Marco Bezzecchi
Pramac team manager Gino Borsoi admits that the V4 Yamaha YZR-M1 does not allow Toprak Razgatlioglu to “prove he’s fast” on a MotoGP bike following his debut in 2026.
Yamaha finally lured Razgatlioglu away from the World Superbike Championship this season, after he accepted their offer of a two-year works contract to ride for Pramac. But his move is yet to pay off, as Yamaha are struggling after also swapping their inline-four engine for a V4.
No constructor scored fewer points than Yamaha (14) across the opening four rounds of the season. The Iwata crew and their satellite squad Pramac also occupy the bottom two places in the teams’ standings, with Pramac also boasting just a single point thanks to Razgatlioglu.
Razgatlioglu scored his first point in MotoGP in America with P15 in the United States Grand Prix during round three. Fabio Quartararo is the lead Yamaha pilot in the riders’ standings in P16 on 11 points, while Alex Rins in P19 on three points eclipses Razgatlioglu and Jack Miller.
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Gino Borsoi admits the Yamaha M1 ‘doesn’t allow’ Toprak Razgatlioglu to ‘prove he’s fast’
Neither Razgatlioglu nor Quartararo are having “fun” on the V4 Yamaha, and the Pramac ace even said after Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix that he is “tired” of struggling due to the engine braking problems he faces. Razgatlioglu finished P19 at Jerez, 6.980s behind Miller in P18.
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Pramac team boss Borsoi finds Razgatlioglu’s frustration understandable, given he joined the MotoGP grid on the back of winning his third World Superbike title in 2025. But he adds that Pramac cannot give Razgatlioglu and Miller the tools “to fight” with the current Yamaha M1.
“He wants to prove he’s fast and hasn’t managed it yet for several reasons,” Borsoi said, via quotes by Motosprint. “First of all, because he lacks experience. Secondly, because the bike doesn’t allow it.
“Having won three [Superbike] world championships, it’s understandable that he won’t accept being left behind. He’s very good, someone else would have got nervous much sooner. Just like with Jack, now we can’t give him the weapons to fight.”
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Borsoi also believes that Razgatlioglu’s biggest problem adapting to his new life in MotoGP is his task of getting used to the Michelin tyres, having raced exclusively with Pirelli tyres while in World Superbikes. But he also echoes Razgatlioglu’s belief that engine braking is an issue.
“Toprak’s main problem is understanding the tyres,” Borsoi continued. “He’s having a lot of trouble stopping the bike. He realises he can’t brake as he wants, then he has problems with engine braking. Right now, it’s the bike that’s driving him, rather than the other way around.
“There are moments, like in the final part of the race here in Jerez, where he was in control. In the final laps, he was faster than with new tyres. It’s a combination of things.
“The engine braking isn’t yet calibrated to his riding style. MotoGP is very complex compared to SBK. There are a thousand electronic settings that can be changed.”
Only Yamaha test rider Augusto Fernandez, during his first wildcard appearance this season, finished the Spanish GP behind Razgatlioglu. The Spaniard finished in P20 with a 20.466s deficit to Razgatlioglu, while Quartararo in P14 was the only Yamaha rider to score a point.
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