Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo is reportedly nearing a deal to join Honda for the 2027 MotoGP season after salary talks with Aprilia broke down.
Quartararo, whose contract with Yamaha runs until the end of 2026, is not expected to stay beyond that point. The Frenchman first joined the team in 2019 and became a factory rider in 2021 but has grown frustrated after several years of underperformance.
Quartararo has struggled to match those heights since then. He hasn’t won a race since the German Grand Prix in 2022 and has managed just six podiums across his last 72 starts, including only one in his most recent 47 appearances.
He is also said to have concerns about Yamaha’s upcoming V4 engine project, set to debut in 2026 as the team shifts away from its traditional inline-four design. According to reports, Quartararo has agreed terms on a two-year deal with Honda starting in 2027.
Honda negotiating with Fabio Quartararo after Aprilia salary request falls through
Honda and Quartararo are now working on the final details of his contract, which would see him lead Yamaha’s Japanese rivals into the 2027 MotoGP regulations era. But it’s not as though there were a lot of other doors open for him — AUTOhebdo notes that Aprilia pulled out over his salary demands, and Honda was left standing.
Ducati is expected to pair Pedro Acosta with Marc Marquez, so that’s another spot off the table. KTM is a possibility but not one he seems particularly keen on at this point. Aprilia were also an option initially, but the wage Quartararo wanted to move to Noale is beyond their budget.
So, he made Honda his top priority for 2027. The Nice native believes that Honda are more likely than KTM to adapt well to the new 850cc regulations — especially when it comes to understanding the changes in aero restrictions.
Fabio Quartararo wanted £4.5m per year from Aprilia to sign for 2027
Bringing in Quartararo would give Honda the marquee rider they’ve lacked since Marquez left at the end of the 2024 season to join Gresini. Luca Marini, who stepped into Marquez’s spot, recently signed a one-year extension through 2026, staying alongside Joan Mir.
Honda may field a new lineup in 2027 with Quartararo as both Mir and Marini’s contracts run out at the end of 2026. Honda plans to allow time for each rider to make a case to remain before deciding on who will join him.
Whether or not he would’ve taken the job anyway is still up for debate. But according to Carlo Pernat, Quartararo visited Aprilia’s factory and made it clear that he expected £4.5m per season, which didn’t align with their budget.
This request was still seen as too high by Aprilia, even though it represented a big reduction from his current earnings with Yamaha. Right now, Quartararo is making £10m annually — one of the highest salaries on the grid.
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