Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu is having a hard time adapting to MotoGP after encountering numerous problems with Pramac Yamaha during pre-season testing.
The World Superbike star will be riding a completely new bike in 2026, as well as getting used to Michelin tyres and circuits he has never raced on before. It will be a learning year for Razgatlioglu, but he is already having trouble.
Which MotoGP satellite team has the best 2026 rider line-up?
During the Sepang test, Yamaha had to remove Razgatlioglu’s rear aero to comply with MotoGP’s height restrictions. Pramac teammate Jack Miller could only laugh at Razgatlioglu after he saw the way he was sitting on the bike.
The Turkish rider is struggling to adapt to MotoGP machinery as he still finds himself going back to his old methods. Razgatlioglu is using larger handlebars than the other Yamaha riders, similar to the ones he used with BMW in WSBK.
Toprak Razgatlioglu’s demands to Yamaha about how he wants to sit on the bike are ‘not clever’, says Peter Bom
Razgatlioglu faced the same problem in 2022 when he first tested a MotoGP bike with Yamaha. He is trying to find a way to get comfortable on the machine, but Peter Bom says his demands are ‘not clever’ for the premier class.
“You know, having this seat, his position lower is one thing, so it’s relative,” he said on the Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast. “So they need to make the rest of the seat also lower. And that means repositioning the whole back part of the seat, what’s behind the rider’s back.
“I look at KTM and Aprilia, they’re getting really wide over there. And if you can relocate it in a clever way, then you end up low enough to still have aero for Toprak.
“But Toprak is in a difficult position at the moment, because he asked for things that are just not… you shouldn’t go there really.
“He wants to sit super low, which is one thing, but he wants to sit way too high in the front. I mean, the bikes are not designed [for this]. His front right height is more than 20 millimetres higher than Fabio’s and more than 15 than Jack’s.
“He has the bike high and then he also has the handlebars high. So they made special handlebars for him. I call them Asia style because in Asia, everybody likes to have the handlebars super, super high, which I think, it’s not clever.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Toprak Razgatlioglu from net worth to nickname
Toprak Razgatlioglu is already losing motivation ahead of his MotoGP debut
Razgatlioglu’s problems with his seating position are only half of the problem ahead of his MotoGP debut. Yamaha suffered engine trouble with the V4, shutting down their operation on the second day of testing in Malaysia, costing them valuable mileage.
Razgatlioglu was P18 on day three at Sepang, almost two seconds off the pace of Alex Marquez at the top. He had expected to be much closer to the front, but he is instead languishing towards the back.
Has Toprak Razgatlioglu made a mistake moving to MotoGP in 2026?
After the test, the 29-year-old admitted that he was losing motivation as he struggled towards the rear of the grid. That is something he may have to get used to as he adapts to MotoGP and as Yamaha continue the V4.
Jorge Lorenzo says Razgatlioglu joined Yamaha at their ‘worst moment’ as they struggle with the 2026 bike and the WSBK star finds it difficult to adapt to it. He thinks LCR rider and fellow MotoGP rookie Diogo Moreira could fare better than him, given his experience in Moto2.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
