Toprak Razgatlioglu matches last season’s crash total just two rounds into MotoGP 2026
Photo by Steve Wobser/Getty Images Toprak Razgatlioglu couldn’t build on his strong start to the weekend at the Brazilian Grand Prix, ending up 12th in qualifying after a crash in FP2 disrupted his plans. The Turkish rider had set himself up for Q2 by going fourth-fastest in the timed practice session. However, he didn’t carry that form into qualifying, where his best lap of 1:18.
412 was three-tenths off Francesco Bagnaia’s time. Despite getting the better of Fabio Quartararo on Friday, Razgatlioglu finished nearly nine-tenths behind the 2021 world champion in qualifying. And across both sessions, only Enea Bastianini recorded a slower combined lap time.
Razgatlioglu has crashed twice in as many weekends Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images Razgatlioglu came off at turn four during FP2 with just over five minutes remaining, a corner that has proven difficult for several riders this weekend, including Marc Marquez during qualifying. Last season, Razgatlioglu finished joint-bottom of the World Superbikes crash leaderboard alongside former Ducati MotoGP rider Danilo Petrucci, with both riders only going down twice. This year, he’s already matched that number within the opening two weekends.
He retired from the Thailand Sprint last time out, which was his first MotoGP race of any kind. During testing, he stayed upright throughout and later attributed that crash to a technical problem. Pundit Neil Hodgson commented on TNT Sports after the incident: “What’s incredible about that, anyone who’s watched Toprak through his career or the last five years… “To watch someone ride a motorcycle so hard in every session, so committed so out of shape at times to only crash once [sic] a season is almost unheard of.
” Fabio Quartararo surprised himself with his Brazil Grand Prix qualifying performance Pramac team manager Gino Borsoi says Razgatlioglu was feeling ‘so good’ on the motorcycle on Friday. He has achieved a milestone this weekend, whatever happens, but qualifying felt like a step backwards. If the changeable conditions in practice were a leveller that allowed Razgatlioglu’s talent to come to the fore, perhaps the dry, more representative Saturday was a reality check.