RAZGATLIOGLU SAYS HE CAN’T OVERTAKE IN MISANO AFTER STRUGGLING WITH YAMAHA PACE

Toprak Razgatlioglu’s MotoGP return to Misano ended with a familiar challenge: despite knowing the circuit well, he said the Yamaha package left him unable to convert pace into results. The Turkish rider had previously raced at Misano in mid-June 2025 in the Superbike World Championship, where he won all three races on the factory BMW. In MotoGP, however, he arrived on a machine he described as not competitive, and the race reflected that gap.

Razgatlioglu finished 12th, with Fabio Quartararo—his brand teammate and a former MotoGP standout on the M1—crossing the line in 10th, 23.2 seconds behind race winner Marc Marquez on the Ducati. Razgatlioglu was 4.8 seconds behind Quartararo and said the overall pattern of the race was consistent lap after lap: he pushed hard, but the time he gained in the corners was lost again on the straights. “I know the track well, that helps, but it doesn’t matter because the bike and the tyres are different,” he said. He added that he enjoyed Misano more in Superbike because he could stay at the front, whereas in MotoGP he couldn’t get the same satisfaction. “I push every lap, but everything I make up in the corners I lose again on the straights. That’s how it is every lap and I destroy my front tyre. That’s what my races look like—it's hard.”

A key part of his Misano race story was also tactical and psychological. Razgatlioglu said he rarely, if ever, managed to pass. “I never overtake anyone. I have advantages on the brakes, but on the straight I can’t match them.”

Looking ahead, he pointed to qualifying as the main area to improve. Razgatlioglu said he gave his best effort and that 12th was the maximum possible from his starting position. “The pace was impressive, it surprised me,” he said, noting that his race pace was close to Quartararo’s. He suggested that if he had started from a better grid slot—rather than from the back—he might have been able to fight for a top-10 finish. “In qualifying I struggle, because with the soft rear tyre I can’t improve my lap time,” he explained. He said the team will focus on that problem in Austria next Friday, adding that he hopes to reach “maybe 18th or 15th” in qualifying.

With the four points from Misano, Razgatlioglu moved to 18 points overall, placing him 21st in the standings. He is behind Yamaha’s Quartararo in the overall table, while Alex Rins and Jack Miller sit directly ahead of him.