Toprak Razgatlioglu will realise that there is a hard ‘technological limit’ in MotoGP, former rival Alvaro Bautista says. Bautista is one of the riders with vast experience in both championships.
Between 2010 and 2018, he started over 150 MotoGP races, scoring three podiums. In 2019, he switched to World Superbikes, where he later became a double world champion.
Razgatlioglu is seeking to become the first rider to win titles in both disciplines, though that is naturally a long-term objective, particularly given Yamaha’s current struggles.
Predict the order of the Yamaha riders in the 2026 MotoGP standings
Alvaro Bautista says technology shackles Toprak Razgatlioglu in MotoGP
During a recent appearance on the Fast & Curious podcast, Bautista was asked to explain the challenge of moving from one championship to another. He says MotoGP bikes are fundamentally different in character.
In the past, riders could make up for a ‘three-tenth’ deficit with talent alone, but now results are tied more closely to bike performance. This, Bautista says, is a product of recent technologisation.
Significantly, MotoGP is banning ride-height devices ahead of the 2027 season and stripping back aerodynamics, which may place a greater emphasis on individual skill.
“Going from this championship to MotoGP is also very complicated because the bikes are much more rigid,” Bautista explained.
“The tyres are completely different, they have a different character, so it’s complicated. Now with all the aerodynamics, with all the technology, it’s even more difficult because there are so many things you have to understand.
“And as I said before, technology is good, but not good enough to put so much in the rider’s hands.
“Before, if you were two or three tenths of a second short, the rider could make up for it. Now you’re limited by the bike’s capabilities. If the bike has this limit, no matter how good you are, you’re not going to push past the technological limit. In other words, technology is what sets the limit right now.
“So it’s complicated because in Superbike, where you have perhaps more freedom, you can do more things.
“If you don’t understand this when you go to MotoGP, you’re lost because the more you try to do, the less you’ll actually do. You have to understand or reach the bike’s limit and not try to exceed it because ultimately you can’t.”
Alvaro Bautista raves about Toprak Razgatlioglu’s ‘incredible’ bike control
Turning to Razgatlioglu specifically, Bautista spoke highly of his ability to find the limit. Between 2021 and 2025, the duo won every WSBK title, going to head-to-head directly in ’22 and ’23.
Neil Hodgson says Razgatlioglu would be ‘right up there’ on a Ducati bike, but Bautista thinks he would need time to adapt on any machine.
“For me, Toprak is a rider who really plays with the control of the bike,” he said. “He’s done stunts, his father’s stunts, so he really has incredible control of the bike.
“He can push it to the limit every millimetre. I think in MotoGP it’s a question of how long it takes to understand how to ride a MotoGP bike, the tyres and everything.
“Being on a Yamaha, well, we see that all the Yamahas struggle a bit. But of course, I don’t know if you give him another bike, he would be able to push it to the limit.”
Razgatlioglu scored his first point as a MotoGP rider at the Americas GP last time out. Encouragingly, he beat every other Yamaha rider en route to that result.
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