Jonathan Rea points to where Toprak Razgatlioglu needs to adapt, even after strong MotoGP start
· Yahoo Sports
Jonathan Rea believes Toprak Razgatlioglu’s main challenge in MotoGP this season is as much mental as it is mechanical.
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The two riders are familiar with each other from their days competing against each other in World Superbikes.
While Rea only made two appearances in MotoGP, Razgatlioglu has fully transitioned into the series and picked up his first point last weekend at the Grand Prix of the Americas.
He’s also currently leading teammate Jack Miller in both qualifying and race head-to-heads, and impressed Yamaha’s top rider Fabio Quartararo by beating him outright at COTA.
Rea believes ‘mental management’ is key for Razgatlioglu in MotoGP transition
Photo by Steve Wobser/Getty ImagesSpeaking to GPOne, Rea emphasised that Razgatlioglu is an ‘extraordinary’ rider who can be ‘one of the best’ at Yamaha.
Razgatlioglu struggled to look at the timing screens when he first started riding the M1, currently the slowest bike on the grid. Accustomed to fighting for race wins, he’s now in a situation where P15 is a good result.
Rea says that recalibration will be difficult and also pointed out that Razgatlioglu is facing huge ‘expectations’ after winning three WSBK titles. He was linked with MotoGP for years before finally taking the step.
“He’s an extraordinary talent,” said Rea. “I hope he can find the right confidence, because it’s crucial for him. He’s not used to being outside the top, so mental management will be important.
“I hope Yamaha finds the right path, because even Fabio, one of the most talented, is struggling. When you’re a rookie and have to learn new circuits, with all the expectations on your shoulders, it’s very difficult.
“The most important thing is to grow step by step without too much pressure. As I said, Toprak isn’t used to being outside the podium places and will have to cope mentally.
“Miller said that there are two different styles at Yamaha: Fabio and Toprak. Razgatlioglu, after testing the bike, realised that it’s not that simple.
“It takes time, but the most important thing is for the rider to feel comfortable and have confidence in the bike. If he can tailor it to his needs, he can become one of the best at Yamaha.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu matches crash total in early 2026 races
Razgatlioglu matched his entire 2025 crash total by the second race of the 2026 season, but that shouldn’t overshadow how reliable he was in World Superbikes. He only went down twice last year, so the early numbers may not be as concerning as they look.
The crash he suffered during the Thailand Sprint was attributed to technical issues rather than a rider mistake. And even though he’s still near the bottom of the standings, it’s worth noting that he didn’t have any incidents during pre-season testing.
There’s every reason to be confident, then, that Razgatlioglu will not be crash-prone in MotoGP despite a couple of early mishaps.
Razgatlioglu has made it clear that his focus is on 2027. He plans to spend this year adapting before switching back to Pirelli tyres and expects Yamaha to provide a more competitive bike by then.
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