Toprak Razgatlioglu gives glum review of troubled Sepang MotoGP test
Toprak Razgatlioglu sounded deflated after the first 2026 MotoGP test
MotoGP rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu offered a glum assessment of the first pre-season test of 2026 on the Yamaha, admitting he’ll “probably struggle in the first five races”.
The three-time World Superbike champion first took to the Sepang circuit for the shakedown last week, before continuing his work in the official test from Tuesday.
Engine issues led Yamaha to bench all of its riders on Wednesday on safety grounds while it found a fix, though it was able to resume on Thursday, albeit with a more cautious approach.
Toprak Razgatlioglu ended the test 19th overall with a 1m58.326s, compared to a 1m56.402s for pacesetter Alex Marquez.
The main focus for the Turkish rider has been adapting his style to MotoGP machinery, but this has so far proven difficult, with Razgatlioglu admitting his motivation has dipped.
“It’s not easy for me to see myself so low in the standings, especially after my time in Superbikes,” he is reported by Motorsport.es as saying on Thursday.
“This morning, I followed Alex Marquez and saw him riding very smoothly, but I can’t do that. I’ll probably struggle in the first five races.”
He added: “I’ve been focused on riding, but I think I’ll change the suspension set-up, because I need help turning.
“I’m riding as always, but the timings aren’t right, and that obviously makes my motivation drop.
“With this bike, you can’t turn with the throttle.
“You have to ride it like a Moto2 bike. That’s what Jack [Miller] tells me, but it’s very easy to say and not so easy to do.”
Razgatlioglu noted that he is improving under braking, but is struggling to understand how the tyres wear.
He spent much of this test riding without the rear wings on his Yamaha, as the seat unit he was using meant he’d exceed the height limits with them attached.
At the end of Tuesday’s running he used a different seat with the wings attached and said he felt better under braking.
On the final day of the test, he was seen on track riding with the rear wing and without it.
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