Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu was enjoying a strong Friday at the Brazilian Grand Prix, but it all came crashing down in the Sprint on Saturday.
The Pramac rider surprised himself when he finished third during practice. It earned him a place in Q2 for the first time as a MotoGP rider.
Fabio Quartararo is working wonders at the Brazilian Grand Prix – where would Yamaha be without him?
Razgatlioglu felt ‘so good’ on the bike on Friday, but it all changed for the 29-year-old the following day. He qualified 12th and fell down the order in the Sprint, finishing 18th.
He beat only his Pramac teammate Jack Miller in Goiania, finishing 23 seconds behind winner Marc Marquez and almost eight seconds behind the next Yamaha, Alex Rins. Fabio Quartararo was sixth, collecting four points for the Iwata outfit.
Toprak Razgatlioglu found riding the V4 ‘impossible’ in Brazilian GP Sprint as he was ‘afraid’ to use the front brake
Razgatlioglu has already equalled his 2025 crash tally in 2026, having only fallen twice during his title-winning season in WSBK. He has been having a tough start to life in MotoGP.
Speaking after the Brazilian Grand Prix Sprint via GPOne, Razgatlioglu was at a loss to explain what went wrong from Friday to Saturday. He could not ride the bike at all, expressing fear of the front brake.
“I spoke with the team, but they also say they need to check everything,” he said. “I’m trying to ride, but it’s impossible like this. Honestly, for the first time, I was afraid to use the front brake in the race. It felt like the tyres were spinning while I was braking.
“In Thailand, I blamed the heat and the lack of grip; I could see the bike wasn’t turning well and the rear was sliding, but it was much better there than here. In any case, one race is over; now we have tomorrow’s race, when I hope the bike will perform better.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Toprak Razgatlioglu from net worth to nickname
Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jack Miller had the same problems during Brazilian GP Sprint
The Pramac rider added that both sides of the garage had the same issues with the bike. Miller was also struggling with braking and with the front end, while the factory riders stormed ahead.
“I finished last and I don’t know why,” said Razgatlioglu. “It certainly didn’t feel like I was on the same bike as on Friday. It’s as if everything had changed. Maybe it’s the tyres, I don’t know, or maybe it’s the different setup.
“It must be said that Quartararo did a great job today, and Rins didn’t do badly either. Only Miller and I had the same issues.
“We were both losing the front end, couldn’t stop, and lacked grip. It’s very strange, and I couldn’t pinpoint what caused the problem.”
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
