Toprak Razgatlioglu: Yamaha struggles make me think about pulling into the pits

Toprak Razgatlioglu admitted he has considered pulling into the pits to retire from races following a challenging start to his MotoGP career on an uncompetitive Yamaha.

Razgatlioglu’s highly-anticipated move to the premier class hasn’t gone according to plan so far, with the Turk scoring just a single point across the opening four rounds.

While adapting to prototype machinery was always going to be a tough challenge, his task has been made harder by Yamaha’s new V4-spec M1, which remains the slowest bike on the grid.

The 29-year-old, in particular, continues to struggle with braking performance, preventing him from taking advantage of one of his biggest strengths. 

Following another tough weekend at Jerez, a track where he clinched two of his three World Superbike titles, Razgatlioglu conceded his lack of early results has left him “really angry”.

“The bike was not working and the bike was not stopping,” he lamented. “Especially on the engine brake side, we always have a problem. 

“I'm very sad because of this. I’m really angry on the bike because this is not under [my] control. We have electronics. I don't have anything in my pocket. 

“I'm just riding with this set-up and the bike is not stopping.

“They are faster because I'm not able to stop the bike. This is very difficult. Sometimes I am also thinking about coming back [to the pits] to box.

“But anyway, we are trying, we are learning.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Burak Akbulut - Anadolu - Getty Images

"I'm not enjoying it"

Razgatlioglu explained that his issues with the bike are compounded in the early stages of the race, when he should theoretically be faster on new tyres.

The Pramac rider said he is still puzzled by the inconsistent behaviour of the bike, which often leaves him with too much ground to recover in the later stages of the race.

“In the beginning [of the race], I was not finding my rhythm because with the new tyre, the bike was not stopping and again [it had] the same problem with engine braking,” he explained.

“But at the end of the race, I felt the bike [was] much better. I also did much better lap times in the last five to six laps.

“I'm talking with my team, ‘can we please check the first laps and last laps [and find] what's the difference?’ 

“Okay, the rear tyre is dropping, I feel the bike is locking a little bit on the brakes. But this time, I started to use the potential of the front tyre because earlier it was not possible to stop the bike because the rear was pushing the front.

“[If] I use more brakes, I just lock the front. But when the rear starts locking and I start to use the front tyre, it's a big difference. 

“I'm also tired, I'm not enjoying it. It's really difficult to ride the bike.

“But in the last laps of the race, I started enjoying, I was feeling more motivated because I'm riding like Toprak. But it's too late [by then].”

Razgatlioglu is not the only other rider who has been struggling for motivation amid Yamaha’s ongoing slump, with factory rider Fabio Quartararo repeatedly expressing his frustration to the media.

Yamaha has accumulated just 14 points in the manufacturers’ standings, while Jack Miller is yet to score a point with Pramac this season.

“It's difficult. I have nice memories here, but with the MotoGP bike, it is completely different," Razgatlioglu added. "Before I came here, I knew what was waiting for me.

“I'm looking at the other Yamaha riders and normally Fabio is very strong here. But with this new project, he is also trying to do the best, he is also pushing so hard. This one is also very difficult for him. 

“But at the end of the race, I had good pace like Fabio. I'm doing similar lap times. But at the end of the race, it is too late. We need to show my potential at the beginning of the race with the new tyre.”