Quiles tells Marc Márquez: “Messi is a false modesty merchant, like you”

“Messi is a false modesty merchant, like you,” Quiles told Marc Márquez. The quip, recounted in a DAZN documentary about Máximo Quiles, the 2026 Moto3 champion, captures the humour in a relationship where the young rider’s ambition is as noticeable as his personality.

The documentary traces his journey through the accounts of his family, the Márquez brothers, who represent him, and members of the Aspar team. His parents chose his name after watching the film Gladiator, a detail that prompted Marc Márquez to reflect on its fit. “For now, Máximo’s gladiator side is in his mind. He is even too ambitious. He reminds me of when I started,” he said.

Álex Márquez also joked about that determination: “His name fits with ‘killer’. He has plenty of ambition and hunger. It’s better to have to rein him in than to have to spur him on.” Quiles’ parents recall his first rides on mini-motorbikes at the age of four, followed by early successes in JuniorGP that caught the Márquez brothers’ attention. Marc said he follows the sport’s categories closely: “We’re mad about bikes; we watch everything, every category.” Álex recalled that Quiles arrived and won the European Talent Cup in 2021: “We’d seen the kid come up and win.”

The accounts also touch on how the young rider is guided. Nico Terol remembers being struck by the way Quiles threw himself into fast corners, and says Marc asked José Carrión to look into him. Álex stands by giving straightforward advice: “We tell him things clearly because that’s how you learn. As a child, it’s hard to accept, but when you’re older you see it differently.” Marc describes an 18-year-old who can initially resist advice but later acknowledge it may have been right. “He’s difficult and stubborn, like me,” Marc said. Álex added that Quiles is stubborn, despite his own reputation for the same trait.

The portrait does not gloss over his quirks. Aspar calls him “mischievous and funny” and says he is the only rider he calls “bro”. A member of Gresini recalls a car journey when Quiles kept singing; eventually, he was told to be quiet or get out.

Marc also stressed the weight that can come with being presented as his protégé. “That is the worst part: it’s a burden, and the kid must not feel that weight. He is Máximo Quiles, not Marc’s protégé,” he said. Álex acknowledged that extra pressure could exist, but said it did not seem to affect him: Quiles is so confident and natural that he can turn it around to his advantage.