What Quartararo's exit and Martin's arrival say about Yamaha's strategy

Fabio Quartararo’s decision to join Honda is a huge blow for Yamaha, even if the Iwata-based brand has secured another world champion in Jorge Martin as his replacement. Yamaha spared no expense in trying to revive its struggling MotoGP programme, largely in a bid to keep its star rider onboard into the new 850cc era that begins in 2027. Quartararo leaving was always a possibility, but the fact that he has chosen another Japanese manufacturer will sting at the very top of Yamaha’s management.

Quartararo has been so central to Yamaha’s modern MotoGP programme that it is still strange to picture him in any other colours. His exit, while yet to be officially confirmed, is on a similar scale to Marc Marquez’s decision to quit Honda. Quartararo rose to prominence just as Valentino Rossi was fading from the front and Jorge Lorenzo had already departed after his relationship with Yamaha broke down. When Yamaha needed someone to carry the torch into a new era, Quartararo stepped forward. How he struck gold immediately on his move to the factory team in 2021 and remained one of the fastest riders on the grid during Yamaha’s downturn speaks volumes about his calibre. 

Yamaha already had to go to extraordinary lengths to retain Quartararo for the 2025-26 cycle. Quartararo knew that the M1 would not become a title-winning bike again in such a short span of time, but when he signed a fresh two-year deal in April 2024 he expected visible, meaningful progress. The contract came with a huge salary, but he explicitly stated this would be Yamaha’s last chance to convince him to commit long-term. There would be no “second chance” - and it is now clear he meant it.

To be fair to Yamaha and its then-MotoGP boss Lin Jarvis, the marque did fulfil several of its promises. It succeeded in luring Pramac away from Ducati and restoring its satellite structure last year. Likewise, it made progress in changing the culture within the team and hired key European staff, including Gigi Dall’Igna’s former right-hand man Max Bartolini as its technical chief.

Ultimately, though, what counts is performance on track and even though the M1 improved over the winter of 2024/25, the progress was not enough to catch up to the competition. Doubling its points tally year-on-year, even accounting for a longer calendar, sounds impressive in isolation. But when that still leaves you near the bottom of the standings and behind a resurgent Honda, the reality looks very different.

The timing of Quartararo’s Honda deal is also revealing. It’s no secret that the rider market is moving faster than ever and the big names on the grid are keen to secure their places in the first quarter of the year. However, the fact that Quartararo chose not to wait until the first pre-season test of the year shows he had already lost faith that Yamaha’s V4 project and that it would not be able to deliver the steps he needed. After riding the new bike in Valencia, he admitted that improvements in some areas were being offset by the loss of the M1’s traditional front-end strength. Yamaha has been refining the package over the winter, but Quartararo clearly did not see enough potential in the concept to wait and find out. In all likelihood, his mind was made the moment he stepped off the bike in November.

Jarvis secured Quartararo for 2025 and 2026, but it appears the French rider has not seen enough progress to commit again

Photo by: Yamaha

What is equally clear, however, is that Yamaha was not blindsided. Its move for Martin shows that the factory had already begun preparing for life after Quartararo. The fact that Yamaha was willing to accept losing its talisman and line up a replacement of similar stature underlines a more pragmatic and less emotional approach under current team boss Paolo Pavesio. It also lends credence to the claim that Pavesio isn’t as close to the Frenchman as his predecessor Jarvis.

Signing another world champion immediately also says plenty about Yamaha’s ambitions. The factory could have opted to lower expectations in the short term and rebuild without the pressure that comes with a superstar, particularly if it believed its 2027 bike would need time. Honda went down the same route in recent seasons after Marquez’s exit, although that was more by circumstance than design, and it gave the team breathing space to recover. However, manufacturers must be ambitious - sometimes for their own good - and Yamaha most certainly believes it will be able to hit the ground running with its 2027 bike.

The decision to hire Martin at a low point in his career is also significant. In many ways, it echoes Aprilia’s move to sign Martin’s current team-mate Marco Bezzecchi for 2025 when he was struggling at VR46. That show of faith could be crucial for the Spaniard as he looks to rebuild his momentum after a bruising spell. How he fares at Yamaha is purely speculative at this stage, but he will certainly have big shoes to fill. After his so-far underwhelming adventure at Aprilia, Martin still needs to achieve what he set out to when he left Pramac Ducati at the end of 2024.

Martin, too, must accept that he is investing in a new project that will take time to mature. There cannot be a repeat of the early-2025 scenario where, while still recovering from injury, he tried to extricate himself from his Aprilia contract

Yamaha, meanwhile, will have nowhere left to hide. Just last year, Quartararo scored more points than all other Yamaha riders combined. The way he dragged the factory through its leanest seasons was extraordinary, even if internally he was growing frustrated with the lack of progress on the M1. The new regulations mark a huge reset for MotoGP and Yamaha has to get that transition right. 

Martin, too, must accept that he is investing in a new project that will take time to mature. There cannot be a repeat of the early-2025 scenario where, while still recovering from injury, he tried to extricate himself from his Aprilia contract over what he perceived as a lack of performance from the RS-GP. This is now the second manufacturer that has shown faith in him - and backed it up financially - and there are not many bridges he can afford to burn. 

Who his team-mate will be in 2027 is also a key part of the equation. While Francesco Bagnaia was initially viewed as an obvious target for Yamaha, a Bagnaia–Martin line-up now looks virtually impossible, both politically and financially.

Martin will ride for his third MotoGP manufacturer in the space of four season when he joins Yamaha

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

As for Honda, Quartararo’s signing is a huge coup and a statement of intent. After its revival in 2025, HRC has demonstrated that it can once again attract a world champion and finally fill the leadership void left by Marquez’s exit. Joan Mir, Luca Marini and Johann Zarco all had their moments, but none had been able to consistently shoulder the responsibility of leading the project. Quartararo changes the equation completely for Honda. 

What Honda does with its second factory seat - whether it chases another headliner or sticks with continuity - will be exciting to watch. Quartararo, however, can now breathe a sigh of relief. He will remain one of the highest paid riders on the grid, while also betting on a manufacturer that finally appears to be turning a corner.

Yamaha, by contrast, is entering into a post-Quartararo era. And while much of its success will depend on whether its new signing can lead the team, the onus will remain on the engineers at Iwata. By signing Martin, Yamaha has ensured the spotlight stays exactly where it’s been for the last three years: on whether it can again build a bike worthy of a champion.

Can Yamaha produce a bike that can fight for a title in 2027?

Photo by: Dorna