Toprak Razgatlioglu (29): “I considered giving up racing”

During the Misano weekend, Toprak Razgatlioglu made big headlines when he said:“I never overtake anyone; that’s how it is every race.” Put simply: the Yamaha is too slow. This doesn’t just affect the 29-year-old: even his team-mate Fabio Quartararo, a genius on the M1, finished 23.2 seconds behind winner Marc Marquez (Ducati).

“The last time I struggled like this was when I switched to Superbike in 2018,” said Razgatlioglu of his first MotoGP season. “On the Kawasaki, I was finishing ninth, tenth or twelfth all the time. That wasn’t too bad, but it was my limit. Back then, I was thinking about whether to stop racing. Then I managed to get on the podium – that changed everything. Suddenly, I believed in myself. Now it’s even harder for me. I’m a three-time world champion and had another incredible season last year. Now I’m finishing 15th, 18th, 12th and 11th. Before, I was a winner. When I finished tenth or twelfth in 2018, that was tough for me – but not like it is now.”

The cycling ace from Alanya continues: “Every race weekend I think I can prove myself. I focus on my lap time, but it just doesn’t come – and that saps my motivation. To this day, I still don’t understand the limits of the soft rear tyres. I’m not relaxed on the bike and I can’t feel anything; my braking pattern isn’t right. I’m aware of the problem. But overcoming it isn’t easy. I had a long chat with the team in Spielberg, during which they explained a lot of things to me. I asked them what I needed to focus on to get faster. It’s down to so many little details; it’s really very difficult. To me, it feels as though I’m starting from scratch again.”

Toprak is hoping for bad weather

The balance of power won’t change for next weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. Toprak is therefore pinning his hopes on the weather. “It’s looking good – that’s how I like it,” he said on a rainy Thursday. “I hope it stays like this all weekend; that’s our only chance of an outstanding result.”

If the forecast is correct, that won’t happen: it’s been dry in this part of Styria since 1 pm on Thursday, and it’s set to stay that way on Friday. And for Saturday and Sunday, lovely autumn weather with temperatures of around 20 degrees Celsius has been forecast.

Topic of the week

Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring: track – hit or miss?

The people of Madrid had set their sights high for their city’s first Formula 1 World Championship race since 1981. But have the high expectations for the new Madring mixed-circuit track really been met?

Read More

TV Program

Tomorrow

Red Bull Ring: International Livestream

MotoGP World Championship

18.09.2026 - 08:55

Razgatlioglu last raced at the Red Bull Ring in 2014, back then in the Rookies’ Cup, when there was still no chicane on the track. He got to know the chicane at an event organised by the energy drink giant earlier this year, when he did a few laps on a Yamaha R1. What’s special about this year’s event is that Toprak will have his own grandstand for the first time. “At last I’ll see lots of Turkish flags – I’ve missed that,” said the Yamaha rider.