Marco Bezzecchi
Yamaha have today confirmed the signing of 2024 MotoGP champion Jorge Martin for their factory 2027 team, along with the capture of Ai Ogura to create a new line-up.
It had been an open secret inside the MotoGP paddock for months that Martin had agreed a move to Yamaha for the start of the 850cc regulations cycle next year. But Yamaha have only now announced the Spaniard’s capture, after agreeing a new commercial deal with MotoGP.
The delay in the five constructors agreeing a new commercial deal with MotoGP meant they postponed revealing their riders for 2027. It was only after that deal was struck that the first dominoes fell, with Pedro Acosta moving to Ducati and Francesco Bagnaia moving to Aprilia.
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Noale opted to sign Francesco Bagnaia instead 🤔
Jorge Martin signs for Yamaha on an initial two-year contract
Aprilia agreed a deal with Bagnaia after it became widely known that Martin would be going to Yamaha once his contract expires at the end of 2026. That move is now confirmed, with it revealed that Martin will join Yamaha from 2027 with an initial two-year contract until 2028.
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It first emerged back at the end of January that Yamaha opened talks with Martin after they discovered that lead rider Fabio Quartararo, who won their last riders’ title in 2021, will join Honda from 2027. Like Martin is at Aprilia, Quartararo is out of contract at Yamaha this year.
And like with Martin’s move from Aprilia, it was not until after the MotoGP teams signed the new collective commercial agreement that Yamaha confirmed that Quartararo and Alex Rins will leave the team at the end of the 2026 season, with that decision announced on June 30.
Quartararo agreed to join Honda from 2027, on an initial two-year contract, before the 2026 season had started. The Frenchman had lost faith in Yamaha’s ability to get back to the front of the field after three uncompetitive seasons, and an even worse year has followed in 2026.
Martin, in contrast, has bet on Yamaha’s potential heading into the 850cc regulations, along with securing a sizable wage to leave Aprilia. Carlo Pernat claimed back in March that Albert Velra, Martin’s manager, admitted he signed with Yamaha “for the money” they had offered.
The form that Martin and Aprilia would come to deliver in the 2026 season has led some to suggest the Spaniard is making a mistake to jump ship for Yamaha in 2027. After an injury-plagued first year in Noale in 2025, Martin has emerged as a genuine 2026 title contender.
Similarly, Ogura has enjoyed a superb season with satellite Aprilia team Trackhouse in 2026, which has now seen the 25-year-old secure his first MotoGP Grand Prix win in the Dutch GP. The Japanese rider also scored his first premier class pole position for the Czech GP at Brno.
Trackhouse boss Davide Brivio claimed in April that even Ogura’s manager was “surprised” by his move to Yamaha, which offers the Kiyose native his first chance to become a factory MotoGP rider. It also marks a big moment, after Honda funded Ogura’s early development.
Speaking after the announcement that Martin and Ogura will replace Quartararo and Rins from 2027, Yamaha managing director Paolo Pavesio shared his delight in their respective signings. Pavesio also expects Martin to be Yamaha’s latest “driving force” from “day one”.
“We are excited to welcome Jorge and Ai to the Yamaha Factory MotoGP Team as we enter a new era in 2027,” Pavesio said. “Securing riders of this calibre underlines our ambition and confidence in the project.
“Jorge has already proven himself as one of the benchmark riders in MotoGP, with the speed, determination and mindset to fight for wins and world championships. We expect him to play a key role in driving our performance forward from day one.
“Ai’s progression over the past one-and-a-half seasons has been outstanding. His talent, work ethic and potential make us confident he can grow into one of the top riders in the championship. At the same time, we are especially proud to welcome a Japanese rider into the Yamaha Factory Team.”
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