Andrea Dovizioso tells Toprak Razgatlioglu why his age will make things ‘very complicated’ in MotoGP

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Yamaha test rider Andrea Dovizioso has a front row seat to Toprak Razgatlioglu’s move to MotoGP with Pramac in 2026, but he does not expect the move will be plain sailing.

Razgatlioglu has finally agreed to leave the World Superbike Championship and will make his debut in MotoGP next year. The Turkish pilot signed a two-year factory Yamaha contract this June that will see him replace Miguel Oliveira at Pramac, as Jack Miller’s teammate for 2026.

The move has been a very long time coming, as Razgatlioglu had been on Yamaha’s radar for years but forever chose to stay in the WSBK paddock. He will now leave World Superbikes as a three-time champion, after winning the title with Yamaha in 2021 and BMW in ‘24 and ‘25.

Moving to MotoGP after eight terms in World Superbike hands Razgatlioglu a raft of hurdles, at a time when Yamaha are also set to replace their inline four engine with a V4. Razgatlioglu tested Yamaha’s V4 MotoGP bike at Aragon this Monday for his first session aboard the bike.

Andrea Dovizioso fears Toprak Razgatlioglu’s age will make it ‘very’ difficult to adapt to a MotoGP bike

Dovizioso views all of the ways that Razgatlioglu will have to adapt to a MotoGP bike, such as how it brakes and the Michelin tyres, as the main focus for his rookie season for Pramac next year. Razgatlioglu does not expect top-10 results as a rookie in MotoGP as he adapts, too.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Toprak Razgatlioglu from net worth to nickname

But Dovizioso fears Razgatlioglu’s age will hinder his adaptation, as the Alanya native turned 29 years old this October. He will be the ninth-oldest rider among the racers on the MotoGP grid in 2026, and he will form the oldest rider pairing with Miller the fifth-oldest on the grid.

“It is too early,” Dovizioso told GPOne about making predictions about how Razgatlioglu will fare in MotoGP. He added: “The point is adapting to all of the changes that he has to make.

“In today’s MotoGP, you are forced to adapt. It will be very complicated to do it at 29 years old with the format of today’s MotoGP, where you go on the track and you have to perform on every lap. It is very complicated.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu will have his second test on the V4 Yamaha in Valencia next Tuesday

Razgatlioglu knows he must adapt to how Yamaha’s MotoGP bike brakes, as well as learning the Michelin tyres on which he will only race in 2026. Pirelli will replace Michelin as the sole tyre provider to MotoGP in 2027, which may suit Razgatlioglu after running Pirellis in WSBK.

Yamaha gave Razgatlioglu his first outing on their V4-engined YZR-M1 at MotorLand Aragon this Monday to start his learning process ahead of debuting for Pramac in 2026. He only got 33 laps in very cold conditions but will get another outing on the M1 in Valencia next week.

Dovizioso also took part in Yamaha’s private test at Aragon to shake down the V4 M1 that the Iwata outfit’s race riders will run in the 2025 post-season test in Valencia next Tuesday. They are yet to commit to the V4 for 2026, but Yamaha keeping an inline four would be a surprise.