Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP

Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Makes Positive Start on Opening Day in Brazil

On a day marked by constantly changing track conditions due to intermittent rain, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP riders made a positive start to the Brazilian Grand Prix. As both riders began to familiarise themselves with the brand-new circuit, they showed good potential, laying the groundwork for the remainder of the weekend.

GRAND PRIX OF BRAZIL

PRACTICE

Goiânia (Brazil), 20th March 2026

3rd

TOPRAK RAZGATLIOGLU
1'21.565 / 16 LAPS

12th

JACK MILLER
1'22.130 / 14 LAPS

Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP got its Brazilian Grand Prix weekend underway in mixed and unpredictable conditions, with the track never fully dry nor completely wet throughout the day. In these tricky circumstances, the team showed clear progress compared to the previous round, making productive use of both the evolving track and the new circuit.

Both riders started off well already in the morning Free Practice, where Jack Miller delivered a strong performance to finish second, while Toprak Razgatlıoğlu remained consistently in the leading group as he continued to build confidence on the unfamiliar layout.

The most significant result of the day came in the afternoon Practice session, particularly for Razgatlıoğlu, who impressed with his pace to secure third position and a direct place in Q2 for Saturday’s qualifying — a notable achievement in only his second race weekend aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1.

Miller was also showing competitive pace before a crash interrupted his session, just as he was improving his lap times. Shortly after, heavier rain returned, bringing the session to an early end and leaving him in 12th place, just a few milliseconds shy of a direct Q2 qualification.

Track action resumes on Saturday with a 30-minute Free Practice session at 10:10, immediately followed by Q1 and Q2, while the 13-lap Sprint race is scheduled for 15:00.

Image gallery

TOPRAK RAZGATLIOGLU
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP rider

I’m really happy with my performance today and, to be honest, I was also a bit surprised when I came back to the pits and saw I was third. I had a big smile on my face. At the same time, I know it’s only Friday, so this is not the moment to celebrate — I want to stay focused for the rest of the weekend. Still, I’m very happy, especially for the team, because they deserved a positive result.

I think today we made a very good decision with the front hard tyre. I believe we were the only ones to go in that direction, and it gave me a lot of stability and confidence on corner entry. It was my crew chief who suggested it, and I’m glad I trusted that choice.

I’ve always enjoyed riding in wet conditions, but today was quite tricky with how mixed it was. We’ll see what the next days bring, because the weather looks very unpredictable. Ideally, I would prefer fully wet or fully dry conditions — even if dry might be a bit more challenging for us — as it would give us clearer feedback to keep improving.

JACK MILLER
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Rider

From this morning I felt we had the potential to do well. In the afternoon I made a couple of mistakes on what could have been good laps — first when I tried to pass Jorge into the last corner, and then with the crash when I hit a wet patch and lost the front. Before that, every time I was trying to put a proper lap together, I either made a small mistake or got caught in traffic.

So overall, not ideal, but I’m looking forward to tomorrow because I believe we can be competitive, especially if the conditions are a bit more consistent. I enjoy riding in the wet, but today it was neither properly wet nor dry, which makes things tricky.

That said, I think we’re in a decent place. The bike is working well here and we have the potential to do a good job. I also like the track — the layout is nice — even if today we were all forced to take different lines just to avoid the wet patches rather than focusing purely on the fastest way around.