HODGSON SAYS RAZGATLIOGLU MUST IMPROVE QUALIFYING PACE
3 Oct 2026·
Toprak Razgatlioglu’s rookie MotoGP season has exposed a clear weakness: he is far less competitive over a single lap than he is once racing gets underway. The Pramac Yamaha rider has struggled near the back of the field, with both the bike’s performance and his move from World Superbike contributing to the challenge. But his qualifying pace has remained a particular problem throughout the year.
Neil Hodgson highlighted the contrast during TNT Sports’ coverage of the Japanese Grand Prix Sprint. After commentator Gavin Emmett noted Fabio Quartararo’s strong points-scoring performance on a Yamaha, Hodgson said Quartararo was “overriding and overperforming.” He then pointed to Razgatlioglu’s difficult weekend at Motegi, where the Turkish rider had been behind Yamaha teammates Jack Miller and Alex Rins in practice and qualifying.
“He’s never been to this track before; he’s been behind Miller and Rins, but when it comes to the race, something just clicks for Toprak,” Hodgson said.
Razgatlioglu ultimately finished the Sprint behind Rins and Miller, but he had been running ahead of his teammates before receiving a long-lap penalty for repeated track-limit infringements. That race performance fits a broader pattern: his results in Grands Prix have been much closer to Miller’s than their qualifying record suggests.
Miller has outqualified Razgatlioglu 12 times this season, while Razgatlioglu has beaten the Australian in qualifying on only four occasions. In Grand Prix results, however, Miller has finished ahead of his Pramac teammate just one more time than Razgatlioglu has finished ahead of him.
The difference suggests that Razgatlioglu can find a stronger rhythm once the race begins, even when he starts from a poor position. Earlier in the season, he acknowledged that his life would be “easier” if he could produce more representative lap times in qualifying. With his sophomore campaign approaching in 2027, improving that one-lap speed is the key area Hodgson’s comments bring into focus.