TOPRAK RAZGATLIOGLU BLAMES QUALIFYING WOES AS YAMAHA STRUGGLES IN MISANO

Yamaha’s MotoGP weekend in Misano underlined how difficult the current form has been for Fabio Quartararo and Toprak Razgatlioglu. In qualifying, Quartararo managed damage control with strong pace, setting his M1 up for P13. He was more than six-tenths of a second quicker than the next-best Yamaha rider, Jack Miller. Miller ultimately qualified P18, while Alex Rins was P20 and Razgatlioglu ended up last in the 21-rider field.

The sprint brought more frustration for Yamaha. Quartararo crashed while battling rookie Diogo Moreira (LCR Honda) for P11. When the chequered flag fell, only Joan Mir (Honda) was behind Miller, with Razgatlioglu and Rins also finishing in the lower part of the order—again yielding no points for Yamaha. The report described a familiar pattern: another weekend without points and mounting frustration within the team.

Razgatlioglu, however, pointed to a clearer reason for his race-day improvement compared with qualifying. After the sprint, he explained that his better lap time in the race came from using the harder rear tyre supplied by Michelin. “In the race I managed a much better lap time than in qualifying,” he said. “I attribute that to the use of the harder rear tyre from the spec supplier. With it I have more control on the brakes; with the soft rear tyre it’s impossible for me to ride like that. We used the sprint to work for the long race. In the warm-up on Sunday morning I will try something again with the setup—maybe then my pace will be significantly better. My qualifying was very bad, and my pace in the race was also not good.”

Beyond the immediate weekend, Razgatlioglu’s thoughts also turned to the future and to a rivalry that has already defined recent Superbike seasons. He is set to face Nicolo Bulega again in 2027, after Bulega’s move to MotoGP with VR46 and a factory Ducati. Razgatlioglu described the prospect as a personal dream: “If we improve for next year, then I can fight against him like in the Superbike races,” he said. He added that Bulega’s transition should suit his riding style: “For him the switch to MotoGP is good because he has the right riding style for it. Now he arrives with a good package. Next year is new for everyone, and I hope we can adapt quickly.”