Why Toprak Razgatlioglu is slower than he expected

Over the past few days in Sepang, one of the main attractions of the opening 2026 tests was beginning to gauge what realistic objectives Toprak Razgatlioglu should aim for in his rookie MotoGP season. And those expectations do not look the same now, after the shakedown and test sessions, as they did beforehand.

That is not so much down to the obvious limitations of a brand-new Yamaha M1, but rather to those of the Turkish rider himself, who received a harsh reality check in Malaysia.

The Pramac rider finished 18th on the combined timesheets, almost two seconds off Alex Marquez, the fastest rider over the three days, and eight tenths slower than Alex Rins, the best of Yamaha’s representatives. His pace over long runs was no better. Beyond the now-famous stoppies, one thing that must be credited to the rider from Alanya is his honesty and lack of excuses.

“I’m angry because the lap times just aren’t there. I’m trying to adapt my riding style,” Razgatlioglu explained on Thursday afternoon. “Under braking, I feel good and comfortable, but I struggle in fast corners. When I open the throttle, the rear tyre starts sliding and doesn’t stop, and that makes it hard to turn.”

In his attempt to bring his riding closer to the standards required by a MotoGP prototype, Toprak has also asked for certain changes to the bike, which, in his view, should make the transition from the WorldSBK-spec Yamaha R1 less traumatic.

In addition to fitting a wider handlebar, he also feels more comfortable relying more on the rear of the bike. That, however, has triggered other consequences: the increased distance between the lowest point of the seat and the maximum height any part of the tail unit can reach meant he had to go out on track on several occasions without the rear winglets, with the resulting aerodynamic penalty.

“I ride the same way as before, but the lap times don’t come. In WorldSBK, I used the rear tyre to turn, with the throttle. Now, in MotoGP, you have to ride like in Moto2 and accelerate very smoothly. Jack [Miller, his team-mate] always tells me I need to be gentle, but that’s much easier said than done,” said the #07, who made no attempt to hide his frustration – especially given where he finds himself just three months after celebrating his third world title.

“It’s not easy for me to see myself so far down, especially after Superbikes. The first five races will be tough; I’m going to suffer.”

For all the disappointment caused by his Sepang outing, the start of Razgatlioglu’s MotoGP story is not so different from those of riders who, like him, made the jump from WorldSBK. On the horizon, the benchmark is probably Ben Spies, who joined MotoGP full-time in 2010 with Yamaha, one year after winning the Superbike title, and he went on to claim a grand prix victory (Assen 2011), six podiums and fifth place overall in the championship.

Razgatlioglu’s magnetism is unquestionable, and that is something widely applauded throughout the paddock. It only takes a brief conversation with anyone at Yamaha to realise how much hope has been placed in him.

Toprak Razgatlioglu, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Hazrin Yeob Men Shah / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

“[Paolo] Pavesio [the managing director] is ‘in love’ with him,” is a line repeatedly heard from those leaving the factory team’s garage. The bond between the Italian executive and the rookie goes back a long way, to their time together in the production-based championship. The bet carries Pavesio’s signature, even if that devotion raises some reservations among certain key figures within the structure.

In fact, with the rider market already simmering, there are those who are beginning to point to the Turk as a potential candidate for a factory Yamaha M1 in 2027, alongside Jorge Martin.

At Pramac, his current team, the commitment to a rider who is a pleasure to work with is equally strong. “Because he’s polite and a great guy,” underlined Gino Borsoi, team manager of Paolo Campinoti’s outfit. But Razgatlioglu’s appeal does not stop with those who work alongside him every day; it extends across the entire MotoGP paddock.

“Toprak is a fast rider, I have no doubt about that. I think he’ll end up being competitive,” said one Ducati executive when asked about Razgatlioglu’s potential ceiling. “The thing is, he needs to go through an adaptation process to MotoGP, and that has to happen at every level, not just riding. He’s come from a championship with a level that is clearly lower than this one. Here you have the very best of the best, and I think over these days he’s realised that.

“As happens with most riders, their environment can either help or hinder that adaptation period. In his case, I get the feeling that people haven’t stopped telling him how good he is — which may well be true. But there are moments when that doesn’t help, and when you need to speak clearly and say things that are probably not pleasant to hear.”

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— The Motorsport.com Team