Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu faces a major learning curve as he debuts in MotoGP with Pramac Yamaha in 2026, and his riding position and Michelin’s tyres are not his only obstacles.
The 29-year-old’s move to MotoGP has been a long time coming, as he previously refused to leave the World Superbike Championship unless a factory seat awaited him in the prototype series. He was the class of the WSBK field, and he left the series after securing his third title.
Yamaha persuaded Razgatlioglu to relent on his stance, as Pramac are their de facto second factory team. The Turkish rider put pen to paper on an initial two-year factory contract with the Japanese manufacturer in June 2025. He will partner with Jack Miller at Pramac in 2026.
Razgatlioglu made his first outings on the V4-engined Yamaha M1 at the end of 2025, across a private test at Aragon and the official Valencia test. The riding position on the Yamaha M1 is the “biggest difference” for Razgatlioglu, and he has to build his feeling for the front end.
Has Toprak moved to MotoGP too LATE?
Sylvain Guintoli backs Toprak Razgatlioglu to shine once MotoGP bans ride height devices
Pramac and Yamaha also have to help Razgatlioglu adapt to the Michelin tyres that MotoGP will bid farewell to at the end of 2026, having raced exclusively with Pirelli rubber in World Superbikes. Pirelli will replace Michelin as MotoGP’s sole tyre provider in the 2027 season.
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Sylvain Guintoli further believes that Razgatlioglu will need to wait until the 2027 season to show he can be a “proper weapon” in MotoGP, as the series will ban all ride height devices as part of the 850cc regulations cycle. He also still has questions about Yamaha’s V4 engine.
“He’s such a talent,” Guintoli told Crash. “Toprak is one of those guys who is able to make magic happen and do things on a bike that nobody else can. He’s a very, very special talent.
“It’s difficult to predict [how well he will do in 2026]. It’s certainly going to be a lot to take on board, and we also don’t know how competitive the Yamaha package is going to be. So, that’s another question mark.
“But I think that in 2027, obviously, the DNA of the Pirelli tyres suit his style a lot, and we know how fast he can be with, let’s say, more conventional bikes, without ride height devices, like in Superbikes.
“So, I think in 2027 he’s going to be a proper weapon. Next season is a bit of a question mark in terms of how fast will he be able to adapt. But clearly, Toprak is extremely talented. He’s one of the special guys.”
MotoGP ride height devices completely change the game for how a bike behaves
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Razgatlioglu agreed to move to MotoGP with Pramac on a two-year factory Yamaha contract aware of the challenges he will face while adapting to a new series after eight years in World Superbikes. He won the WSBK title for Yamaha in 2021, and also for BMW in 2024 and 2025.
The Alanya native’s immense ability under braking set him apart from the rest of the World Superbike field. Razgatlioglu is unlikely to immediately hit the ground running in MotoGP by pushing the boundaries on the brakes, but Pirelli’s arrival in 2027 may prove game-changing.
MotoGP banning ride height devices as part of the 850cc regulations era from 2027 should also help level the playing field for Razgatlioglu. Ride height devices are a crucial component on the current 1,000cc bikes and can completely change how the bike behaves for any rider.
Two-time MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia failed to adapt to Ducati’s 2025 ride height device and it destroyed his entire season. The Italian lost his confidence due to how his bike behaved under braking, and he fell from fighting for the title to sitting fifth in the standings.
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