2026 will be an uncomfortable season for both Fabio Quartararo and Jorge Martin, and both former MotoGP world champions have signed with rival teams for 2027. News emerged this morning that Quartararo will be leaving Yamaha for Honda/HRC, while Martin will replace him at Yamaha.

Martin’s term at Aprilia has been nothing short of a disaster, and thus far he would have been better off simply taking the year off. His body and his confidence have been battered by crashes that prevented him from racing much of the season.

For Quartararo, his relationship with Yamaha has diminished over the last year, with mechanical issues plaguing the French rider and the debut of the new Yamaha V4 appearing very premature. Yamaha asked Quartararo to be less critical of the bike and the team when speaking with the press. This ultimately culminated in him signing with the factory Honda team.

MotoGP will be racing with 850cc engines in 2027 and Pirelli tires.