Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu’s start to life in MotoGP has been far from plain sailing as he has encountered numerous problems with Yamaha.
The three-time World Superbike champion has to adapt to a new bike, tyres and paddock in 2025. But his task to adapt to MotoGP is even bigger with Yamaha, as they roll out and develop the V4 engine.
Razgatlioglu knows he could be fighting for P15 in his debut season, which will be tough for him after his success in WSBK. But it could, in fact, be much worse than that, as he has struggled immensely during pre-season testing.
What does Toprak need to achieve in 2026 to join Yamaha’s 2027 factory line-up?
Yamaha had severe engine issues in Malaysia, causing them to shut down their operations on day two of the test. Razgatlioglu felt ‘stressed’ on the straights as he struggled to adapt to the bike.
The Turkish rider was already going to have a difficult job in adapting to Yamaha and their operation. However, that has become more challenging thanks to one issue that has plagued him since he first rode a MotoGP bike.
Toprak Razgatlioglu is struggling with how to fit on a MotoGP bike, as he did back in 2022
Yamaha had to remove Razgatlioglu’s rear aero at Sepang because he is so tall that he would be in breach of MotoGP height restrictions. The bizarre situation left Pramac teammate Jack Miller laughing at Razgatlioglu over his position on the bike.
Journalist Simon Patterson told The Race MotoGP Podcast that he had a private chat with Razgatlioglu in Malaysia, and he said that he also had the problem back in 2022 when he first tested a MotoGP bike.
“He’s an interesting character because he’s very, very open about how he’s feeling and he very openly talked about the frustration he was feeling today and how it was making him slower on track because he was frustrating himself and not being able to be competitive,” said Patterson.
“That’s all coming from trying to make his riding style work on this bike. Then he eventually kind of conceded that actually he needs to change how he fits onto the bike. It is about fit more than anything else.
Has Toprak Razgatlioglu made a mistake moving to MotoGP in 2026?
“You can see quite easily he kind of sits in the bike, if that makes sense. He likes a bike that surrounds him, whereas everyone else in MotoGP is perched on top of the thing, hanging off it.
“Whenever he does that, he gets no feeling. He feels too loose, too wobbly on it basically. I actually had a conversation with him, not an immediate debrief over the week, where he was telling me about the 22 test that he did.
“Do you remember when he jumped on the M1 with Cal Crutchlow at Aragon? And how that was the problem with that test, that he had the same feeling of being on top of the bike and couldn’t get any confidence from it.
“But he kind of conceded today that he’s going to have to go that route because that’s how you ride a MotoGP bike. I think that will change the expectations and the timeline going forward now for him.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Toprak Razgatlioglu from net worth to nickname
How did Toprak Razgatlioglu feel after his first MotoGP test in 2022?
Razgatlioglu first tested a MotoGP bike with Yamaha in 2022 at the Aragon circuit. His outing was hampered by poor weather conditions, but it certainly made an impression on him.
Test rider Cal Crutchlow said Razgatlioglu hated engine braking on the M1. He knew that it was significantly different to his World Superbike machine, and he is certainly realising that now in 2025.
The fact that Razgatlioglu is still facing problems with how he fits on a MotoGP bike is concerning, and it is another situation that Yamaha will have to mitigate.
Razgatlioglu is bound to be unhappy with Yamaha after the manufacturer’s problems in testing. The Iwata outfit are on the back foot going into 2026, and they have a long way to go before they can be competitive.
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