It's now official: Toprak Razgatlioglu will make his MotoGP debut in 2026. The announcement, made Tuesday afternoon, ends months of speculation. The two-time World Superbike champion will leave WSBK to join the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP team, marking a symbolic return to Yamaha, the manufacturer with which he won the world title in 2021.
It's a bold, captivating, and potentially historic move. One of the most spectacular talents of WSBK finally arrives on the scene MotoGP, with its flamboyant style, its braking on the edge of the impossible and its raw charisma. An arrival which could well revive interest around the premier category, at the very moment when Liberty Medium is about to conclude an agreement to acquire Dorna.
But not everything will be simple. Razgatlioglu has already tested the Yamaha M1 twice in 2023, without convincing. The tests had been judged disappointing – lack of preparation, too rapid adaptation, lack of benchmarks. Yamaha seems to have understood this and this time wants to lay the foundations for a more structured project. His arrival at Pramac in 2026 is not just a test: it is the starting point of a long-term commitment. And above all, it is a strategic anticipation of 2027, when tires Pirelli will replace the Michelin and where 850cc engines will shake up the technical hierarchy.
Jorge Lorenzo, always quick to react, welcomed the announcement on Instagram: “ This is great news for all MotoGP fans. » He however qualified his enthusiasm by estimating that Soil might have been " better suited to a Ducati or Honda ». Lorenzo recalls that the Turk's spectacular style, based on extreme braking and mass transfers, could better suit a chassis Ducati, or even to the rigid front axle of a Honda.
Jorge Lorenzo: “ Toprak Razgatlioglu is better suited to a Ducati or a Honda »
Behind the scenes, we also learn that Razgatlioglu had received an offer from Honda before the option George Martin does not take over. Yamaha , for its part, would have locked the pilot with a multi-year contract, banking not only on his showman qualities, but also on his valuable experience of Pirelli in anticipation of the great shift of 2027.
The signing of Soil now raises the question of places at Pramac. Jack Miller, at the end of his contract, seems the logical candidate at the start. As for Miguel Oliveira, his contract until 2026 contains a performance clause that he is not fulfilling. His future is more uncertain than ever. At the same time, persistent rumors suggest that Miller could bounce back at Yamaha… replacing a disappointing Alex Rins.
But why Razgatlioglu isn't he directly promoted to the factory team? Yamaha ? A simple answer: Monster Energy. The main sponsor of Yamaha opposes the arrival of a pilot under contract with Red Bull, as is the case with SoilAs long as this contractual barrier remains, it will remain in satellite - even if it performs.
2026 will therefore mark the beginning of a new chapter. Toprak Razgatlioglu I went into MotoGP as a free electron, armed with talent, spectacle and fierce ambition. And Yamaha , well aware of betting big, hopes that this bet on the future will become a striking demonstration at the time of the technical revolution of 2027.
