RAZGATLIOGLU SAYS HE ONCE CONSIDERED QUITTING AFTER STRUGGLING IN HIS FIRST SEASON

Toprak Razgatlioglu has described his MotoGP struggles with unusual candour, pointing to a lack of competitiveness on the Yamaha and explaining how that has affected his mindset heading into the next round at the Red Bull Ring. Speaking after the Misano weekend, the Turkish rider said he “never overtakes anyone,” adding that this has been the pattern “every race.” He suggested the performance gap is not only his own problem, noting that even his Yamaha teammate Fabio Quartararo—described as a “genius” on the M1—finished 23.2 seconds behind race winner Marc Marquez.

Razgatlioglu framed his current difficulties by looking back to his first MotoGP season. “The last time I struggled like this was when I moved to Superbike in 2018,” he said. At that time, he recalled being “always ninth, tenth, twelfth” on the Kawasaki, saying it wasn’t disastrous but also that it represented his ceiling. He added that he even considered stopping racing: “I thought about whether I should stop racing. Then I got a podium place—that changed everything. Suddenly I believed in myself.”

Now, he said, the challenge feels even tougher. “I’m a triple world champion and last year I had another incredible season,” he continued, but added that his recent results have been far from what he is used to: “Now I’ll be 15th, 18th, 12th and 11th. Before I was a race-winner. When I was tenth or twelfth in 2018, that was bad—but not like this.”

The Yamaha rider also spoke about the day-to-day process of trying to find speed. “Every race weekend I think I can show something,” he said. “I focus on my lap time, but it doesn’t come, and that costs motivation.” He admitted he still does not understand the limit of the soft rear tyre. “I’m not relaxed on the bike and I don’t feel anything, my braking phase doesn’t fit,” he said, stressing that he knows what the issue is but that overcoming it is not straightforward. He described a long conversation with his team in Spielberg, where they explained what he needs to focus on to become faster. “It’s about so many little things, it’s really very difficult,” Razgatlioglu said, adding that it can feel “as if I’m starting again from zero.”

With the Austrian Grand Prix approaching, Razgatlioglu is also looking to conditions for a potential breakthrough. “It looks good—this is how I like it,” he said on a wet Thursday, hoping the weather stays that way throughout the weekend: “I hope it stays like this all weekend; that’s our only chance for an outstanding result.” He acknowledged, however, that the forecast is mixed—dry conditions were expected from Thursday 13:00 onward, with Saturday and Sunday set for autumn-like weather around 20°C.

Razgatlioglu last raced at the Red Bull Ring in 2014 in the Rookies Cup, before a chicane was added. He also said he learned the circuit earlier this year during an event where he rode a Yamaha R1 for several laps. For this visit, he highlighted a new personal touch: “Finally I’ll see many Turkish flags—I’ve missed that.”