Ducati rivals are now ‘incredibly interested’ in signing Fabio Quartararo from Yamaha for 2027

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Fabio Quartararo could be the biggest player in the MotoGP rider market next year. He’s indicated that he will leave Yamaha if he’s not satisfied with their competitiveness at the start of 2026.

Quartararo has rather dragged this year’s M1 to eighth in the riders’ standings, even though Yamaha sit bottom of the constructors’ standings. He has scored four pole positions but only one Grand Prix podium.

Champion elect Marc Marquez is highly likely to remain with Ducati, and that could make Quartararo the most in-demand rider. Multiple teams are likely to wait for his decision before they proceed with their plans.

Quartararo is a top target for Ducati amid uncertainty over the future of Francesco Bagnaia. But speaking on MotoGP’s preview show at the San Marino Grand Prix, Jack Appleyard revealed that they face strong competition.

Honda see Fabio Quartararo as their next superstar target after missing out on Jorge Martin

Earlier this year, Honda missed out on reigning world champion Jorge Martin. They were ready to snap him up for 2026 if he escaped his Aprilia contract through his controversial release clause.

In the end, Martin was compelled to stay. With the two parties seemingly headed for the courtroom, Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta warned that any rider in an ongoing contractual dispute with another team would be blocked from entering the championship.

Martin could still be available for 2027, by which point his Aprilia contract will have expired, but it seems Alberto Puig and co. have turned their attention to a new target in Quartararo. Appleyard says they are ‘incredibly interested’.

Yamaha need to convince Quartararo to stay by living up to his expectations with their new V4-powered bike.

Appleyard said: “The big question to Paolo Pavesio is, ‘Is that bike in there good enough to keep hold of Fabio Quartararo in 2027?’. That is the big question.

“Already, the sharks are starting to move in the waters. There’s already talk of Honda being incredibly interested in Fabio Quartararo after their attempts to get Jorge Martin on board didn’t succeed.

“They have to show at least something to Fabio. For too long, there have been promises, there have been PDF documents that Fabio has spoken about. He’s said, ‘Right now, it’s not enough – I have to see something on the track, in the flesh that can convince me to stay with Yamaha’.”

Yamaha told there’s a ‘100% chance’ they lose Fabio Quartararo unless they do one thing

Yamaha haven’t yet confirmed whether they will race with a V4 in 2026. They say they will make the decision based on the competitiveness of their new machine.

But the consensus is that the inline four concept has reached its ceiling, so much so that Quartararo will ‘100%’ leave if they persist with it.

Quartararo earns £10m per year at Yamaha, one of the biggest MotoGP contracts ever. But Paddock Pass podcast journalist David Emmett believes he’s now willing to take a pay cut.

“Their choice is, either they race the V4 next year, or Fabio Quartararo is riding a Ducati for 2027,” said Emmett. “He might still be riding a Ducati or something else in 2027, but the chance goes down from 100%.

“He’s had a lot of money for the past three or four years. His piggy bank is bursting at the seams. He can afford to take a pay cut to try and win something.”