Jorge Lorenzo tells Fabio Quartararo ‘you cannot have it all’ if he tries to leave Yamaha for Ducati

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Fabio Quartararo has only ever raced the Yamaha YZR-M1 since his MotoGP debut in 2019, but the 2021 champion continues to flirt with a potential move away for 2027.

The 2025 season has only just finished in Valencia last weekend, but the 2027 MotoGP rider market is already at the forefront of many pilots’ minds. Most of the current field are due to be out of contract at the end of 2026 and MotoGP’s 2027 regulations could reorder the grid.

Quartararo is one of the riders due to be out of contract after the 2026 MotoGP season, and he will not be afraid to leave Yamaha if the M1 is not competitive next term. The 26-year-old has not won a race since the 2022 German Grand Prix, and he has gone winless in 72 races.

Following his third winless season in succession, Quartararo admits he has “no time” to wait for Yamaha to improve the M1 any longer. Yamaha will move to a V4 engine in 2026, but the Frenchman wants to see signs of progress during the Sepang pre-season test next February.

Jorge Lorenzo tells Fabio Quartararo that Ducati will not match his huge salary

Ducati see Quartararo as one of their top targets for 2027, and the Borgo Panigale outfit will make especially great efforts to land the Nice native were Marc Marquez to leave at the end of his contract. Honda are incredibly interested in Quartararo joining them for 2027, as well.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Fabio Quartararo from net worth to career stats

But Jorge Lorenzo thinks Quartararo would have to weigh up whether or not he is willing to forgo a huge salary to join Ducati. He believes the Bologna Bullets will not match the wages that their rivals might offer, as their bike remains the best of the current 1,000cc rules cycle.

Lorenzo told the MotoGP world feed (18/11, 09:46): “It looks like, from his words, he gave an opportunity to Yamaha. So, the contract was economically very good.

“But when you do not have the money, you want the money. But when you get the money but not the results, then you miss getting the results. So, you cannot have it all, or it’s difficult to have it all.

“At the moment, Ducati still have the most competitive bike, but Ducati do not need to pay as much as other factories who are a little behind. So, it’s a balance, and the rider needs to decide in terms of the will to win they have.”

Fabio Quartararo’s mega-money contract bought Yamaha time that is now running out

Yamaha pay Quartararo £10m a year, making him the highest-paid rider on the MotoGP grid, having accepted that they had to give the Frenchman big bucks to convince him to re-sign through 2026 in April 2024. But Yamaha’s millions have only bought the team so much time.

Now, Quartararo has lost patience after seeing rival teams like Aprilia become Ducati’s main rival ahead of KTM, while Honda have also made progress. So, Yamaha must hit the ground running in 2026 with their V4 engine to ensure that Quartararo gives them a bit more time.

But if Yamaha’s V4 is not a clear improvement on the inline-four engine that left Quartararo fighting with one arm behind his back in 2025, then he will no doubt entertain approaches. Even if Yamaha have made Quartararo a huge offer to extend his contract into at least 2027.