NEIL HODGSON SAYS TOPRAK RAZGATLIOGLU’S MISANO RACE PACE BODES WELL FOR 2027

Neil Hodgson said he took a “bodes well for next year” message from Pramac rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu after the Turkish rider finished 12th at the 2026 San Marino Grand Prix at Misano. Hodgson had been watching Razgatlioglu closely during the race, and he felt the pace the Yamaha rider showed—especially as the tyres began to fade—suggested the direction of travel for 2027.

Razgatlioglu’s P12 came with him nearly matching his best MotoGP result to date. The 29-year-old was just one place away from equalling his career high, having previously taken P11 in Hungary in June. In San Marino, he added four points to his tally on the Yamaha YZR-M1, while Hodgson believed there were moments when Razgatlioglu could even have challenged to be the leading Yamaha rider. That honour ultimately went to Fabio Quartararo, who finished P10, 4.802s behind the winner.

Hodgson’s view was shaped by what he saw in the mid-to-late stages of the race. He pointed out that Razgatlioglu may not be as sharp when it comes to single-lap speed in qualifying, but that his performance on race tyres looks more competitive as the tyres wear. Hodgson explained on TNT Sports 2: “Just looking a bit further back, just looking where the Yamahas were. Was keeping my eye on Toprak. It looks like there’s a decent scrap actually for ninth place. [Enea] Bastianini, Quartararo, [Johann] Zarco, [Brad] Binder and Toprak are all circulating together. That looks like it’s going to be an interesting one. “It’s funny; Toprak clearly struggles to set a really fast lap in qualifying. But on race tyres, he’s not far off, really.”

He added that the way Razgatlioglu’s pace held up as the tyres deteriorated was the key takeaway: “When you compare him to the other Yamaha riders, you look at Quartararo; Quartararo can definitely extract that one-lap pace. Toprak, as the tyres go off, it seems to work in his favour, which bodes well for next year.”

The race also underlined how close the Yamaha group was on track. Razgatlioglu and Quartararo were the only Yamaha riders to finish the San Marino GP, with Jack Miller crashing on Lap 2 and Alex Rins retiring on Lap 17. Hodgson noted that Razgatlioglu caught his attention on Lap 19 while the Turkish rider was battling through a train of riders over P9.

Razgatlioglu’s best lap in the race came on Lap 12 of 27, when he set a 1:31.770. Quartararo’s quickest lap was a 1:31.711 on Lap 19, highlighting the narrow gap between the two Yamaha riders’ pace.

Hodgson also framed Razgatlioglu’s season as part of a longer-term learning process. Razgatlioglu’s 2026 rookie year with Pramac is widely seen as preparation for the 2027 rule set, since he is on a two-year factory Yamaha contract that starts with the 2027 regulations in mind. Those changes include a switch from Michelin tyres to Pirelli, along with 850cc engines and additional aero restrictions. With Yamaha already shifting development attention toward the 850cc 2027 package, Razgatlioglu has had to make the most of an underdeveloped 2026 bike—yet, according to Hodgson, his Misano race pace suggests he is adapting in the right way.