns, he added, have felt like titles, while certain victories have also benefited from circumstances falling into place.

Sanchez said he has never given up on a rider, though partnerships have ended when their paths diverged. He and Pol Espargaro went their separate ways after eight or nine years, while his relationship with Pol’s brother Aleix ended much earlier. He also parted company with Maverick Vinales after four or five years. With Toni Elias, a disagreement over the rider’s future direction led Elias to pursue his own plan while Sanchez moved on to work with others. “Throw in the towel? No. Never,” he said.