Fabio Quartararo faced the media at Silverstone on Thursday for the first time since Honda confirmed it had signed him, and the 2021 world champion made no attempt to dress up why he is walking away from the only manufacturer he has ridden for in MotoGP.
"I spent my whole career in MotoGP with Yamaha. Of course, I've been super happy and grateful to Yamaha. But for me it was the right time to move," Quartararo said. "I need fresh air, new people, new project, and I think I needed a change on everything, on the mental side and on the package side."
The numbers behind that decision are stark. Quartararo took 12 wins and 32 podiums in his first four seasons on the M1. He has managed four podiums since. He begins the second half of 2026 fourteenth in the standings, albeit with more than twice the points of team-mate Alex Rins.
Moving to Honda for the new 850cc, Pirelli-shod era is a bet placed largely blind, and Quartararo did not pretend otherwise.
"The bikes that are working now, with all the changes and especially the tyres, maybe are not going to work next year. So of course, it's a gamble," he told Crash.net. "But I will not say it's a complete gamble because I think there are many things behind that you need to think about. We had many meetings with [different] teams, and with Honda I had my questions really well answered, and this is what made me want to step there."
He is also cutting ties more thoroughly than a rider switch usually requires, leaving crew chief Diego Gubellini behind and taking a single mechanic with him. "I want to arrive, like I said, completely fresh, new people, and people that know already the [Honda] brand," he said.
His arrival forces someone out. Luca Marini leaves HRC at the end of this season with Johann Zarco contracted through 2027 and the second factory seat going to either David Alonso or Diogo Moreira. Linked to Red Bull KTM Tech3, Marini suggested the wait is nearly over.
"I think maybe this weekend we will have some announcement," he said at Silverstone. "Now it's not the moment to talk about this, but for sure I'm happy."
Marini was pointed about what the lame-duck season does and does not mean for Honda's development effort. "Honda every time is super-clear with us and very respectful, it's just that they take their own decision," he said, arguing the 1000cc programme has slowed because it is the class's final year rather than because of any personal freeze-out. He rates consistent top-six results as realistic, podiums as unlikely.
Brad Binder, widely tipped for a BMW WorldSBK move, was less forthcoming. "I think in the next couple of weeks we'll know a lot more," the KTM rider said. Pressed further: "Well, at the moment, we're working on things and trying to finish it all off, so when everything's done and dusted, I'll be happy to tell you what's happening." KTM has already announced Alex Marquez and Fabio di Giannantonio as its 2027 factory pairing.
Binder was more candid about the machinery under him, acknowledging KTM's engine reliability problem. "It's no secret we have a little bit of an issue with our engines at the moment. We've lost a couple too many, for sure," he said. "But it is what it is. At the end of the day, it's a situation we're in now and we have to deal with it. So, luckily, our KTM is still a rocket ship, so I'm pretty sure we'll be okay."
The Australian caught in the same squeeze is Jack Miller, whose twelfth premier-class season will be his last. Speaking to Fox Sports Australia at Silverstone, Miller confirmed he is in talks with Yamaha about World Superbikes and expects clarity within weeks. "We're talking with everybody, trying to understand what is the best step for me going forward," he said. Losing his MotoGP option, he admitted, is "a very strange, very weird feeling" — though he framed it without self-pity: "I feel like I'm riding the best that I ever have."
None of it settles this weekend's racing. Quartararo, who led comfortably at Silverstone last year before a ride-height device failure, is not expecting a repeat. "We don't have the same potential as last year, unfortunately," he said. "So I'm not aiming for the same target as last year, but just trying to make my best, try to qualify good."
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*Originally published on [Motorsports Global](https://motorsports.global/article/quartararo-breaks-silence-on-honda-move-as-motogp-market-cracks). Visit for full coverage.*