Pramac Yamaha rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu is “tired of talking about the bike” as being his main issue in adapting to MotoGP, insisting that Michelin’s tyres are “the real problem”.

The three-time World Superbike champion stunned last weekend at the Brazilian Grand Prix when he navigated tricky conditions to secure a Q2 spot.

However, he slumped to 18th in the sprint from 12th on the grid and was a distant 17th in the grand prix.

Ahead of this weekend’s US Grand Prix, Toprak Razgatlioglu says he “understands the MotoGP bike much more”, but his problems in adapting remain with Michelin’s tyres.

“I know I have a journey ahead of me,” he is reported by GPOne as saying in his media debrief on Thursday at COTA.

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“I’m still trying to get to know the tyres. On the bike side, things are already better. By now, I understand this MotoGP bike much more, and I’m also trying to change my riding style.

“But honestly, I’m a bit tired of talking about the bike. The issue isn’t so much the bike anymore: the real problem is adapting to the tyres, not the machine.

“Sometimes I also think that this year I’m learning so many things, from the tyres to the suspension, but next year everything will change again.

“It’s tough. It’s not easy for me, because after so many years in Superbike, where we were doing very well, everything is more complicated here.”

Razgatlioglu’s adaptation process will be complicated further by Michelin’s tyre carcass changing again for the COTA event.

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After using the stiffer construction for Thailand and Brazil, it reverts to its standard carcass for the Austin weekend.

Razgatlioglu “really down” after Saturday in Brazil

The Pramac Yamaha rider was wary of getting too excited by his strong Friday showing in Brazil, but admits he was “really down” after his struggles on the Saturday.

“We had to wait until Saturday, with the track completely dry or completely wet, to really understand where we’d stand.

“In fact, on Saturday, I had a very different feeling. When we found more grip on the track, the bike stopped turning, and the overall handling changed a lot.

“In fact, on Saturday, when everything went wrong, my motivation dropped a lot, because after Friday I was expecting a much better weekend.

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“On Saturday, after the [sprint] race, I was really down.”

This weekend’s US Grand Prix marks Razgatlioglu’s first visit to COTA since he was a podium contender in the Red Bull Rookies Cup in 2013.

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