Toprak Razgatlioglu, from spectacular save to incident with Savadori: penalty made official

Razgatlioglu made a splash on MotoGP Saturday at Jerez: one episode was spectacular, another was negative and caused problems for the Aprilia test rider.

Toprak Razgatlioglu’s adaptation process to MotoGP continues, and in this 2026 Spanish Grand Prix he is having to deal with a variety of track conditions. With a Yamaha that isn’t particularly competitive, it’s not easy to make the difference, but the three-time Superbike world champion is nonetheless holding his own compared to his brand mates. In a wet FP2 he surprised with the sixth fastest time and a truly remarkable save at Turn 13—one could say “Marquez-style.” He looked destined to crash, yet he managed to keep his M1 upright and recover. His bike-control skills were already well-known in World Superbike and are being confirmed in the top class as well.

Despite the promising final free practice session, he didn’t shine in Q1 of Qualifying and started from nineteenth on the grid for the sprint race at Jerez. His race ended on lap eight, when he tried to overtake Lorenzo Savadori at Turn 5 and slid out, also taking down the Aprilia wildcard tester. The latter suffered physical consequences and doesn’t know if he’ll race the long Sunday race: “Unfortunately,” Savadori said, “in the race I was taken out due to another rider’s mistake. We had gotten off to a good start before the crash, everything was working well, I felt good and I was in the group of the top 10. That’s how it went, I took a big hit, because on impact the other bike came right into me. Let’s hope I can be fit for the race because in any case the crash was significant.”

Razgatlioglu’s maneuver also had another consequence: a long lap penalty to be served tomorrow. The Prima Pramac Yamaha rider committed the first infraction of his MotoGP season and will therefore have to do a “long lap,” which will certainly make his race at Jerez even more complicated.