Overview
- Honda confirmed on Tuesday that Fabio Quartararo will join its factory MotoGP team on a two-year deal covering the 2027 and 2028 seasons.
- Quartararo remains under contract with Yamaha through the end of the current season and is scheduled to make his first appearance on a Honda at the end-of-season Valencia test while he must miss the Red Bull Ring 850cc test for contractual reasons.
- Honda has presented Quartararo as the lead rider for its new 850cc programme but has not yet finalised the second factory seat, with Moto2 talent David Alonso and LCR rider Diogo Moreira the leading candidates.
- The move follows Quartararo’s judgment that Yamaha would not produce a race-winning bike under the 2027 regulations after years of declining results, a view that prompted his decision despite a 2024 extension with Yamaha.
- The signing restores a high-profile name to Honda as it tries to rebuild after the post-Marquez period and is likely to reshuffle factory and satellite lineups across teams, with Yamaha already preparing replacements for Quartararo.