Marco Bezzecchi
Danilo Petrucci believes the Michelin tyres will hold Toprak Razgatlioglu back during the 2026 MotoGP season.
One of the major talking points heading into the 2026 MotoGP season was the bombshell move from Toprak Razgatlioglu.
The Turkish rider decided to leave World Superbikes after winning three titles and switching to MotoGP, a move which riders have struggled with in the past.
Razgatlioglu has signed with Yamaha and will ride in the Pramac Racing squad for the 2026 season, but during testing, issues have emerged as he has struggled to adapt to the Yamaha M1.
Has Toprak Razgatlioglu made a mistake moving to MotoGP in 2026?
Toprak Razgatlioglu will have to use a different style in MotoGP
Whilst discussing his former World Superbike rival’s move to MotoGP with Moto.it, Danilo Petrucci highlighted what will hold Razgatlioglu back in 2026.
The Italian believes the Michelin tyres that are used in MotoGP will force Razgatlioglu to use the ‘exact opposite’ riding style to what he used in World Superbikes.
Petrucci also believes that Razgatlioglu will eventually adapt to the MotoGP bikes, but it does not help that he has jumped on the Yamaha M1.
Petrucci said, “Being on his old bike, I understand even more where he was strong, and unfortunately for him it is perhaps the exact opposite of what he has to do with the Michelin tyres.
“He is an absolute talent because I’ve also seen him do some impressive things, he has an impressive control of the front wheel. Unfortunately, the problem is that the front Michelins are not exactly the kind of tyres that give you that incredible confidence, but also the rear ones, they have to be used in a certain way.
“They are very high-performance tyres but they have to be used in their own way and the bike has to be stopped on the straight and then let run into the corner. Combining the two things together is not easy, braking with angle with Michelin tyres is very difficult. Very few riders succeed, but I think Toprak will get there.
“He doesn’t even have a motorbike that can allows him to ride so much in the middle of the crowd, so that doesn’t help either.”
Has Toprak Razgatlioglu joined the WRONG MotoGP team?
Andrea Dovizioso believes 2026 struggles will benefit Razgatlioglu
Yamaha’s MotoGP test rider, Andrea Dovizioso, has been close to Razgatlioglu during his first pre-season as a MotoGP rider and has witnessed his struggles up close.
The Italian believes that Razgatlioglu will have a ‘very complicated’ 2026 season as he adjusts to life in MotoGP, compared to World Superbikes.
However, Dovizioso does not believe a difficult 2026 will be all that bad for Razgatlioglu, as he will have more experience on the MotoGP machines ahead of the new regulations in 2027.
With Yamaha’s V4 engine still under development, if Razgatlioglu and his team can ‘remain calm’ they will benefit in 2027 according to the 15-time Grand Prix winner.
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