Toprak Razgatlıoğlu blamed his poor showing in Saturday’s Brazilian MotoGP Sprint on a loss of front-end grip and multiple technical and electronic problems with the Pramac Yamaha V4, calling the race “frustrating, a step back” and describing the bike as “impossible” to ride. He reported a clutch/power problem at the start that dropped him back, a mysterious loss of power on throttle release, and severe front-end instability under braking that left him “afraid to brake” and feeling the tires “like they were five years old.” Razgatlıoğlu and teammate Jack Miller were the only riders to experience the same issues, and he said the bike “wasn’t the same” compared with Friday’s running.

Those problems produced a heavy on-track toll: Razgatlıoğlu, who had qualified 12th after a strong Friday that included a surprise P3 and his first Q2 appearance, finished 18th in the 15‑lap Sprint, beating only Miller, with both Pramac Yamahas ending at the back of the field. Marc Márquez won the Sprint, finishing roughly 23 seconds ahead, while the Pramac duo were about 15 seconds behind Fabio Quartararo and nearly eight seconds behind Alex Rins; Quartararo ran a soft rear tire to sixth while the Pramac riders had chosen medium rears. Miller, who briefly led after starting 18th, battled strong understeer and a lack of front-end confidence, and both Pramac bikes were passed late by Franco Morbidelli and Enea Bastianini. The whole grid struggled with the hard front tire over the Sprint.

Pramac said it would investigate setup and electronic systems to address the clutch/power and handling problems, and team boss Campinoti’s crew planned comprehensive checks ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix. Razgatlıoğlu’s preparation had already been disrupted by an FP2 crash he attributed to a technical fault, an incident that, with an earlier retirement in Thailand, brought his crash tally to two. He expressed hope the team’s checks and the full race would uncover the issue and deliver a better result, and Miller suggested a wet forecast for Sunday might improve their prospects.

Sources