MotoGP’s great unknown: How fast really is Toprak Razgatlıoğlu?

Few MotoGP rookies have aroused as much excitement as Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, not only because he possesses a magical motorcycling talent, but because he comes from World Superbikes, not Moto2, so no one can be really sure how fast he will be in grands prix.

Razgatlıoğlu has been WSBK’s shining star for the last half-decade or so, winning three world titles, with Yamaha in 2021 and with BMW in 2024 and 2025.

His magic isn’t dissimilar to Marc Márquez’s magic. Like the seven-time MotoGP king, he has an otherworldly skill in corner entry, where he can tread the finest of lines between braking and turning, balancing those conflicting forces to find speed where others find the gravel trap.

The big question is how will that magic work now that the game has changed, from a pimped-up road bike and Pirelli tyres to a MotoGP prototype and Michelin tyres?

We will know the answer to that question in the coming months. Meanwhile, during yesterday’s 2026 Pramac Yamaha team launch in Italy, Razgatlıoğlu preferred to focus on his present and not create too much expectation for his future.

“Now is a very special moment – finally the dream has come true,” said Razgatlıoğlu, 29, the first Turkish rider to take his place on a MotoGP grid. “I’ve always ridden superbikes and now I’m riding a MotoGP bike – it’s a completely different bike, especially the acceleration is incredible! I need time to adapt, I need time to learn, especially the tyres. I need to feel the limit.

“We will see. Now we have a lot of testing, especially in Malaysia, where we have six days at Sepang. I hope to understand the bike and the new tracks. I just need time.

“It’s a really big challenge for me, but 2026 is a learning year for me, I hope in 2027 we will fight for podiums. But I don’t know, we will see this year. I will try my best, like always.”

Razgatlıoğlu’s Pramac team-mate is the hugely experienced Jack Miller, a four-time MotoGP winner contesting his 12th season in the premier class.

Miller has always been a team player, so Razgatlıoğlu could hardly have anyone better on the other side of his garage.

“Toprak can do some amazing things on a motorcycle, so I look forward to seeing his adaptation to MotoGP and I’m happy to help wherever help is needed,” says the 30-year-old Australian. “I’ve always been up for having an open relationship in the box – the first guy you want to beat is your team-mate but also you want to work with them. I’m all for lifting up the team as much as I can.

“He’s got a very unique riding style, just the way he brakes and the way he accelerates. He keeps central with the bike and he’s able to find traction, even though it doesn’t seem like he’s looking for it.”

Miller has no doubt that Yamaha has made the right decision in parking their inline-four YZR-M1, which he raced last year alongside Fabio Quartararo and others, and replacing it with a V4 machine. Since 2023, Yamaha had been the only factory not racing a V4, so now the grid is entirely V4, just like it was during MotoGP’s final 500cc seasons.

“You couldn’t stop with the inline-four,” Miller adds. “With the V4’s weight distribution you have a lot more stopping potential, being able to use the engine-brake and the rear tyre to help stop the bike.

“The inline-four was all right once you had it wound up and rolling, but you couldn’t fight with the other bikes. It was like trying to force a square peg into a round hole.”

However, Miller cautions against too much optimism about the V4’s speed when the 2026 MotoGP season roars into action on 1 March.

“The V4 will help, but maybe not too much in the early stages, because it needs some more ponies,” he says.

While MotoGP’s other five manufacturers – Aprilia, Ducati, Honda and KTM – face the huge challenge of racing their current 1000cc machines and developing their all-new 850s for 2027, Yamaha faces the altogether greater challenge of developing and racing their new 1000 and developing an 850.