Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu says he didn’t enjoy riding Yamaha’s MotoGP bike at the Spanish Grand Prix as he finished down in 19th.
Razgatlioglu scored his first MotoGP point in Austin last month but this was his trickiest weekend so far. He qualified 19th and then crashed out of the Sprint, earning a long-lap penalty for the incident with Lorenzo Savadori.
The Turkish rider only beat Yamaha’s wildcard entrant Augusto Fernandez in the race as he finished seven seconds behind Pramac teammate Jack Miller.
Has Toprak Razgatlioglu just pulled off the save of the season in practice at the Spanish Grand Prix? 😳
How did he save that?!
Toprak Razgatlioglu and Fabio Quartararo lose their enjoyment at Yamaha
After the race, factory rider Fabio Quartararo said he’s no longer having ‘fun’, with the Yamaha M1 struggling throughout the cornering phase. Razgatlioglu also had a morale-sapping afternoon.
The three-time World Superbikes champion has repeatedly complained about a ‘huge’ engine braking problem but is still striving for a solution. He is at least optimistic that he will make strides once the issue is addressed.
“We need to solve the engine braking problem and find a baseline setup,” Razgatlioglu said, via Speedweek. “I keep saying I’m having engine braking problems. I’m tired, the bike isn’t working, I haven’t enjoyed the race. It’s very difficult to ride this bike, I don’t understand it.
What have you made of Fabio Quartararo’s attitude at Yamaha this season?
Are you sympathetic, or do you feel he's showing a lack of respect?
“But if we can sort out the engine braking, then I think I can start enjoying it. If I can ride like Toprak, that will give me a boost. But that point comes too late in the race. Once we’ve solved this problem, which is huge for me, we can concentrate on turning and rear tyre grip.”
Razgatlioglu is responsible for Pramac’s only point this season, while the factory squad are second from bottom in the standings with 14.
Toprak Razgatlioglu ‘constantly’ reminds himself he’s in a ‘training year’
Quartararo has faced criticism for his attitude this year ahead of his anticipated move to Honda. The 2021 world champion has been brutally honest about the shortcomings of the project.
But Razgatlioglu insists he is ‘giving everything’ despite his off-track demeanour.
The 29-year-old is working hard to maintain his own motivation during his MotoGP ‘training year’. He is confident of a major step forward in 2027 on more familiar Pirelli tyres and brand-new bikes.
He said: “I’m giving it my all and keeping an eye on the other Yamaha riders. Fabio is normally very strong in Jerez; he’s also giving everything for this project and is a former world champion. It’s not easy for him either.
“I’ve turned this new page in my career and I constantly tell myself that the first year is a training year. Sometimes that’s tough, though. Even without the long-lap penalty on Sunday, I wouldn’t have had the pace to keep up with the group in front of me.”
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