Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu faces a tough rookie season in MotoGP in 2026 as he struggles to adapt to his surroundings.
The Turkish rider has huge expectations placed on him as he moves to the premier class with Pramac Yamaha. After all, he won three titles in World Superbikes in the last five seasons.
But Razgatlioglu has admitted he is already ‘stressed’ over this, as all eyes will be on him at the first race of the season in Thailand. His fans, or everyone in the sport in general, are currently watching his struggles in adapting to MotoGP.
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Pre-season testing has not gone smoothly for the 29-year-old as he missed a day of testing at Sepang as Yamaha encountered engine troubles with the V4. It was later revealed that Razgatlioglu had broken one of his engines.
The V4 looks desperately behind its rivals heading into the Buriram test, while Razgatlioglu is also having difficulty with his position on the bike. Yamaha had to remove his rear wings in Malaysia, as his height made his machine in breach of MotoGP regulations.
Livio Suppo says it will be ‘impossible’ for Toprak Razgatlioglu to be competitive from WSBK to MotoGP in 2026
Razgatlioglu has compared his MotoGP struggles to his WSBK debut, as he is not able to extract lap time due to not being accustomed to the bike.
The Pramac rider is one of two rookies on the grid in 2026, with LCR signing the 2025 Moto2 champion, Diogo Moreira. Former MotoGP team principal Livio Suppo compared the two on the Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast and explained how Razgatlioglu will not be competitive.
“I think a good example is to compare Toprak and Diogo now,” he said. “Toprak arrives in MotoGP with a huge expectation, with a lot of fans around the world that believe that because he was super strong in Superbike, he will arrive in the MotoGP and will be immediately competitive.
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“People with more experience like us, we know it’s very impossible. Not only for his talent at the moment, also for the bike he is riding, that unfortunately, I’m sorry to say, but looks like Yamaha is the worst bike now there.
“While Diogo, at the moment, if you read on the web, there’s nobody that has a lot of expectation for Diogo. I mean, he’s much more normal, Diogo is a rookie.
“OK, he’s a Moto2 world champion, but nobody expects him to win races next year. And this will help him a lot to have less pressure.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Toprak Razgatlioglu from net worth to nickname
Toprak Razgatlioglu is having huge problems adapting to Yamaha’s V4
Paolo Pavesio says Razgatlioglu’s ‘honeymoon is over’ as he is now starting to realise the true extent of the challenge ahead in MotoGP.
The 29-year-old has to get used to an all-new bike and a tyre that he is unfamiliar with. He is trying all sorts of methods to get comfortable, with Razgatlioglu seen using larger handlebars than the other Yamaha riders.
This WSBK-style of riding is not going to work as well in MotoGP, as many experts have pointed out. Peter Bom says Razgatlioglu’s demands are ‘not clever’, as Yamaha’s bike is not designed to suit his old riding style.
In reality, the Turkish rider will just have to adapt to the bike and try to extract performance as he gets comfortable with it. 2026 will certainly be a learning year.
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