Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu and Fabio Quartararo are facing two different battles at Yamaha in 2026.
For Razgatlioglu, he has to get accustomed to MotoGP after making the switch from World Superbikes. Joining Pramac, he already knows that there will be difficulties adapting to the sport, with Razgatlioglu ‘slowly realising’ his braking technique will not work in the premier class.
Meanwhile, Quartararo is battling to return to the front of the grid, expressing his frustrations at Yamaha over his bike’s lack of performance. Quartararo has told Yamaha he will leave in 2026 if the new V4 machine is not competitive.
There lies a challenge that both riders face; they have to get used to a new bike, which is currently far from the finished product. Yamaha have already admitted they are facing ‘setbacks’ as they move on from the M1.
The Iwata outfit are in a critical stage as they desperately hope to move up the field in 2026. The Yamaha riders have had limited time on the V4, but there have already been conflicting opinions on the machine.
Toprak Razgatlioglu says Yamaha’s V4 is ‘anything but negative’, while Fabio Quartararo is not impressed with the bike
At the Valencia test, Razgatlioglu was the second-fastest Yamaha rider behind Quartararo. Speaking to Speedweek, he reported positive feelings from the bike after the test.
“The feeling was anything but negative, even though I didn’t push it at all at first. I’ve only ridden the new V4 so far, so I have no comparison. The fact is: on the straights, the MotoGP bike is very, very fast!”
This is a complete contrast to what Yamaha’s star rider has been saying about the bike. Quartararo had a ‘face like thunder’ after seeing the V4 in action in wildcard appearances in 2025.
That feeling has not changed after the season, even if the Frenchman tries to hide it. The feeling is that Quartararo is still not impressed with the V4 after testing it in Valencia.
The contrasting views on the V4 are only going to hamper the manufacturer further as they try to build a bike that is more suited to them. Yamaha are not listening to Quartararo’s guidance for the bike, which would suggest that they would favour Razgatlioglu’s assessment more.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Toprak Razgatlioglu from net worth to nickname
Toprak Razgatlioglu thinks there is ‘too much’ testing ahead of his MotoGP debut
Quartararo has changed his mind about Razgatlioglu and how he will fare as a rookie in 2026. He thinks that the Turkish rider will do much ‘better’ than he previously anticipated after seeing him in testing.
Of course, the three-time WSBK champion needs time to develop his riding style for a MotoGP bike. Jorge Lorenzo has urged Yamaha to help Razgatlioglu with the Michelin tyres, given they are very different to the Pirelli rubber he is used to.
Thankfully, he will be put through an intensive pre-season, with a three-day shakedown at Sepang before another three-day test in Buriram. Yet bizarrely, Razgatlioglu thinks this is ‘too much’ for him.
He added: “Three days of shake-down, plus three more days of official testing, that’s perhaps a bit too much in terms of format.”
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