Marco Bezzecchi
Sylvain Guintoli and Gavin Emmett found it “strange” that Toprak Razgatlioglu did not appear to have a front mudguard on his Yamaha during FP1 at the German Grand Prix.
Pramac star Razgatlioglu is making his first appearance at the Sachsenring in over a decade. Before this weekend, the 29-year-old had not raced at the home of the MotoGP German GP since his time in the Red Bull Rookies Cup back in 2014, when he scored a win and a podium.
A debut MotoGP rostrum at the Sachsenring is likely to be out of Razgatlioglu’s reach during his first German GP this Sunday, with the Pramac pilot still chasing his first top-10 finish. The Turkish star also only finished FP1 at the German GP in P16 this Friday, with his 1:21.726 lap.
Predict the podium at the German Grand Prix this weekend 🔮
Toprak Razgatlioglu sparks confusion after appearing to lack a mudguard in FP1 at the German GP
Trackhouse ace Raul Fernandez set the pace in FP1 at the German GP with a 1:20.829 on his Aprilia RS-GP. He beat Ducati star Marc Marquez by just 0.051 seconds, while Joan Mir in P4 was the best Honda rider and Pramac ace Jack Miller in P5 was the best Yamaha rider in FP1.
READ MORE: How to watch the 2026 German Grand Prix, plus the Sachsenring forecast
Razgatlioglu largely utilised the first practice session to dial in to the Sachsenring, having not raced at the home of MotoGP’s German GP in over a decade. But one moment when he ran deep at Turn 1 caught Guintoli’s eye, as it seemed to show that he did not have a mudguard.
Guintoli noted on TNT Sports 2 (10/07, 10:01): “The Yamaha is not running a mudguard?”
Michael Laverty initially questioned whether Razgatlioglu’s apparent lack of a mudguard on his Yamaha M1 was linked to the Pramac pilot’s brush with the gravel trap during FP1 at the German GP. But Guintoli quickly shot Laverty’s idea down, sparking Emmett’s bewilderment.
Laverty responded: “It looks like Toprak has been through the gravel, looking at the right side of his tyres here at Turn 1, perhaps. But he has the front fender on?”
Guintoli replied: “No. They’ve got a bit of a fender on the side of the forks, but there’s no actual mudguard.”
To which, Emmett added: “Surely, that must be an oversight or something for it to be out there like that? [A] strange one.”
MotoGP teams rely on mudguards (or front fenders) to play a vital role in the aerodynamics of their bikes, focusing heavily on reducing the drag from the front tyre and directing air into the front brake. Yet Pramac seemingly left the mudguard off Razgatlioglu’s bike during FP1.
As Emmett notes and Guintoli implies, it would be strange for Pramac or Yamaha to leave it off Razgatlioglu’s bike intentionally during practice at the German GP. But the Alanya native’s lack of recent experience at the Sachsenring was the biggest reason behind his lack of pace.
Razgatlioglu will no doubt find a better rhythm with more track time, especially after seeing what his Pramac teammate Miller and works Yamaha rider Alex Rins were capable of in FP1.
Rins finished the session in seventh place, while factory ace Fabio Quartararo only managed P15 with the 2021 MotoGP champion only 0.041 quicker than Razgatlioglu after 45 minutes.
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