Toprak Razgatlioglu says he became so frustrated with a lack of grip on Michelin tyres that he considered pulling out of the Austrian Grand Prix, before electing to continue out of respect for Yamaha.
Aside from a few flashes of pace, reigning World Superbike champion Razgatlioglu has largely struggled on his transition to MotoGP this year. While the switch to prototype bikes and Michelin tyres was always going to represent a major challenge, the Turk has particularly been held back by an uncompetitive package.
The new V4-powered M1 has struggled for performance at all tracks this year, but Yamaha faced an even bigger deficit to its rivals at Spielberg, where Michelin introduced a stiffer rear carcass to deal with the excess load on tyres.
The tyre issues compounded a weekend in which Razgatlioglu was already two seconds off the pace in qualifying. Starting 22nd and last on the grid, he finished the race well outside the points in 20th position, more than 46s behind race winner Pedro Acosta.
Speaking afterwards, Razgatlioglu said he was baffled to find Yamaha struggling for traction from the very beginning of the race, admitting he contemplated pulling into the pits to retire.
“I am very shocked because at the beginning, in the first five laps, I was not feeling any grip; I just felt the bike spinning,” he said.
“I’m really angry on the bike because I’m just asking myself if it’s a new tyre, how is it possible to have no grip in the beginning. Okay, towards the end of the race, the tyres drop, but in the beginning, we cannot accept it like this.
“If the bike has no grip, the bike doesn’t accelerate. In the last six laps, I’m talking to myself, how is it possible to finish the race because on the straight, the bike just spins.
“I’m also sometimes thinking about coming back to the box, but I’m just respecting Yamaha by continuing to ride, because the pace is a disaster. I’m just trying to finish the race, but I’m not enjoying. I think it is the same with all Yamahas.
“This is the second worst race in my life. One is in Thailand, where I felt the same like this because there was no grip.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
Yamaha is in the midst of its worst slump in MotoGP, with a switch to a new V4 motor in 2026 leaving it even further adrift of the competition.
Departing Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo has also hit out at a lack of progress during the year, criticising the team multiple times for not bringing tangible improvements to the bike.
Razgatlioglu admitted that the entire team is “sad” about a lack of results this season, but he expressed confidence that Yamaha is doing everything in its capacity to nail the 2027 regulations.
“We have many months [to prepare] for next year. They are working really hard, we’ll see,” he said.
“I’m sad, but the whole team is sad, not only me, because everyone is trying their best. Everyone expects to be in a better position, including me.
“I’m on the bike, I’m always trying to do my best, but like this, everyone is going down.
“This is real teamwork. They are really working hard for the next year, and also trying to improve the bike. I hope we will find something, and we start really strong next year, because we need to start strong, because we need motivation.”
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