Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu is yet to hit the track in his first session as an official MotoGP rider, and his future in the category is already being discussed.
MotoGP’s first-ever Turkish rider is set to experience his very first season in the premier class this year in one of the most highly anticipated rookie campaigns in recent years.
Yamaha rates Razgatlioglu very highly, and attempted to give him a MotoGP ride back in 2022 when he first tested prototype machinery for the Japanese brand.
The three-time World Superbikes champion won his first title in the category with Yamaha, which served as the catalyst for their eventual partnership in MotoGP.
The premier class giants are now hoping that Razgatlioglu can do what no other WSBK convert has done in MotoGP previously and secure a first world title in the category.
- READ MORE: Top five riders to move from World Superbikes to MotoGP ranked ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu’s debut
Has Toprak moved to MotoGP too LATE?
Yamaha’s ‘dream’ is to replace Fabio Quartararo with Toprak Razgatlioglu
During a recent episode of The Race MotoGP podcast, which broke down the three team launches that have occurred so far this pre-season, journalist Simon Patterson noted Yamaha’s ‘dream’ plan for their factory team if Fabio Quartararo were to exit the team.
The Frenchman has become increasingly impatient with Yamaha’s failure to provide him with a competitive bike in recent years, and rumours of an exit ramped up in 2025 as his lack of pace was more evident than ever.
Quartararo has been warned that ‘everything will change’ at Yamaha upon Razgatlioglu’s arrival at Pramac, including a shift in favour within the ranks.
In a discussion on whether Pramac’s Moto2 talent, Izan Guevara, will be able to land himself a MotoGP seat in 2027, Patterson said, “I mean, it depends on where.
“There are a couple of linchpins: Fabio Quartararo, Marc Marquez, and Pecco Bagnaia. I think that it depends on what Fabio Quartararo does.
“If he looks elsewhere, then suddenly there’s a route. The Yamaha dream, if he goes, is to replace him with Toprak. I think that seems to be, but obviously that depends on what Toprak does.”
- READ MORE: Toprak Razgatlioglu names the Yamaha rider who has been ‘essential’ to his MotoGP preparations
Can Toprak Razgatlioglu replicate his World Superbike success in MotoGP?
Toprak Razgatlioglu has been warned about a difficult adaptation period at the start of his MotoGP career
Given the sentiment that Razgatlioglu will be riding sub-optimal Yamaha machinery during his first foray in the premier class, the Alanya-native has been warned that he won’t be able to recreate his WSBK magic from the very first race.
If he starts to show signs of frustration on the level of Quartararo, former WSBK rival Alvaro Bautista has told Razgatlioglu that nobody will care, and he will simply need to continue pushing on during his adaptation period.
Bautista also warned that Razgatlioglu must show signs of improvement during his second year of racing in the premier class.
The 29-year-old could fall out of favour if he isn’t able to show a clear trajectory of improvement, and his MotoGP tenure could be over very quickly if so.
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