Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu and his manager have set the target of beating Yamaha’s top rider by the end of 2026, and fans are not ruling that out.
The Turkish rider comes to MotoGP in 2026 with incredible talent from World Superbikes, but his adaptation to the premier class has not been smooth. He has struggled to get to grips with the bike, with his WSBK riding style not being as effective.
Luca Marini thinks Razgatlioglu will have to wait to ‘have fun’ in MotoGP, with Pirelli arriving as a tyre supplier in 2027. Furthermore, Yamaha’s V4 engine has proved to be desperately uncompetitive, with all four riders languishing at the back in Thailand.
Was Toprak Razgatlioglu’s MotoGP debut above, below or on par with your expectations for him at the Thailand Grand Prix? 📊
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However, while Razgatlioglu’s P17 on debut does not look amazing, there were some positives to take. He managed to beat his Pramac teammate Jack Miller by over eight seconds and was under nine seconds behind Fabio Quartararo in 14th.
Paolo Pavesio was ‘satisfied’ by Razgatlioglu’s debut as he showed progress on the bike throughout the weekend. It has left fans believing that he could soon be Yamaha’s top rider.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Toprak Razgatlioglu from net worth to nickname
MotoGP fans say Toprak Razgatlioglu beating Fabio Quartararo is ‘possible’ in 2026
Manager Kenan Sofuoglu wants Razgatlioglu to be Yamaha’s top rider by the end of 2026. Given Quartararo’s experience and talent, it sounds like a stretch, but fans on Reddit believe that the MotoGP rookie is capable of beating him.
“Let me be the devil’s advocate and say, being faster than Fabio is unlikely but beating him in some sessions, races is still doable,” said one fan. Another replied: “It’s possible.”
One fan felt: “It’s all possible, but that’s a big ask. Quartararo is one of the most talented riders on the grid, and may be the most talented now Marquez is aging and injured.”
Prove me wrong: Toprak Razgatlioglu will be faster than Fabio Quartararo by the end of 2026
Another wrote: “Yes and I’d love for Petrux to come back to MotoGP and win the title, not gonna happen but hey I can ask him to do so. Would be super impressive if Toprak manages to do so! Best of luck to him!”
One fan said: “I would have said this is nonsense, but after the first race, it might not be impossible. Fabio has fallen a lot closer to other Yamaha riders, quali gap between him and the 2nd fastest Yamaha rider was just 0.15 second, and even toprak was just 5 tenths off in his first qualy session.
“So as stupid as this sounds, Fabio’s advantage shrank a lot with the V4 engines, and if the rumours are true, he might switch teams for next year, which means the team won’t prioritise him anymore.”
Another user was in agreement: “I still don’t think he will be faster than Fabio by the end of the year but I definitely don’t see it as being as impossible as I did a couple of months ago. Toprak matching the other Yamahas in his first MotoGP weekend was super impressive.”
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