Quartararo: Razgatlioglu won’t come - he knows he can’t win in MotoGP

Razgatlioglu underwent a high-profile test on the Yamaha M1 but his speed and the feedback was lukewarm, dampening the possibility that he might sensationally swap WorldSBK for MotoGP.

Yamaha’s star rider and the 2021 MotoGP champion Quartararo has now firmly had his say on his teammate for next season.

“I don't think he will come,” Quartararo said about Razgatlioglu to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“He is a rider who wants to win, and for me, he knows that if he comes here he can't do it. 

“So I think he prefers to fight in Superbike.”

Yamaha managing director Lin Jarvis has already stated that Franco Morbidelli, Quartararo’s current teammate, remains their No 1 choice for 2024 but only if his bright start to this season is maintained.

Morbidelli arrived into 2023 under intense scrutiny but has been part of the impressive form shown by all four VR46 Academy graduates.

A decision over Morbidelli - and therefore the fate of Razgatlioglu - is expected to be made this summer.

Razgatlioglu was 1.0s slower than Yamaha’s test rider Cal Crutchlow when he tested the M1, leading ex-WorldSBK racer and MotoGP pundit Simon Crafar to state: “Everyone knows what a talent Toprak is.

“A real talent, natural ability, work ethic.

“But what I saw was not enough to make me, if I was Yamaha, sign him up.

“Traditionally the young guns do not go slower than the ex-riders who are now test riders.

“From my day, I wasn’t slower than the test riders.

“You want something special straight away to sign him up.

“Yamaha have only two riders. They need someone who will jump on immediately.

“I’ve got no doubt Toprak can do the job but he needs time to change tyres, machinery, a way of riding.

“I don’t think Yamaha can wait.”