Quartararo to spearhead Honda’s 850cc MotoGP era
Honda Racing Corporation has landed one of the biggest signatures in modern MotoGP, confirming 2021 World Champion Fabio Quartararo will join the factory Honda HRC team for the opening two seasons of MotoGP’s new 850 cc era.
The Frenchman has signed a two-year agreement covering the 2027 and 2028 MotoGP World Championship seasons, bringing to an end what will have been an eight-year partnership with Yamaha that delivered a world championship, multiple race victories and some of the most spectacular qualifying performances of the modern era.
For Honda, the signing is another major statement of intent as the manufacturer continues rebuilding towards MotoGP’s sweeping technical regulation changes in 2027. The introduction of 850 cc engines, reduced aerodynamics, revised technical regulations and a switch to Pirelli tyres represents the biggest reset the championship has seen in decades. HRC has now secured one of the sport’s premier talents to lead that challenge.
From Prodigy to World Champion
Quartararo’s rise to the top of Grand Prix racing has long been regarded as one of the sport’s most remarkable success stories.
After a record-breaking junior career, including becoming the youngest rider to win the FIM CEV Moto3 International Championship, the Frenchman stepped into the Moto3 World Championship carrying enormous expectations before progressing through Moto2 and ultimately graduating to MotoGP in 2019.
Racing for Petronas Yamaha SRT, Quartararo immediately announced himself as a future star. He claimed pole position in only his fourth MotoGP start and finished his rookie campaign with six pole positions and seven podium finishes, earning Rookie of the Year honours while establishing himself as one of the fastest riders over a single lap.
That raw speed soon translated into race victories. Quartararo became MotoGP World Champion in 2021, delivering Yamaha its first premier-class riders’ crown since Jorge Lorenzo in 2015. He followed that championship with runner-up honours in 2022 after pushing Francesco Bagnaia all the way to the final rounds.
A New Challenge with Honda
Although Yamaha’s competitiveness has fluctuated over recent seasons, Quartararo remained loyal to the manufacturer and continued extracting performances that often exceeded the package beneath him. His ability to qualify at the front and maximise difficult machinery only enhanced his reputation as one of MotoGP’s elite riders.
Now, at 27 years of age, Quartararo embarks on perhaps the biggest challenge of his premier-class career.
Honda has steadily strengthened its MotoGP project over the past two seasons, and the arrival of the new regulations in 2027 presents every manufacturer with an opportunity to reset the competitive order. HRC clearly believes Quartararo’s speed, technical feedback and proven race-winning ability make him the ideal rider to spearhead its return to championship contention.
The Frenchman joins the factory Honda HRC squad with an impressive MotoGP résumé that includes 11 victories, 32 podium finishes and 21 pole positions.
Building for MotoGP’s New Era
Quartararo’s signing follows Honda Racing Corporation’s confirmation that Moto2 star David Alonso has also signed a multi-year agreement to join Honda’s MotoGP programme from 2027.
Together, the announcements underline Honda’s long-term strategy heading into MotoGP’s new technical era, pairing one of the championship’s established stars with one of its brightest emerging talents.
As development of Honda’s all-new 850 cc MotoGP machine gathers pace over the coming months, Quartararo will become one of the central figures in shaping the motorcycle HRC hopes can return the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer to the front of the MotoGP grid.
