Marco Bezzecchi
Yamaha are looking at signing an all-new rider line-up for 2027 with Fabio Quartararo set to join Honda, but pairing Jorge Martin and Toprak Razgatlioglu is not the priority.
Quartararo and Martin are expected to be two of the big names in the MotoGP rider market for 2027, as they are respectively due to be out of contract at Yamaha and Aprilia at the end of 2026. Factory Honda riders Luca Marini and Joan Mir are also due to become free agents.
Yamaha had hoped that Quartararo would agree to sign a new contract, as he has been their figurehead since he joined their works team and won the title in 2021. Instead, it is said that Quartararo has agreed to leave Yamaha and join Honda from 2027 with a two-year contract.
Iwata chiefs wasted little time before identifying 2024 champion Martin as their ideal target to replace Quartararo. It is even said that Yamaha are due to sign Martin for 2027 on a two-year deal. But their search for his teammate continues, as Alex Rins is even out of contract.
Who do you want as Jorge Martin’s 2027 Yamaha teammate?
Yamaha are prioritising signing Luca Marini or a Moto2 rider over promoting Toprak Razgatlioglu
Yamaha have Pramac pilot Razgatlioglu under contract through 2027 on a factory deal after signing him to a two-year contract to move to MotoGP from World Superbikes in 2026. But Razgatlioglu and Rins are ‘far behind’ in Yamaha’s plans for Martin’s likely 2027 teammate.
READ MORE: All you need to know about the 2026 MotoGP season from calendar to riders
That is according to Motorsport.com, which notes that there have been claims that Yamaha could promote Razgatlioglu from Pramac to replace Rins in 2027. But the Japanese squad’s top priority was to sign Francesco Bagnaia, as Ducati are expected to release him this year.
However, Bagnaia rejected Yamaha and has agreed to join Aprilia from 2027, taking over the RS-GP that Martin is expected to abandon. So, Yamaha have opened talks with Marini about a move from Honda, but the Iwata natives do not rule out signing a ‘rare gem’ from Moto2.
Yamaha could be open to replacing Rins with a rising star from the intermediate class, as the team are looking for a young talent who can make the leap from Moto2 to MotoGP like they saw Quartararo achieve. He hit the ground running after debuting for Petronas SRT in 2019.
Yamaha spoke with Luca Marini and his agent ‘in full view’ of the MotoGP paddock in Thailand
A second report by Motorsport.com also notes that Yamaha technical director Max Bartolini spoke with Marini and the Honda rider’s agent at last weekend’s Thailand GP ‘in full view’ of the rest of the MotoGP paddock. The trio did not try to hide the meeting on Friday evening.
Bartolini is believed to have used his meeting with Marini to outline Yamaha’s plans for their V4 engine and their 850cc bike for the 2027 MotoGP regulations. The Iwata outfit are under no illusions about the hurdles they face to reach the front again, so are being open about it.
That said, Yamaha refused to allow their four current factory-contracted riders to speak with any media after a dire debut for their V4 engine in Buriram. Quartararo was the top Yamaha rider in Sunday’s Thailand GP in P14, ahead of Rins in P15, but finished 30.823s off the lead.
Predict the order of the Yamaha riders in the 2026 MotoGP standings
What has Luca Marini said about being linked with a move to Yamaha for 2027?
Marini was asked about the reports linking him with a move from Honda to Yamaha for the 2027 MotoGP season at the 2026 season-opening Thailand GP last weekend. The 28-year-old played down the speculation, and stated that he is talking to Honda about a new deal.
“Honestly, I haven’t seen anything,” Marini said, via quotes by GPOne. “We are talking to Honda about renewing because I believe in this project.
“But the reality of the paddock is that everyone talks to everyone. The only thing you can do is to get on the track and try to win every weekend, regardless of the contract.”
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