Exclusive: Honda agrees deal with Fabio Quartararo for…

Honda’s factory MotoGP team has agreed a deal with Fabio Quartararo for the next two seasons, Motorsport.com has learned.

The 26-year-old Frenchman will leave Yamaha after agreeing a deal with HRC for 2027 and 2028, bringing to an end his association with the manufacturer, which handed him his MotoGP debut in 2019 - a widely unexpected move at the time.

Quartararo is the most recent world champion for the Iwata-based brand, having clinched the title in 2021, before Yamaha entered a downward spiral that, after a long period of strain, ultimately led to his departure.

In addition to that championship, ‘El Diablo’ has so far amassed 11 victories, 32 podiums and 21 pole positions in Yamaha colours, ahead of what will be his final season with the Japanese brand in 2026. As with all riders changing teams ahead of the introduction of the new technical regulations in 2027, the upcoming campaign will be a transitional one. It remains to be seen to what extent Yamaha will involve Quartararo in the development of the prototype that will debut under the new ruleset, defined above all by the switch to an 850cc four-cylinder engine.

This outcome is significant given its implications, although the signs pointing towards a possible end to the relationship had been mounting for some time. When he last renewed his contract in April 2024, the Nice-born rider described it as an act of faith, trusting that Yamaha’s potential – underpinned by a commitment to increase investment in its MotoGP project – would eventually result in an M1 capable of allowing him to fight the best bike on the grid, namely Ducati.

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing (Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images)

Yamaha honoured the financial and organisational side of that commitment, but the improvement in performance has not been convincing enough in Quartararo’s eyes, and his patience has finally run out.

His frustration also coincided with a change in the team’s management structure. The departure of Lin Jarvis at the end of 2024 and his replacement by Paolo Pavesio brought about a different approach in rider relations, which did little to help matters for the #20.

“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 told Motorsport.com in Australia towards the end of 2025.

Once Honda officially announces Quartararo’s arrival, attention will turn to who will partner him. The contracts of current factory Honda riders Joan Mir and Luca Marini also expire at the end of 2026. Motorsport.com understands that Honda wants to assess several factors before making a decision regarding the second RC214V.

On one hand, it wants to gauge Mir’s level of motivation, while Marini has worked very effectively on his relationship with Honda’s Japanese faction, which is becoming increasingly influential in decision-making. Alongside Mir and Marini, the names of Pedro Acosta and Jorge Martin have also featured prominently in recent months.

The Madrid-born rider attempted to force an exit from Aprilia in mid-2025 after holding talks with Honda, which was willing to take him on as early as 2026. However, Aprilia’s refusal and the intervention of the championship’s top management ultimately derailed the strategy of the 2024 world champion.