Toprak Razgatlioglu left “very angry” to miss top 10 after braking woes in US GP practice

A frustrated Razgatlioglu rues missed Q2 chance after a tough end to Friday practice

Toprak Razgatlioglu said he was “very angry” after Friday Practice at the United States Grand Prix, believing braking issues denied him a potential spot inside the top 10.

The three-time World Superbike champion bolted on a fresh set of tyres for his final run at Austin, aiming to improve on his earlier time of 2m02.373s.

Razgatlioglu appeared on course for a competitive time, as he lost only three tenths while following Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi through the opening two sectors.

But the lap fell away from him as he approached the end of the back straight, as he struggled to stop his Pramac Yamaha under braking for Turn 12.

On his next attempt, he set a personal best time in sector 1, but had to abort his lap again due to similar braking issues.

Ultimately, the Turk’s fourth and final run yielded no further gains, leaving him a distant 18th on the timesheets and more than 1.4s behind pacesetter Marc Marquez.

Speaking to the media after the session, Razgatlioglu expressed his frustration with Yamaha’s braking, insisting a strong finish would have been on the cards had he completed a clean lap on his final run.

“I am always making a mistake in corners 11 and 12 because the bike is not stopping there,” he lamented. “I don't know why. We are trying to understand why the bike is not stopping.

“At corner 12, after the back straight, the front tyre was always locking on the brake. This is very strange.

“If I stopped at these two corners, the lap time would have been much better. But today, I am really angry because I am not finishing the lap. If I finish the lap, maybe I will finish in the top 10, or maybe 11th position.

“But I am very angry on the bike. I am coming really perfect [going into the corner]. I am also the at limit because I am just trying to stay behind Marc Marquez and Joan Mir.

“I am pushing on the limit, but I need to stop the bike. Normally, I am always strong at stopping the bike, but the package is not ready because the bike is not helping.

Toprak Razgatlioglu, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

“I know I am strong in the first sector, but we don't know [what happens] after [that]. This is very bad.

“Also on straights, I follow the Aprilia. They are making 0.2s, maybe 0.3s gap on the straight. In the first three gears, it's perfect. First, second, third. But when I put the fourth gear, Apilla is really strong.”

Yamaha radically overhauled its MotoGP contender over the winter break to fit a new V4 engine - a move that has left the Japanese marque on the back foot at the start of the season. This has made life even tougher for Razgatlioglu, who is already facing a steep learning curve after leaving the production-based WSBK to race in MotoGP.

Although there has been some progress, the 29-year-old admitted that he “is fighting the bike at every corner”, highlighting engine braking as a weak point of Yamaha’s new M1 package.

“Now we are a little bit better. In some corners, we need to focus more on the engine braking. I use the rear brake, but sometimes it is not enough.

“If I feel less engine braking, the rear is pushing the front. I use the rear brake, but it is not working because there is too much grip here, and the rear is just pushing. Why am I [coming close to] crashing? Because I braked a little bit late to try to close the gap, but in the last part, the bike was not stopping. I am pushing to stop for the turn, but it is easy to make a mistake.

“They [other riders] are riding very smooth and easy. I am fighting on the bike every corner and on the brake to keep the line. But OK, I am learning like this. This is good for the future. But I am really angry, because I didn't do any laps in the last run. This is the problem.”