Yamaha chief shares why Toprak Razgatlioglu can be excited for a new ‘fight’ with their V4 in 2026

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Yamaha are gearing up for their first full season with the V4 engine, which they hope will be a significant improvement.

After a few wildcard entries last year, the Japanese manufacturer now backs the development enough to place it on all four of their bikes.

Down at Pramac, it can’t get much worse than it was in 2025, as they finished rooted to the bottom of the teams’ standings.

Add to that the arrival of Toprak Razgatlioglu, and there’s a lot to be optimistic about over the next few months, as long as Yamaha can produce a bike with some promise.

Razgatlioglu has one of Francesco Bagnaia’s ‘best’ traits, but also has a steep learning curve to climb before he can be a contender for points at every race this year.

To the surprise of some, Andrea Dovizioso has been ‘essential’ to Razgatlioglu and his preparations for the premier class. His experience is clearly handy to draw on.

READ MORE: Alvaro Bautista tells Toprak Razgatlioglu ‘nobody cares’ if he starts complaining about MotoGP bike

Paolo Pavesio expects Toprak Razgatlioglu to face a different ‘fight’ alongside Yamaha’s riders in 2026

If his rookie season goes well, Yamaha’s ‘dream’ is to replace Fabio Quartararo with Razgatlioglu, which would make a lot of sense.

He has already proven that he’s got the world champion mentality and can deliver under pressure. That’s why he’s a three-time world superbike champion.

Now Yamaha chief Paolo Pavesio has revealed why he expects his riders to face a different type of ‘fight’, alongside the introduction of the V4 engine in 2026. He expects a new dynamic.

“We have to be reasonable,” he told GPOne. “This bike definitely has more potential than the M1 with the inline engine when you consider the current MotoGP in terms of tyres, aerodynamics, and electronics.

“Over the course of the year, we’ll have to try to extract that potential. Honestly, I don’t expect great single-lap competitiveness from day one.

“I would be very happy to be close to the situation we experienced last year. I also hope that we can have more continuity in development, so that our riders can fight in a different way in the race.”

READ MORE: Toprak Razgatlioglu says Marc Marquez doesn’t act like he’s a ‘superstar’ off the track

Why switching to MotoGP is such a big challenge for Toprak Razgatlioglu

Yamaha’s V4 is ‘perfect’ for Razgatlioglu, and has already shown how great his potential is during testing. This is just the start.

MotoGP fans slammed Pramac’s ‘cheap’ bike and were a bit upset by it after seeing it for the first time. They weren’t too impressed by the livery.

But that isn’t what matters, it’s all about how fast it goes on track, and testing is just a few weeks away now.

Jack Miller doesn’t feel he needs to be Razgatlioglu’s ‘mentor’, but it seems as though the two have a strong working relationship already. That bodes well for the rest of the season.