Is Yamaha losing patience with Can Öncü? “He needs to work on himself”

Although Can Öncü is only 22 years old, with 138 race starts under his belt, Kenan Sofuoglu’s protégé is one of the most experienced Supersport riders. On a good day, the young Turk can beat any opponent, but he can also have an off day and only manage a top-10 finish.

Yamaha has placed Öncü with the current world champion Ten Kate team for 2026. In the team led by Kervin Bos, Öncü was meant to learn one thing above all else: consistency. So far, however, his success has been limited. Although Öncü has secured six podium finishes in the 16 races to date, he has failed to make the top five in seven of them. That’s not the way to become world champion.

Donington Park was a case in point: in Superpole, the Yamaha rider secured his third pole position of the season, but despite leading for a number of laps, he could only manage 5th and 8th places in the races. Currently fourth in the World Championship with 178 points, he trails his team-mate and championship leader Albert Arenas by 113 points.

“They were disappointing races, and we mustn’t let something like this happen again in future,” said the Ten Kate team manager critically. “We will use the summer break to optimise our equipment for the final part of the season. We’re looking forward to the test sessions with both riders at Magny-Cours before we return there for the race weekend.”

Yamaha’s road racing manager, Niccolo Canepa, was also unimpressed by Öncü’s performance at Donington. “Can once again proved his pace by taking pole position, but he struggled again in the closing stages of both races,” said the Italian, rubbing salt into the wound. “He needs to work on his race management, because he’s quick at the start but then falls back. Hopefully he can work on that during the break and return stronger at Magny-Cours.”

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However, poor race pacing has been a recurring issue for Öncü throughout his entire career.