Marco Bezzecchi
Axel Bassani believes Toprak Razgatlioglu is doing a “great job” since joining MotoGP in 2026, despite the Pramac Yamaha rider scoring just nine points from eight rounds.
Yamaha finally lured Razgatlioglu away from the World Superbike Championship to make his MotoGP debut with their satellite crew Pramac this season. The 29-year-old agreed to move as it gave him a chance to start to learn MotoGP before the regulation changes due in 2027.
Razgatlioglu was the dominant force in World Superbikes, which Bassani saw first-hand from 2021 to 2025. The Turkish ace got 78 wins from 258 races between 2018 and 2025, with 39 of those coming in his last two seasons as he won back-to-back WSBK titles riding for BMW.
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Moving to MotoGP this year has not offered Razgatlioglu anywhere near as much success as he tasted in World Superbikes, where he also won the 2021 title with Yamaha. After the first eight rounds of the season, Razgatlioglu’s P11 in the Hungarian GP is his best MotoGP result.
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Razgatlioglu admitted that his motivation “immediately plummeted” at Balaton Park, too, as he only managed a 1:38.074 lap during Q1 when he expected to set a mid-1:37, which could have moved him into Q2. But Bassani believes Razgatlioglu is doing “great” in MotoGP, as he is often in the mix to be the best Yamaha rider despite his lack of experience on the YZR-M1.
Bassani told GPOne: “We haven’t spoken in a while, but I still follow him. I’ve always liked him as a rider, and I think he’s doing a great job. Even when the bike isn’t competitive, he always manages to be the best rider for his brand, or at least among the best.”
Factory Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo leads the M1 stable so far this season with 37 points for P15 in the 2026 MotoGP standings. Works rider Alex Rins also has 12 points for P19, and Pramac ace Jack Miller ranks in P20 with 11 points while Razgatlioglu ranks in P22 with nine.
The deficiencies of the new-for-2026 V4 Yamaha M1 are holding Razgatlioglu back, while he also adapts to Michelin’s tyres during their final year of use before MotoGP embraces Pirelli tyres next year. Yamaha’s riders are often sitting ducks due to their rivals having more power.
Current World Superbike Championship leader Nicolo Bulega thinks Razgatlioglu cannot use his “normal” riding style in MotoGP with Michelin’s tyres. But the Italian expects his former WSBK rival will be more competitive on Pirellis in 2027, provided that Yamaha also improve.
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