Marco Bezzecchi
It’s never too late for a MotoGP team to make a contract u-turn and sign a different rider ahead of a new season.
Although Yamaha’s 2026 rider line-up may appear to be sorted, there are no guarantees that they won’t have any openings between now and the end of the year.
With a top talent like Toprak Razgatlioglu looking to make a transition from the World Superbike Championship, they would be silly not to at least take a look at him.
If they were to offer him a factory ride, it would be in place of Alex Rins, who has once again struggled to find much pace during the 2025 MotoGP season.
Razgatlioglu couldn’t be worse than one MotoGP rider if he made the switch this winter, with Somkiat Chantra having endured a miserable rookie campaign.
However, Razgatlioglu may not be willing to race in 2026 and could be waiting for the new bike regulations before making a move.
Massimo Meregalli admits it’s ‘too early’ for Yamaha to look at signing Toprak Razgatlioglu
The Turkish rider has flirted with a switch for a few seasons now, and this year the interest appears to have ramped up more than ever.
One slight problem is that he is 28 years old. If he waits until 2027, he will be 30 when he makes his MotoGP debut.
But Yamaha are in no rush to be taking a look at him, and Massimo Meregalli has told the Italian edition of Motorsport.com that they have time.
“Toprak’s ability to do what [he] it does is incredible,” he said. “It’s too early for me to say anything about it.
“We know him because he was a Yamaha driver, he did a test with us and it went well, he did few laps because of the rain. Surely Toprak has the ability to drive a MotoGP.”
How is Toprak Razgatlioglu performing in World Superbikes in 2025?
After a shaky start to the season with BMW, Razgatlioglu has recovered and trails Nicolo Bulega by just 31 points in the championship.
He has taken seven wins in his last 13 races and finished below second just twice on that run. His form is really starting to pick up.
Unfortunately, he was denied an emphatic weekend triple-win in the Czech Republic recently after Bulega out-dragged him to the finish line on the final lap.
Otherwise, he continues to demonstrate the skills, experience and approach required to be a top premier class rider.
Someone, at some point, is likely to make Razgatlioglu an offer, and it’s up to him to decide what he wants to do.
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