Marco Bezzecchi
Johann Zarco feels it would be “good” to see Fabio Quartararo join Honda in 2027, as his fellow Frenchman is the “only” rider able to make the Yamaha MotoGP bike work.
Quartararo has been heavily linked with a shock switch between the rival Japanese teams in recent months, having lost faith in Yamaha. The 26-year-old has led the Iwata outfit’s efforts since 2021, when he also won the MotoGP title, yet he has not won a Grand Prix since 2022.
Nice native Quartararo had wanted to help lead Yamaha back to the front of MotoGP, but he expected a lot more from the brand’s new-for-2026 V4 engine. Now, it is widely thought that Quartararo has agreed to quit Yamaha for Honda from 2027, ahead of the 850cc regulations.
The 11-time career MotoGP Grand Prix winner is out of contract at Yamaha at the end of the 2026 season. Works Honda pair Joan Mir and Luca Marini are also free agents this year, with Zarco and Diogo Moreira of LCR currently the only riders with factory Honda deals for 2027.
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Marini claims it would be “fantastic” to partner Quartararo at Honda next year, as the Tokyo squad strive to start the 2027 regulations with a top-tier rider line-up in pursuit of their first title since 2019. And Zarco would not be surprised if Quartararo is “really fast” on a Honda.
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Quartararo has seriously impressed Zarco with his ability to be the “only” rider able to make the Yamaha competitive, so the Cannes-born racer has no doubts that his fellow Frenchman would be fast on a Honda. Quartararo has been the top Yamaha rider every year since 2021.
“Well, that would be good,” Zarco told MOW. “He is really the only one who makes the Yamaha go well, so I would not be surprised if he could go really fast on the Honda.”
Fabio Quartararo is in a class of his own among the Yamaha riders under braking
Franco Morbidelli was the last fellow Yamaha rider to rank above Quartararo in the MotoGP standings in 2020 when the pair were teammates at satellite crew, Petronas SRT. Since then, Quartararo has been the best Yamaha rider by 231, 206, 70, 82 and 122 points each season.
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Alex Rins believes Quartararo has “clearly overridden” Yamaha’s bike in recent seasons, and he likens the Frenchman’s ability to push the M1 to places no one else can with Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen. Quartararo has especially been in a class of his own under braking.
Rins recently suggested that Quartararo’s braking ability is where he made the difference at Yamaha in 2025, as his partner in the Iwata team’s factory garage can brake 20 metres later than anyone else. But Quartararo also has the advantage of having used the M1 since 2019.
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