Danilo Petrucci “under more pressure” as Toprak Razgatlioglu’s BMW replacement

Danilo Petrucci admits stepping into the BMW World Superbike team for the 2026 season has “put me under more pressure” to perform, but relishes the challenge.

Pramac Yamaha caused a stir last summer when it penned a deal to bring Turkish superstar Toprak Razgatlioglu to MotoGP for the 2026 season.

Razgatlioglu took BMW to back-to-back world titles in Superbikes, far outstripping his stablemates on the German manufacturer’s machinery.

For 2026, BMW has completely refreshed its line-up, first signing double MotoGP race winner Danilo Petrucci to replace the outgoing Razgatlioglu.

He will be joined by Miguel Oliveira, who lost his Pramac ride to Razgatlioglu.

Earlier this winter, BMW insisted its success over the past two years proved it has a winning bike, claiming Razgatlioglu’s form didn’t come from nowhere.

As such, there will be heightened expectations on Petrucci’s shoulders in 2026.

“It motivates me to give more; it puts me under more pressure,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

“There are expectations regarding the results.

“I feel a mixture of emotions.

“It was a challenge I wanted to take on.

“It's not every day you get the chance to ride the world champion's bike. I'm happy that BMW chose me.”

Petrucci also offered: “Toprak will be strong” in MotoGP, while 2026 World Superbike title favourite Nicolo Bulega “will also arrive soon in MotoGP”.

Bulega made his MotoGP last season in the final two rounds as Marc Marquez’s replacement at Ducati.

He will have an expanded testing role with Ducati as part of the development of the 2027 machine, which will be raced in Pirelli rubber.

Bulega is expected to make a full-time step to MotoGP in 2027 with one of Ducati’s teams.