HODGSON FLAGS RAZGATLIOGLU’S BAGNAIA NEAR MISS AND SHOULDER INJURY

Toprak Razgatlioglu finished 15th in Friday’s opening practice at the Indonesian Grand Prix, but his session was marked by two moments in which he appeared to impede Francesco Bagnaia on the racing line at Mandalika.

The Pramac Yamaha rookie set a best time of 1:31.372, 1.240 seconds behind session leader Marco Bezzecchi. He was the third-fastest Yamaha, behind Fabio Quartararo in eighth and Alex Rins in 11th; Pramac teammate Jack Miller placed 17th. Razgatlioglu’s result came at a circuit where he has previous experience and a strong World Superbike record: four wins and three second places from eight races. However, the limitations of Yamaha’s V4 M1 have made it difficult for him to challenge at the front during his MotoGP debut season.

With 31 minutes remaining, Razgatlioglu was touring on the racing line at Turn 12, forcing Bagnaia wide and also affecting Rins as he approached Turn 13. The more serious incident came with about 10 minutes left. Bagnaia caught the slow-moving Yamaha at Turn 12 and had to take avoiding action, running towards the edge of the gravel to avoid hitting Razgatlioglu. The Ducati rider raised a hand in frustration.

The stewards investigated Razgatlioglu for riding slowly on the racing line but ultimately issued no penalty. Former rider and commentator Neil Hodgson had expected a sanction. Speaking on TNT Sports 2, he described the moment as “weird” and “sketchy”, adding: “Obviously, Toprak’s completely touring. Should be scary from here. Yeah, that was sketchy, wasn’t it? Toprak’s going to be in trouble there.”

Bagnaia and Rins were able to continue, though the incidents cost them some time. The episode added to a frustrating practice for Bagnaia, who also had to save a potential crash at Turn 3 late in the session and hit his windscreen afterwards. Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi nevertheless said he was “pretty happy” with Bagnaia’s pace.

Razgatlioglu’s weekend took a more serious turn on Saturday. During final practice, he suffered a heavy highside after drifting slightly off the racing line at Turn 13, landing on his shoulder and dislocating it. Yamaha team director Massimo Meregalli confirmed the injury before FP2 ended. Razgatlioglu put the shoulder back in himself, returned to the Pramac garage and later went back out on track.

His response caught the attention of TNT Sports commentators Gavin Emmett and Hodgson. Emmett said Razgatlioglu appeared to be having “a serious word with himself” and suggested his priority for the rest of the season was to stay fit for the post-season Valencia test. Hodgson agreed, saying: “You could see him, actually. He was sat in his chair, just going through the motions of holding on to the bike, and is it going to be strong enough? Where is it at?” He added that the way Razgatlioglu was assessing his shoulder made him think the rider might have experienced a similar injury before.

Despite the dislocation, Razgatlioglu qualified 19th, setting a 1:30.532 in Q1. That was enough to beat Johann Zarco, Diogo Moreira and Honda stand-in Aleix Espargaro, all of whom were also outside the Q2 qualifiers. Miller qualified 17th, while Rins narrowly missed Q2 and Quartararo was the only Yamaha rider to reach it. Razgatlioglu has not missed a MotoGP race since moving to the premier class this season, and Hodgson’s comments pointed to the importance of reaching Valencia fit to test Yamaha’s 850cc bike for 2027.