Should Toprak Razgatlioglu wait one more year amid Honda MotoGP rumours?

Ahead of the second round of the 2025 WorldSBK season, rumours have resumed that Toprak Razgatlioglu could enter MotoGP in 2026.

It’s quite apt that Razgatlioglu should be riding for BMW currently, because over the past three years or so the only World Superbike-to-MotoGP rumour that has died and revived more often than that focused on Razgatlioglu is that focused on BMW.

The rumour of Razgatlioglu moving to MotoGP was perhaps most clearly logical when he was a Yamaha rider, especially after his title in 2021. But the tests he had with the Iwata marque were while it was beginning to decline, and his impression was negative.

Razgatlioglu didn’t like how he had to ride the bike, or how he had to sit on it. Part of this was down to tyres, and part of it was down to the bike design.

A MotoGP switch for Razgatlioglu was also rumoured in 2023 even after he had signed for BMW, and also last year after he won his second World Superbike title in convincing fashion. But Razgatlioglu is 29 and he is as aware as anyone that that means his time is limited – any MotoGP move must be made on equipment that will allow him to win.

For the majority of the time that the Turkish rider has been linked with MotoGP, ‘competitive machinery’ has been essentially an interchangeable term with ‘Ducati’, but the early signs from Honda this season are that they are making progress towards the front.

Honda option for Toprak Razgatlioglu?

Johann Zarco has finished in the top 10 in both Grands Prix this year and beat factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia to a front row position in qualifying at the Argentinian Grand Prix a couple of weeks ago.

Is the RC213V ready to win a title? Perhaps not yet, and perhaps not in 2026, but HRC’s apparent progress could put it in the window for 2027.

Of course, that’s slightly awkward when the technical regulations are set for major changes in 2027 – 850cc engines, reduced aerodynamics, banned ride height devices – but none of that is necessarily set to hurt Honda more than anyone else.

Plus, the most impactful change in 2027 will not be the engines or the aerodynamics or the removal of ride height devices, but the tyres, which will change from Michelin to Pirelli.

That means that, instead of switching series, manufacturer, brake material, and tyre brand, only the first three of those will apply. That’s only one out of four, but the tyre is the most important part of any asphalt racing series and is the ingredient that conditions the character of all the other technical aspects.

Razgatlioglu’s dominance of WorldSBK hasn’t been built purely on skill and technical superiority – in fact you could argue that the latter hasn’t been a factor in his success at all. Instead, it’s been about his understanding of the Pirelli tyres, especially the front tyre, and how exploit its characteristics.

Many times we’ve heard that Razgatlioglu wouldn’t be able to do on a MotoGP Michelin what he can do on a WorldSBK Pirelli. That might be true, but if Pirelli are going to supply MotoGP, then – assuming that the Italian brand’s core characteristics of flexible tyres that offer a lot of feeling and performance in a variety of temperatures – it sort of won’t matter anymore.

Toprak Razgatlioglu told to go to MotoGP

The question then becomes: if MotoGP is going to make it (theoretically) easier for WorldSBK riders to make the switch to MotoGP in 2027, should Razgatlioglu even bother to move across in 2026?

Because, what if he gets on Michelins next year, fries his brain for a season trying to work them out, only to then get back on Pirellis in 2027 and find that he has essentially the same job as everyone else in adapting to the new tyres?

The answer is that he absolutely should go regardless. The guy is 29, will be 30 next year, and therefore doesn’t have time to waste if becoming MotoGP champion is something that he legitimately wants to achieve.

This is especially true if the rumour reported by Italian publication Motosprint – that Razgatlioglu has a contract offer from HRC for two years (2026–27) with an option for two more years (2028–29) written into it – is accurate.

"This has well-founded foundations," the report claims.

Such a contract would give him time to adapt to Honda and to MotoGP, while also giving him the chance to have substantial input into the development of the 850cc Honda.

With both Luca Marini and Johann Zarco out of contract with HRC at the end of this year, it’s certainly a move that could happen for the two-time World Champion, and it’s something that makes sense for Honda, which having seemingly found performance in its RC213V is now looking for a rider that can extract the most from the package every weekend.