Marco Bezzecchi
Fabio Quartararo returned to the podium in the 2025 MotoGP season, but his time as a Yamaha rider seems set to finish when his contract expires after the 2026 campaign.
The 26-year-old has been the figurehead of the factory Yamaha team ever since he replaced Valentino Rossi in their garage during the 2021 campaign and instantly won the title. But the M1 has not been the bike that riders want since Quartararo sealed second in the 2022 term.
Quartararo has only reached the rostrum four times over the past three seasons, with three podiums in 2023 and one in 2025. His P2 finish in the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez also marked the first podium by any Yamaha for 29 races, since the Frenchman’s P3 in Indonesia.
The Nice native has also not won a Grand Prix in the past 72 rounds, going back to the 2022 German GP, which remains the most recent victory for Yamaha. And Quartararo’s patience with Yamaha is wearing out, as he waits to see whether their new-for-2026 V4 bike delivers.
Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo is now open to joining a satellite MotoGP team in 2027
Quartararo has told Yamaha that 2026 is “clearly” their final chance to convince him to sign a new contract, ahead of his current terms expiring at the end of next season. The Japanese brand would love to retain the Frenchman, but he needs to see progress with their V4 bike.
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According to Motosan, it is even now possible that Quartararo might look to accelerate talks with other MotoGP teams if the V4 Yamaha M1 lacks promise in the Sepang pre-season test next February. It is already ‘very likely’ that Quartararo will leave Yamaha at the end of 2026.
Quartararo will give Yamaha the chance to show their efforts through the winter break have improved the V4 M1. But Quartararo has also shown that he would now be prepared to join a satellite team in 2027 if the V4 M1 is not up to scratch, as no team can now be ruled out.
The 11-time career premier class Grand Prix winner will not be short of options for the 2027 MotoGP regulations cycle, if he decides to leave Yamaha next year. Quartararo also sees the potential merits of a stint with a satellite team after Marc Marquez’s year at Gresini in 2024.
Aprilia could still offer Fabio Quartararo the factory bike that he feels he deserves
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A move to a satellite outfit in 2027 had previously appeared very unlikely, if not off the cards completely. Quartararo feels he “deserves” to ride for a factory team, and he said in October that Marquez had to settle for a satellite outfit as he left Honda out of sync with most riders.
Marquez tore up his contract with Honda as he wanted to prove he could still compete if he rode a Ducati, so joined Gresini. And Marquez’s efforts on the Desmosedici GP23 convinced Ducati to sign him for their factory team for 2025, and he then won his first title since 2019.
Neil Hodgson has also previously claimed that Quartararo should consider joining a satellite Ducati team in 2027, in either VR46 or Gresini. He envisages the Borgo Panigale natives will still have the bike to beat with the 2027 regulations, so Quartararo should look to get on it.
Factory offers may also fall on Quartararo’s desk if Yamaha cannot convince him to stay with the Iwata squad, though. It is said that Aprilia have held initial talks with Quartararo’s camp, as Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin are also due to be out of contract at the close of 2026.
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