TOPRAK RAZGATLIOGLU SAYS ARAGON TYRE DROP MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP PACE BEFORE CRASH

Pramac Yamaha rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu believes his first MotoGP top-10 finish may have been within reach at last Sunday’s Aragon Grand Prix, only for a late crash to end his race with two and a half laps remaining. After a difficult start to his MotoGP campaign, Razgatlioglu felt he was finally in the fight at MotorLand Aragon, having worked his way into contention for P8 when the incident struck.

The Turkish rider’s afternoon turned sour at Turn 12 on Lap 21 of 23. Under braking for the left-hander, Razgatlioglu folded his front tyre very early, then slid into the escape road at the start of the third sector. He was riding directly ahead of LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco at the time, and the pair were part of a tightly packed battle for positions around P8. In the end, six riders were separated by just 2.535 seconds in that fight.

Razgatlioglu’s crash also shaped the points picture behind him. Zarco went on to finish 15th on his return from injury, with the Pramac rider’s late fall helping swing the race order. Razgatlioglu’s DNF meant he missed the chance to convert his progress into a strong result, while Zarco crossed the line 4.262 seconds behind KTM Tech3’s Enea Bastianini in P8 and 0.209 seconds behind works Honda rider Luca Marini in P14.

According to Razgatlioglu, the main issue leading into the final laps was tyre degradation—specifically the medium front Michelin. He said it became “impossible” to ride through the grip drop as the race wore on, describing how the front end began to lose performance and made it difficult to maintain the same pace. In comments relayed via the Turkish edition of Motorsport.com, he said: “It was a positive weekend for me, especially in Sunday’s race. Although we didn’t have a great start, we managed to catch the riders in the group ahead of us.”

He added that once he found his rhythm, he was able to stay with the group, but the front tyre’s decline changed everything: “Initially, the feeling on the bike wasn’t very good. But after a few laps, I found my rhythm and felt really good. Unfortunately, towards the end of the race, the front tyre’s performance started to drop, and it became difficult to keep the same pace.”

Razgatlioglu explained the practical consequences of that degradation at Aragon: “I had to take almost every corner wide because the front end would lock up immediately and I couldn’t slow the bike down properly. I tried to keep the pace up and ride without slowing down, but that was impossible, and I ended up crashing.”

Reflecting on what might have been possible, he suggested that without the front-end problems he could have challenged for a top-10: “If I hadn’t had problems at the front, I might have finished the race in the top 10.” He also framed the weekend as a step forward despite the disappointment of the crash. “Before, we were mostly alone in the back rows; this time, we were finally able to compete against different rivals. This is a really positive step for me. Of course, I’m disappointed that the race ended this way, but we are taking the positives and focusing on the next race.”

The Aragon result was only Razgatlioglu’s second MotoGP DNF. His previous retirement came at the Dutch Grand Prix at Assen in June, when severe chatter issues prevented him from converting a chance at a top-10. For the remainder of 2026, he has set a top-10 as his target, while acknowledging that a podium as a rookie is likely to be out of reach due to the constraints of the V4 Yamaha YZR-M1.

At Aragon, the key turning point was the moment his front tyre began to degrade and he struggled to stay with the train of riders behind LCR Honda’s Diogo Moreira for P8. With the pace becoming increasingly difficult to manage, Razgatlioglu’s attempt to keep speed without slowing properly into Turn 12 ultimately led to the fall that ended his race.