Why Toprak Razgatlioglu isn’t satisfied with his MotoGP breakthrough

Toprak Razgatlioglu may have scored his first point in MotoGP, but he was far from satisfied with his performance at the United States Grand Prix.

Competing in just his third weekend in MotoGP after his high-profile move from the World Superbike Championship over the winter, Razgatlioglu outgunned all his Yamaha stablemates in Austin to finish 15th on Sunday.

The Turk spent much of the race behind factory rider Fabio Quartararo in 16th place, but his superior tyre management skills allowed him to overtake the 2021 champion with three laps remaining.

The result opened up the points tally for Pramac in 2026, while also ensuring Yamaha didn’t leave the Austin weekend empty-handed.

It also continued an encouraging start to life for MotoGP in Razgatlioglu, who showed glimpses of speed in the early flyaway rounds, including a direct Q2 appearance at the returning Brazilian GP.

While the 29-year-old took confidence from his maiden points finish in MotoGP, a 25-second deficit to race winner Marco Bezzecchi left him worried about the scale of challenge Yamaha faces to close the gap to the front.

“I'm happy, but not really. We did a good job at Yamaha, but in general, over 25 seconds [behind], this is not really good. We need to improve more,” Razgatlioglu said.

“But in the race, I was trying to do my best, like always. “Especially in the beginning, I was trying to pass Fabio. But Fabio was really strong, especially in the corner-to-last.

“I don’t understand how his bike is stopping because my front tyre was always locking on the brake. I'm not trying to brake later, because the bike was not stopping. But, in the end, his tyre also started to drop. 

“It's not bad, but it's very difficult, because this track is very difficult for all riders. Because after 12-14 laps, you really feel the bike, like a boatwing, getting more heavy.

“But, anyway, for me, I get the point. This is good. I learned a lot, because I followed Fabio for many laps.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Razgatlioglu admitted that being the top Yamaha did not offer him much consolation on a day when the four M1s occupied the final positions in the classification.

“Yes, I finished in front of [Quartararo], but still we are together. This is not nice, because we only have Yamahas on the back. 

“I'm not really happy. Ok, I'm the first Yamaha, but this doesn't change, because we lose a lot - 25 seconds.”

Although Yamaha has been enduring a tough phase in MotoGP for several years, a bold decision to switch to a new V4 engine in 2026 has left it further behind its rivals.

Razgatlioglu said he is unsure when Yamaha will be able to become competitive again in the championship.

“Yamaha is pushing so hard to improve more. We will see when we improve a lot. Maybe at the end of the year, I don't know, maybe in the middle, maybe next year, but we will see,” he said.

Following an extended break due to the postponement of the Qatar GP, the MotoGP paddock will reconvene at Jerez on 24-26 April.

Razgatlioglu completed a private MotoGP test at the Spanish venue last month, but admitted he still has to forget his muscle memory to complete his adaptation from WSBK.

“Jerez is very difficult, because last time I raced there in superbike. With the GP bike, I did a test, but the riding style and the bike are completely different. You need to keep more speed inside the corner. 

“We will see on Friday. I hope I quickly adapt to this style, because in the test I was still  riding in superbike style.”