Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu has asked Pramac for “time” in his bid to adapt his braking style to suit the 2026 Yamaha M1, having so far struggled to after leaving World Superbikes.
The 29-year-old has so far had a difficult start to his new MotoGP career after signing a two-year factory Yamaha contract to join Pramac in 2026. Razgatlioglu has faced a rude wake-up call owing to his difficulties adapting to the V4 M1 and the bike’s inherent early lack of pace.
Yamaha chief Paolo Pavesio has suggested that Razgatlioglu’s MotoGP “honeymoon is over” after hearing the Turkish rider’s realisation about the M1’s intrinsic characteristics not being to his liking. Razgatlioglu is having to adapt to a very different bike to what he rode in WSBK.
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Pramac ‘asked’ Toprak Razgatlioglu to adapt his braking style to improve his corner speed
Braking on Yamaha’s V4-engined M1 has been at the core of Razgatlioglu’s issues adapting to his first MotoGP bike, despite him arriving in the prototype series as a three-time World Superbike champion. The Alanya native cannot attack the braking phase as late as in WSBK.
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Pramac could see that Razgatlioglu is a demon on the brakes during his first tests in Valencia last November and Sepang this February. But Razgatlioglu admits ahead of the Buriram test that Pramac have asked him to “please” brake earlier to be able to carry more corner speed.
Razgatlioglu said, via quotes by SPEEDWEEK: “The team always says I’m already very strong when braking. They say, ‘Please brake a little earlier and just concentrate on corner speed and corner exit’. That’s easier said than done.
“For me, it’s not easy to change my style. But I’m working on it. I’m open to learning, and I know I need to change my style. But I need time for that.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu will revert to a ‘lower’ handlebar for the 2026 MotoGP Buriram test
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Yamaha and Pramac are working to help Razgatlioglu adapt to his first MotoGP bike, but not every solution has paid off. Yamaha developed a new handlebar over the winter break after Razgatlioglu identified his riding position in MotoGP as the “biggest difference” from WSBK.
But the World Superbikes-style handlebar that Razgatlioglu used in Sepang failed to help, as the higher bar – unlike the ones on any other M1 at the test – cost him in the corners. Now, Razgatlioglu admits he will revert to the spec used in Valencia at the Buriram test this week.
Razgatlioglu added: “We haven’t improved anything in the last few days. I flew home and am now fresher for the two-day test. I hope we continue to improve because we know which way is better.
“I’ll go back to my old set-up [with] a lower handlebar combined with the lower seat. I’ll try the Valencia style. With the higher handlebar, I lose a lot. A lower handlebar might be a bit better. I’m also trying to adapt and understand the bike better.”
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