Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu got his first chance to ride the V4 Yamaha M1 during a private test at MotorLand Aragon on Monday, ahead of his debut in MotoGP with Pramac in 2026.
The 29-year-old will finally arrive in the prototype class next term after agreeing to leave the World Superbike Championship after winning three titles in eight years. Razgatlioglu will join Jack Miller at Pramac after Yamaha elected to release Miguel Oliveira come the end of 2025.
Razgatlioglu signed a two-year factory Yamaha contract this June to move over from WSBK in the 2026 MotoGP season with their satellite team Pramac. He has chosen to switch series next year as it gives him the chance to learn ahead of MotoGP changing regulations in 2027.
The Turkish star had not ridden a MotoGP bike since testing for Yamaha in April 2023 before experiencing the team’s V4 M1 for the first time at Aragon on Monday. Razgatlioglu’s fastest lap during Yamaha’s Aragon test was a 1:49.176 after 33 laps at the Aragon Grand Prix track.
Augusto Fernandez thinks Toprak Razgatlioglu will ‘manage to be fast’ braking in MotoGP
Razgatlioglu immediately told Yamaha to improve their V4 bike following their test at Aragon after sensing there is scope to develop the front-end. But Razgatlioglu’s efforts riding the M1 at Aragon showed Yamaha test rider Augusto Fernandez just how strong he is on the brakes.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Toprak Razgatlioglu from net worth to nickname
The Alanya native was a demon under braking aboard a Superbike, but a MotoGP prototype is a very different machine from what he enjoyed in the production bike series. Fernandez is confident that Razgatlioglu will adapt his style to be fast under braking in MotoGP, though.
“What is sure is that his strongest point is braking,” Fernandez said, via MotoMatters. “He will not brake like in Superbike, but the talent he has on braking is incredible. So, he will manage to be fast on braking in another way. But he knows how to be fast on braking.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu has shown he can overcome fears that his braking style will not work in MotoGP
Fernandez’s comments following Yamaha’s test at Aragon suggest that Razgatlioglu’s debut outing with the V4 M1 has shown the 2026 Pramac rider can overcome arguably the biggest fear for his move from World Superbikes, which uses Pirelli tyres instead of Michelin rubber.
Ducati general manager Luigi Dall’Igna feels Razgatlioglu must adapt his braking style “a lot” on a MotoGP bike, given how the Michelin front tyre reacts compared to the Pirelli tyre that he dominated WSBK with. Dall’Igna is not the only MotoGP figure to voice a similar concern.
Ben Spies has called Razgatlioglu a “demon braker”, but the American who likewise switched across from World Superbikes to MotoGP thinks the 29-year-old will have to “manipulate his style” on the M1. Spies doubts that Razgatlioglu will be able to replicate his “extreme” style.
But Razgatlioglu’s data during Yamaha’s test at Aragon “surprised” Fernandez, as well, after the Spaniard took the chance to check out the Turkish star’s telemetry. And what Fernandez saw at Aragon suggests Razgatlioglu will be able to make the M1 work if given enough time.
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