Toprak Razgatlioglu relies on Marco Melandri’s stark take: Fabio Quartararo left helpless in Yamaha

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Toprak Razgatlioglu’s impressive start to his debut MotoGP season has already seen him get the better of Fabio Quartararo, and Marco Melandri isn’t exactly shocked by how quickly things have progressed.

Razgatlioglu picked up his first MotoGP point at COTA, finishing just ahead of Quartararo. The Frenchman remains Yamaha’s leading rider with six points in 2026, but Razgatlioglu is closing the gap between them.

Kenan Sufuoglu had predicted that Razgatlioglu could become Yamaha’s main man by the end of the season. It’s still early days, but there are already signs that this could be playing out.

The new V4 engine continues to be a major headache for Yamaha. They’ve fallen behind other teams in terms of pace, and it doesn’t seem like a fix is coming anytime soon. Quartararo has had issues with both motivation and performance for a while now, which has only added to their problems.

After their difficult start with the new V4 engine, there were discussions inside the team about replacing Test Team manager Silvano Galbusera. However, it appears that they have decided against making changes for now.

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Marco Melandri says Fabio Quartararo is ‘helpless’ at Yamaha in 2026

Chaz Davies put his money on Razgatlioglu overtaking Quartararo in 2026, and Melandri isn’t surprised to see the Turkish rider coming out on top.

Melandri told Fanpage that Quartararo looks “helpless” at Yamaha, noting that the constant battles at the back of the grid have clearly taken a toll on his motivation.

“Toprak is a champion, I’m not surprised. Quartararo, on the other hand, is paying the price: when you’re always behind, motivation wanes. It’s inevitable.