Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu had another tough weekend in MotoGP as he finished outside the points at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The Turkish rider has been slowly getting accustomed to the premier class since his move from WSBK. Finishing 17th on debut in Buriram, Razgatlioglu looked to have made strong progress at the Brazilian Grand Prix as he made it straight to Q2.
He finished third in Friday’s practice, which came as a complete surprise to him. Razgatlioglu was feeling ‘so good’ on the bike, but that all changed dramatically on Saturday and Sunday.
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The Pramac rider qualified 12th for the Brazilian GP and fell backwards in the Sprint, finishing 18th, only ahead of teammate Jack Miller. Razgatlioglu found the bike ‘impossible’ to ride as he was ‘afraid’ to use the front brake.
His problems did not improve on Sunday as he again fell backwards and finished 17th, scoring no points for the second weekend in a row.
Fabio Quartararo had a ‘big advantage’ over Toprak Razgatlioglu using the throttle at the Brazilian Grand Prix
It was another miserable weekend for Yamaha in Goiania as Alex Rins scored the team only two points. Fabio Quartararo produced another magical performance in qualifying by putting his M1 in P4.
However, he could not stay there on Sunday as he fell back to P16, finishing just ahead of Razgatlioglu. The Pramac rider had been following the Frenchman closely, but was unable to catch him as he opened the throttle.
He told Speedweek: “Today’s race was better than yesterday’s. But the rear grip is strange. The other manufacturers have more grip than the Yamaha.
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“We tried to improve it. But as soon as I got on the throttle, I lost a lot of time. I had a lot of wheelspin and couldn’t accelerate well.
“When I was behind Fabio, I was really good in almost every corner. I was even able to catch him in some corners. But as soon as we opened the throttle, he always had a big advantage.
“Maybe he used his tyres better or had a better setup. He always accelerated very well. He was able to pull away in Turn 12 and in the final corner.”
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Toprak Razgatlioglu has the target of beating Fabio Quartararo in 2026
Quartararo is the highest-placed Yamaha in the championship after two races, sitting in 16th. The 2021 MotoGP champion has again proven to be the benchmark at the Iwata outfit, evidenced by his qualifying performance at Goiania.
But Yamaha’s newcomer has big aspirations in the premier class. Razgatlioglu’s manager wants him to beat Quartararo by the end of 2026.
The Brazilian GP showed that the result might not be too far away, as the Pramac rider finished just under four seconds behind Quartararo at the chequered flag.
He still has some work to do, but MotoGP fans think Razgatlioglu can beat Quartararo this year. The Turkish rider just needs to find the right balance with the bike, which is proving a tough task.
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