Fabio Quartararo to Join Honda Factory Team Next Season

The 2021 world champion ends his Yamaha chapter in one of the biggest MotoGP transfers in recent years.

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In a move that has sent shockwaves through the MotoGP paddock, Fabio Quartararo is set to leave Yamaha and join Honda’s factory team for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.

According to Motorsport.com, the 26-year-old Frenchman has agreed terms with Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), bringing an end to his long-standing partnership with Yamaha, the manufacturer that gave him his MotoGP debut in 2019 in what was then considered a bold and unexpected promotion.

Quartararo remains Yamaha’s most recent MotoGP world champion, having secured the title in 2021. However, since that peak, Yamaha has struggled to maintain competitiveness, entering a prolonged performance slump that has clearly tested the French rider’s patience.

In Yamaha colours, “El Diablo” has built an impressive legacy with 11 race wins, 32 podiums, and 21 pole positions. But 2026 will now mark his final season with the Iwata-based manufacturer before he begins a new chapter with Honda under MotoGP’s new 2027 technical regulations.

Like other riders changing teams ahead of the regulation overhaul, Quartararo’s 2026 campaign will serve as a transitional year. A major question remains over how deeply Yamaha will involve him in developing the new 850cc prototype set to debut in 2027.

When Quartararo last renewed with Yamaha in April 2024, he described it as an act of faith, believing the team’s renewed investment would eventually produce a bike capable of fighting Ducati at the front. Yamaha delivered on financial and organisational commitments, but on-track performance failed to convince him. His frustration grew as results stagnated, and his trust in the project appears to have finally run out.

The internal dynamic at Yamaha also shifted during this period. Lin Jarvis stepped down at the end of 2024 and was replaced by Paolo Pavesio, a move that reportedly changed the approach to rider relations.

“I don’t speak much with Paolo. The people I’m interested in are the ones in the garage. I speak more with the engineers than with him,” the Frenchman said.

The comment highlighted how disconnected he had become from management, even while remaining committed to his technical crew.

For Honda, this signing represents a major statement of intent. HRC is rebuilding after several difficult seasons, and securing a rider of Quartararo’s calibre signals a push to return to the front of the grid under the new rules.

Once the move is officially confirmed, attention will shift to who will partner him. Current factory riders Joan Mir and Luca Marini both have contracts expiring at the end of 2026.

Honda is reportedly assessing Mir’s motivation levels, while Marini has built a strong working relationship with Honda’s Japanese engineering group, which holds increasing influence in decision-making.

Other names circulating in recent months include Pedro Acosta and Jorge Martin, though Martin’s attempted exit from Aprilia in 2025, which Honda had been willing to facilitate, was ultimately blocked.

Quartararo’s decision marks one of the most significant rider transfers of the current MotoGP era. Leaving the team that shaped his premier-class career is a bold step, but also a clear signal that he still believes he can fight for another world title, and that Honda may offer the platform to do so under the sport’s next generation of machines.

For Yamaha, losing their star rider is a heavy blow. But, for Honda, it could be the beginning of a revival. MotoGP’s 2027 season suddenly looks even more explosive.