Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) has announced the signing of a two-year official contract with French rider Fabio Quartararo, covering the 2027 and 2028 MotoGP World Championship seasons. As Motorsport.com previously reported, the deal was finalized at the end of January; however, the announcement was delayed until the summer break for several reasons.
Why was the announcement delayed?
One of the decisive factors in the delay was a mutual agreement between the manufacturers: it was decided that no rider transfers would be publicly announced until the document outlining MotoGP's commercial and sporting framework for the next five years, recently renamed the 'Brno Agreement', was signed. Honda's own corporate schedule also played a role in prolonging this process. Quartararo, meanwhile, evaded questions about his future for months with vague answers.
HRC's statement read: 'Quartararo will be racing with the Honda HRC factory team as MotoGP transitions to the 850cc era from 2027.' The statement did not include any quote from the French rider as he is still under contract with Yamaha.
The eight-year Yamaha era is coming to an end.
Quartararo entered MotoGP in 2019 as part of Yamaha's satellite team, Sepang Racing Team. Two seasons later, he was promoted to the factory roster and won the world championship in 2021. His record of 11 wins, 32 podiums, and 21 pole positions was overshadowed by Yamaha's declining competitiveness. In April 2024, he signed a contract extension with Yamaha, giving the Iwata team one last chance; however, the lack of concrete progress before the 2027 technical regulations and limited communication with the new management structure led him to accept Honda's offer during the Christmas holidays.
Quartararo is currently 14th in the championship standings for the 2026 season, holding the highest ranking among Yamaha riders; however, he has yet to achieve a podium finish this season.
The second garage seat remains uncertain.
The race for the other factory seat at Honda is not yet over. It was previously announced that David Alonso had signed with Honda; the Colombian driver is competing with Diogo Moreira for the factory starting position. The driver who fails to secure the second factory seat is expected to race under the LCR Honda banner in 2027. Meanwhile, according to information obtained by Motorsport.com, Honda has appointed Italian mechanic Christian Pupulin as Quartararo's team chief; Pupulin's primary task will be to accelerate the French driver's adaptation to the RC213V as quickly as possible.