Honda went out of their way to land Fabio Quartararo for 2027, but they are not going to hand him the keys to the kingdom just yet.
Honda confirmed Quartararo will be joining them in 2027, marking an end to his difficult three-year stint with Yamaha.
The French rider has recently come under criticism, as Quartararo has been accused of ‘counting the days’ till he joins Honda and not doing much to end his Yamaha tenure on a high note.
What version of Fabio Quartararo will we see at Honda next year?
Quartararo has made his lack of motivation with Yamaha no secret, as he looks to start fresh with Honda in 2027.
But Fabio Quartararo will not have the same level of comfort that he has with Yamaha, especially as Honda ramps up their rider lineup process.
READ MORE: Fabio Quartararo was Honda’s plan C for 2027 but two riders rejected them
Honda’s factory team and satellite team rider lineups are still up in the air
As things stand, Honda’s rider lineups across their factory team and LCR satellite team are unclear, with Fabio Quartararo the only confirmed factory team rider for next season.
Honda have confirmed David Alonso will ride for them in 2027, while both Johann Zarco and Diogo Moreira are under contract with Honda heading into next season.
Currently, both Moreira and Zarco are riding for LCR, with their status for next season currently up in the air, as Honda must determine who their second factory rider will be.
The speculation is that either Moreira or Alonso will be given the second factory team seat alongside Quartararo, with the other being paired with Zarco at LCR.
While Honda must be careful not to promote Alonso too early, either rider’s presence within the team will send a message to Quartararo that he cannot be complacent when he joins Honda.
READ MORE: ‘Reputable source’ believes Honda already face a big problem with Fabio Quartararo in 2027
You’re in charge of Honda, which rider are you signing as Fabio Quartararo’s teammate for 2027?
Alonso and Moreira both have factory contracts in 2027
Honda have already lined up potential Fabio Quartararo replacement with recent signings
With Alonso and Moreira, Honda have two young, talented riders with high potential on their books, whom they want to develop into potential championship contenders.
This is something Yamaha have not had during the three years that Quartararo has spent with the team, giving him a level of comfort and safety in his position with the Japanese outfit.
In his first year with Yamaha, they had no satellite riders, with his teammate being a debuting Alex Rins, who didn’t have the level of performance as Quartararo during the year.
In 2025, Yamaha struck an agreement with Pramac to be their satellite team, thus meaning that Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira were under the team’s umbrella.
This pairing, and the subsequent 2026 Pramac pairing of Miller and Toprak Razgatlioglu, didn’t ever give Yamaha the security that they could replace Quartararo should the Frenchman begin underperforming.
This will not be the case in 2027, as both Alonso and Moreira are high-level prospects that the team can back should Quartararo ultimately disappoint at Honda.
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