Difficult Saturday for Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP at Assen
Extreme temperatures continued to shape the Dutch GP as Jack Miller retired with a technical issue and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu recovered from the back of the grid to finish 17th in the Sprint.
GRAND PRIX OF THE NETHERLANDS
SPRINT
Assen (Netherlands), 27th June 2026
17th
TOPRAK RAZGATLIOGLU +19,437 / 13 LAPS
DNF
JACK MILLER 5/13 LAPS
The unusually high temperatures continued to shape the Dutch Grand Prix, once again creating extremely demanding conditions for everyone on track. With the hot and slippery surface offering very little grip, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP found it difficult to extract the maximum performance from its package, making Saturday another challenging day for both Jack Miller and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu.
After qualifying further back than hoped, neither rider was able to fight their way into the points during the 13-lap Sprint. Miller's race came to a premature end on lap five due to a technical issue, denying the Australian any opportunity to recover through the field.
Starting from the back of the grid, Razgatlıoğlu once again showed determination in the opening laps, gaining positions despite the difficult conditions. However, with overtaking proving particularly difficult and grip at a premium, the Turkish rider could do no better than 17th at the chequered flag.
The outcome is clearly below the team's expectations, but the focus now immediately shifts to Sunday's Grand Prix. With a longer race distance and another opportunity to work on the bike overnight, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP will look to make the most of the data collected and deliver a stronger performance.
GINO BORSOI Team Director, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP
It has undoubtedly been a difficult weekend for both riders. I feel particularly sorry for Jack Miller after the technical issue forced him to retire from the Sprint. On behalf of the whole team, I want to apologise to Jack. Together with Yamaha, we are working hard to identify the root cause of the problem so that we can solve it once and for all.
As for Toprak, once again his race pace was good enough to fight around the top ten. Unfortunately, when you start that far back on the grid, especially at a circuit like Assen, recovering positions becomes extremely difficult.
For tomorrow, I hope to see both riders confirm the solid race pace they have shown so far this weekend. That would be another important sign that, over race distance, we are continuing to close the gap to our competitors.
TOPRAK RAZGATLIOGLU Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP rider
It was a frustrating Sprint because some of the issues we thought we had improved over the last few races came back today. I was riding on the limit from the first lap, but I wasn't able to get the feeling I needed from the bike.
We are still struggling to find the right electronic setup for this circuit. In particular, I wasn't happy with the braking behaviour, and I was also losing too much on acceleration, which made it very difficult to fight with the riders around me.
The positive is that the team can clearly see the areas we need to work on in the data. If we can make the right changes overnight, I believe we can take an important step forward because our overall pace is not far away.
Tomorrow the goal is to find a better balance so that the bike can work more naturally with my riding style. If we can achieve that, I'm confident we can have a much stronger race.
JACK MILLER Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Rider
It was definitely not the day we were hoping for. The rear brake bracket broke on the opening lap and unfortunately that was the end of our race. I tried to stay out for as long as I could, but at a circuit like Assen it's almost impossible to ride safely without a rear brake.
It's particularly frustrating because it's not the first time we've experienced this issue this season. Everyone is working hard to understand it and fix it, but when something like this happens again during a race it's very disappointing.
Despite today's result, I think there were still some positives. This morning our race pace wasn't too bad and we managed to get something out of a difficult situation. The bike felt reasonably competitive and I think we were making progress.
Now the focus is on understanding exactly what happened today and making sure we come back stronger tomorrow. We just have to keep working together and make the most of every opportunity.
Team Director, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP
As for Toprak, once again his race pace was good enough to fight around the top ten. Unfortunately, when you start that far back on the grid, especially at a circuit like Assen, recovering positions becomes extremely difficult.
For tomorrow, I hope to see both riders confirm the solid race pace they have shown so far this weekend. That would be another important sign that, over race distance, we are continuing to close the gap to our competitors.