Fabio Quartararo’s move from Yamaha to Honda confirmed for 2027 MotoGP season

For the first time in his MotoGP career Fabio Quartararo will ride for another brand in 2027, after completing his long-awaited move to Honda.

Unsurprisingly, Quartararo has been confirmed as one of Honda’s two factory riders for the start of the 850cc era next season, however, it’s still unclear who his team-mate will be. 

Quartararo’s switch to Honda was confirmed less than an hour after the Japanese manufacturer confirmed the addition of Moto2 star David Alonso. But unlike Quartararo, it has not yet been announced which team Alonso will ride for. 

Alonso could slot in alongside Quartararo, although a move to LCR would make more sense, allowing 2026 rookie Diogo Moreira to instead move from LCR to the official HRC team.

Quartararo, who has cut a frustrated figure at Yamaha for several seasons due to the company’s lack of competitiveness, was linked with a move to Honda before the 2026 season even began. In fact, a report on day one of the Sepang Shakedown test suggested Quartararo had already signed for Yamaha’s rivals. 

Quartararo’s arrival at Honda means that just one factory seat is left to be filled across the entire grid. Yamaha, Ducati, KTM and Aprilia have all confirmed their factory team line-ups, meaning it is the second factory seat at Honda that is waiting to be announced.

Quartararo joined MotoGP in 2019 when he signed for the Petronas Yamaha SRT team. Quartararo would go on to win three races during his first two years in the championship with the team, before earning a move to the factory Monster Energy Yamaha squad for 2021.

Quartararo secured the title in his first year as a factory rider, as he out-performed his more experienced team-mate Maverick Vinales. The now 27-year-old ultimately finished second in 2022 after losing a 91-point lead in the second half of the season to Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia.

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