Quartararo to lead Honda’s 850cc MotoGP era
Honda Racing Corporation has landed one of the biggest signings in modern MotoGP, confirming that 2021 World Champion Fabio Quartararo will join the factory Honda HRC team for the opening two seasons of MotoGP’s new 850cc era.
The Frenchman has signed a two-year deal covering the 2027 and 2028 MotoGP World Championship seasons, ending an eight-year partnership with Yamaha that has delivered world championships, multiple race wins and some of the most spectacular qualifying performances of the modern era.
For Honda, the signing is another major statement of intent as the manufacturer continues to rebuild towards MotoGP’s sweeping technical regulation changes in 2027. The introduction of 850 cc engines, reduced aerodynamics, revised technical regulations and the switch to Pirelli tires represented the biggest reset seen in the championship in decades. HRC has now secured one of the game’s premier talents to lead that challenge.
From prodigy to world champion
Quartararo’s rise to the top of Grand Prix racing has long been considered one of the sport’s most remarkable success stories.
After a record-breaking junior career, including becoming the youngest rider to win the FIM CEV Moto3 International Championship, the Frenchman stepped into the Moto3 World Championship with huge expectations before progressing through Moto2 and eventually graduating to MotoGP in 2019.
Racing for Petronas Yamaha SRT, Quartararo immediately declared himself a future star. He claimed pole position in only his fourth MotoGP start and finished his rookie campaign with six pole positions and seven podium finishes, earning Rookie of the Year honors, while establishing himself as one of the fastest riders ever on a lap.
That raw speed soon translated into race wins. Quartararo became MotoGP World Champion in 2021, giving Yamaha its first premier-class riders’ crown since Jorge Lorenzo in 2015. He followed that championship with runner-up honors in 2022 after pushing Francesco Bagnaia to the final round.
A new challenge with Honda
Although Yamaha’s competitiveness has fluctuated in recent seasons, Quartararo remained loyal to the manufacturer and consistently delivered performances that often exceeded the packages below him. His ability to qualify at the front and maximize the tough machinery enhanced his reputation as one of MotoGP’s elite riders.
Now, at the age of 27, Quartararo is heading towards perhaps the biggest challenge of his premier-class career.
Honda has steadily strengthened its MotoGP project over the past two seasons, and the arrival of new regulations in 2027 provides each manufacturer with the opportunity to reset the competitive order. HRC clearly believes that Quartararo’s speed, technical response and proven race-winning ability make him the ideal rider to return to championship competition.
The Frenchman joins the Factory Honda HRC Team with an impressive MotoGP resume that includes 11 wins, 32 podium finishes and 21 pole positions.
Building for a new era of MotoGP
Quartararo’s signing comes after Honda Racing Corporation confirmed that Moto2 star David Alonso has also signed a multi-year deal to join Honda’s MotoGP program from 2027.
Together, the announcements underline Honda’s long-term strategy to lead the way into MotoGP’s new technological era, pairing one of the championship’s established stars with one of its brightest emerging talents.
As the development of Honda’s all-new 850cc MotoGP machine gathers pace in the coming months, Quartararo will become one of the central figures shaping the motorcycle, with HRC hoping he can bring the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer back to the front of the MotoGP grid.
