Toprak Razgatlioglu (13th) calls on Yamaha: “Focus on the 850!”

Toprak Razgatlioglu could not finish higher than 13th in the MotoGP Sprint at Aragon. The Turkish rider recognises the problems with the 2026 Yamaha – and is calling for a clear focus on the new 850cc bike for 2027.

Sebastian Fränzschky

MotoGP

29.08.2026 - 21:30

This article is an automatically generated English version. The Original Article was published in German.

Toprak Razgatlioglu hofft, dass sich Yamaha voll auf 2027 konzentriert
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Toprak Razgatlioglu

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Pramac Yamaha rider Toprak Razgatlioglu finished the MotoGP Sprint at Aragon in 13th place. The Yamaha rider finished 15.8 seconds behind winner Marc Marquez (Ducati) and crossed the line immediately behind Yamaha works rider Alex Rins.

The best-placed Yamaha rider was Jack Miller in 10th place, whilst Fabio Quartararo was unable to finish the Sprint due to engine failure. Razgatlioglu, on the other hand, once again struggled with a well-known weakness of the M1: on the long straights at MotorLand, it was clearly lacking in top speed.

“It wasn’t too bad, but all the Yamahas lose an incredible amount of speed on the back straight,” explained the three-time Superbike World Champion. The problem, he said, lies less in accelerating out of the corners. “We’re not bad coming out of the corners. But as soon as we shift into third gear and keep shifting up, the others simply pull away. Then I’m on my own.”

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Toprak Razgatlioglu

For Razgatlioglu, this shortcoming makes close battles particularly difficult. He then has to make up the lost ground in the braking zones. But even there, the limit cannot be pushed indefinitely. “We’re very strong under braking because the bike is slow on the straights, so we have to try and make up ground there. But there’s a limit to braking too. At some point, the front wheel locks up and the bike stops decelerating.”

Bastianini threw Razgatlioglu off his stride

In addition, an incident involving Enea Bastianini cost Razgatlioglu valuable time. The Turkish rider had to swerve at the entrance to the final corner to avoid a collision with the KTM rider, went off line and lost two positions. He then fought his way back towards Alex Rins, but couldn’t find a way past the Spaniard.

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Despite finishing 13th, Razgatlioglu saw signs of progress. A revised set-up for the M1 helped him particularly when turning in. “This is the first time I’ve ridden the bike with a setup like this. Normally, I’d never ride like this. But yesterday I realised that’s what we need, because I need a bike that turns in better.”

Razgatlioglu has therefore set himself the goal of a top-10 finish for the Grand Prix. However, the 29-year-old made much more fundamental comments regarding the future direction of Yamaha’s development. When asked whether he would receive a new engine later in the season, Razgatlioglu made it clear that this was not a priority for him.

Toprak demands: Stop 1000cc development immediately!

“I don’t know, but it’s not that important to me either, because next year is more important to me,” the Yamaha rider clarified. Given how far along the season is, he no longer considers major developments for the current 1000cc M1 to be the right way forward. “I think it would be better for us if Yamaha focused more on the 850s. The season is almost over; we’re no longer at the start. If something new comes along now, it’s too late,” explained Razgatlioglu.

With the new technical regulations, a new era will begin for all manufacturers in 2027. MotoGP engines will be reduced from 1,000 to 850 cc, whilst other technical parameters will also change. For Razgatlioglu, this shake-up offers Yamaha the chance to make a bigger leap forward – and that is precisely where, in his view, resources should be concentrated.

“It’s better if we focus on the 850s. That’s my opinion. I don’t know if Yamaha will do that. But if they were to focus solely on the 850s, that would be much better for me,” emphasised the MotoGP rookie. “Next year, everything will be new for everyone and a new challenge awaits. We need to come back stronger with Yamaha.”

Razgatlioglu’s priorities are therefore clear: he is using the remaining races with the current M1 primarily to learn and adapt to MotoGP. Crucially, however, he believes Yamaha must concentrate its efforts on the machine with which it aims to make a fresh start in 2027.

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