Jorge Lorenzo lamented Torak Razgatlioglu ahead of the start of the 2026 rookie MotoGP season at Pramak.
Razgatlioglu After signing a two-year factory contract, he eventually moved to MotoGP. Yamaha contract to drive for their satellite team; Pramak. It has been a long time since he came to the premier class, he previously refused to join anyone except the working group.
The 29-year-old has regretted his previous position and agreed to race for Pramac as Yamaha runs the Tuscan team as its second factory entry from 2025. Razgatlioglu sees 2026 as his last chance to move to MotoGP before the 2027 rule changes.
Razgatlioglu sees 2026 as a learning opportunity in MotoGP.Many tracks on the calendar are new for him, as well as Michelin tires and high altitudes (banned in 2027). But Yamaha also joined in on the move to a V4 engine.
Jorge Lorenzo thinks Razgatlioglu moved to MotoGP at ‘worst time’ at Yamaha
Lorenzo, who has won three of his MotoGP titles with the factory Yamaha team, is nervous about how 2026 will develop given the learning curve Razgatlioglu faces and the Iwata crew’s new engine. Too much, in fact, Lorenzo feels. Diogo Moreira He could be a top starter this season.
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Three-time World Superbike champion Razgatlioglu and Moreira are the sole starters in the 2026 MotoGP season, with the latter moving up. LCR As the reigning Moto2 champion at the factory for several years Honda Contract. And Lorenzo saw even more potential in testing from Honda.
Lorenzo said. Duralvita: “Poor Toprac, who came to Yamaha at a very bad time with Michelins, lots of electronics and lots of aerodynamic wings. So it all came together to make it harder for him to adapt.”
“Morera is doing well. He wasn’t in front, obviously, he’s still a bit further away. But it’s great because when I got to MotoGP today, there was no aerodynamics.”
“So Moreira has a great talent, he’s great in Supermoto, on dirt tracks, and he’s on the same level as the pointers in those sectors. But that’s normal, because it’s a whole other world. It’s very difficult in MotoGP, it always has been, but today it’s even more so.”
“And Torac as well. Toprac has been riding road bikes all his life. They’re not prototypes. They’re too soft with other tires. He’s ridden hard on braking, cornering and climbing, and now he has to go through the corners.”
“So it’s going to be tough for both of them. I don’t know who’s tougher to be honest. If Honda is much better than Yamaha, Moreira might even be ahead of Toprak.”
Yamaha engineers shared his concerns about their V4 engine with Jorge Lorenzo.
Lorenzo says Yamaha’s new V4 engine will be of particular concern to Razgatlioglu’s rookie season, as the Japanese brand switches from an inline-four in the final year of 1,000cc regulations. MotoGP will switch to 850cc engines for the 2027 season.
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After reading the 2027 regulations, Yamaha knew they had to use a V4 engine in 2026The switch gives the opportunity to learn different configurations while growing in the next year’s class. However, Yamaha encountered several problems with their V4 during pre-season testing in Malaysia.
Works rider Alex Rins describes that teammate. Fabio Quatararo and Razgatlioglu broke the two Yamaha V4 engines in Sepang.This ultimately led to the Iwata workers being seated on the second day. But Lorenzo spoke to Yamaha engineers in Sepang, who played down his concerns.
Lorenzo added: “I think there was more drama in the newspapers with the headlines about Yamaha[being in trouble]and things like that. Three or four people I know and work with from Yamaha have contacted them and calmed down.”
“They said, “It’s normal, it’s like a new project, a new engine that we’ve never known,” and other teams have been using this engine configuration for 20 years, 25 years.
“It’s normal for problems to happen; the project is very young, so I didn’t see them as a concern.”
