Toprak Razgatlioglu might make Jack Miller wish he hadn’t stayed at Pramac amid alarming trend

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Jack Miller is expected to sign a new contract at Pramac imminently. Yamaha will finally bring the uncertainty around his MotoGP future to an end.

Miller complained about Yamaha’s delays in recent media briefings, but it appears that he and his camp have finally made a breakthrough in negotiations. While the Japanese manufacturer considered signing a young rider from Moto2, they have ultimately opted for experience instead.

Motorsport.com expect Yamaha to make Miller’s renewal ‘official’ in the coming days. Miguel Oliveria has failed to meet a performance clause in his deal, which means the team can release him without honouring the second year.

Miller will partner Toprak Razgatlioglu, the two-time World Superbikes champion. It will be one of the most intriguing match-ups on next year’s grid.

New Pramac signing Toprak Razgatlioglu has thrashed his WSBK teammates

Miller represents a strong benchmark for Razgatlioglu, having competed in nearly 200 Grands Prix, won four premier-class races and scored 22 podiums. While the Turkish superstar will have designs on challenging Fabio Quartararo’s number-one status long-term, Miller and Alex Rins are more realistic initial targets.

Razgatlioglu’s recent record against his teammates is remarkable. Since the start of 2021, he’s outscored them by a minimum of 225 points per season, and an average of just under 275.

Andrea Locatelli may not have made it to MotoGP, but he won the Supersport World Championship in 2020 and has consistently been a front-runner in WSBK. He couldn’t live with Razgatlioglu at all on the Yamaha.

When he moved to BMW, he reunited with Michael van der Mark, the only teammate who has managed to stay close. Van der Mark, a Supersport champion himself and previously a third-place finisher in the WSBK standings, has been utterly blitzed in the past two seasons.

Should Jack Miller have swapped paddocks with Toprak Razgatlioglu?

Razgatlioglu will need to adjust to MotoGP bikes next year, so he’s unlikely to show top form straight away.

However, it’s said that many current riders believe Razgatlioglu will win races in 2026. That will rely on a significant improvement from Yamaha, though there’s optimism surrounding their V4 engine.

Miller’s MotoGP career is clearly in the balance, and it may not survive a one-sided defeat to Razgatlioglu next year. He should be aware of the scale of the challenge he’s about to face.

• READ MORE: Toprak Razgatlioglu reveals what he’s told Marc Marquez in private phonecalls before MotoGP debut

There was a chance that the two riders could have stopped paddocks, with Ducati’s WSBK team interested in Miller. He may yet regret turning down a front-running seat, even in a less desirable category.

Miller will justifiably feel that he’s a stronger rider than either Locatelli or Van der Mark. But his inconsistent form this year, which leaves him 17th in the championship, suggests he may no longer be at his best.