Expert Stefan Bradl on Toprak: “That’s when the awkward questions start”

Toprak Razgatlioglu managed to scrape together a meagre 18 World Championship points in his first MotoGP season in 2026; since his crash on 10 October in Indonesia and subsequent shoulder operation, the Turkish rider has been sidelined and will miss the rest of the season.

The timing of his move up to the class was far from ideal: the 2026 MotoGP season will be the last to feature 1,000cc engines and Michelin tyres, and it includes technical innovations such as height-adjustable suspension. What’s more, Yamaha has been lagging behind for years, and we’re not likely to see a major turnaround this season either. In the Constructors’ Championship, the brand with the three tuning forks in its logo is languishing in last place, with just over half the points of Honda, who are second from bottom.

Bradl: Toprak has fallen into a downward spiral

“If the combination of rider and machinery isn’t quite right by a few percentage points, then you’re left trailing far behind,” says Stefan Bradl, the most successful German MotoGP rider with over 50 top-10 finishes. “Then there’s nothing you can do about it, and the whole situation becomes counterproductive. The attention is immense; the media start asking questions, and the negative influences are huge. Before you know it, you’re caught in a very unpleasant spiral – not to mention that the bike’s performance isn’t up to scratch either.”

Stefan Bradl

Foto: Gold & Goose

Numerous MotoGP colleagues had predicted that Toprak’s spectacular Superbike riding style, with wheelies at every corner entry, wouldn’t work on the prototype bikes. At the same time, however, his long-standing crew chief at Kawasaki, Yamaha and BMW, Phil Marron, attested that his greatest strength lay in his ability to adapt. As Razgatlioglu himself says, he hasn’t managed to do that with the Michelin tyres, so his hopes are correspondingly high for 2027, when Pirelli takes over as the sole tyre supplier.

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Marc Marquez is a master of this art, having adapted time and again with his skill and talent.

Stefan Bradl

“A MotoGP bike is significantly more complex,” Bradl attempted to explain in an exclusive interview with SPEEDWEEK.com, as to why Toprak is unable to make the most of his special talent. “He has a unique riding style that’s a bit extreme. That doesn’t work in MotoGP anymore, because the bikes are built and set up in such a way that you can achieve decent lap times relatively quickly – but in terms of results, that’s still a long way from being enough. We saw that with Jake Dixon in Qatar as well. It involves a lot of factors such as tyre management and race strategy; these are aspects that are more decisive than pure riding speed. Because you simply can’t put that into practice with what’s available to you. Marc Marquez is a master of this art; with his skill and talent, he has repeatedly adapted and adjusted his approach with a level of perfection that has never been seen before.»

Bradl: The rider alone cannot make it work

Razgatlioglu cannot compensate for the loss of his greatest strength. “And he hasn’t yet found a way to feel comfortable doing things differently,” emphasised Bradl, the 2011 Moto2 World Champion. “He’s crashed a few times, the results are poor and he’s been lagging behind. Then you need a team and a bike that work with you a bit. It’s a collaborative effort. It’s no longer the case that the rider tweaks a setting on himself or wherever, and then it works. You have to put together a comprehensive package that works reasonably well. It’s become much more complex than it was five or ten years ago.”

Would Toprak, winner of 78 Superbike races and thus number two behind Jonathan Rea (119), be more successful on a different make of bike? “That’s impossible to predict,” mused Bradl. “But you can certainly say that he’d be more competitive on a Ducati or an Aprilia than he is now – that much is clear.”

Bulega gets his chance on a silver platter

In 2027, Nicolo Bulega will join MotoGP; this year, with 32 wins from 36 races (!), he is the outstanding champion in the Superbike World Championship. The Italian has fundamentally better prospects in the VR46 team than Toprak: As a Ducati test rider, he has already completed countless laps on the new 850cc bike. He is also very familiar with the Pirelli tyres. And unlike Yamaha, Ducati has been at the forefront of technical innovation in recent years.

Toprak won’t be doing it for the money.

Stefan Bradl

“Bulega is an interesting prospect; for him, the timing for a switch is perfect,” Bradl noted. “Toprak hasn’t had the best of luck, but these are things that, as a rider, you don’t always have control over – every now and then you have to seize the opportunity. Toprak won’t be doing it for the money; he’s already earned a fair bit and isn’t dependent on it. But he wants to prove himself. Bulega has been handed an opportunity on a silver platter and wants to make the most of it. I don’t think he’ll be racing for wins, but I certainly believe he’s capable of being competitive.”