Manager Denies Quartararo-Honda Deal, Talks Ongoing

Late January reporting prompted a late-season MotoGP rider reshuffle narrative after Motorsport.com reported that Fabio Quartararo had agreed a two-year move from Yamaha to Honda tied to upcoming 2027 regulations. His manager, Thomas Maubant, denied any signed agreement and said only discussions, including with Honda, were ongoing. Some outlets framed the item as confirmed while others described it as speculative or media-amplified and timed alongside the opening tests.

Those reports sparked speculation about domino effects across factory seats. Media suggested a Quartararo-to-Honda switch could imperil Honda riders Joan Mir and Luca Marini—both contracted through 2026—for the post-2026 line-up and could free a Yamaha seat that some outlets linked to Jorge Martín, who has sought to leave Aprilia.

Separate reports from Diario AS and other outlets linked Pedro Acosta to Ducati alongside Marc Márquez, with Márquez reported to be close to a two-year extension; coverage noted such moves could threaten Francesco Bagnaia’s factory position and potentially open a path for Maverick Viñales into Acosta’s current KTM seat. These reports were presented as unconfirmed in many accounts.

The transfer talk ran alongside on-track developments at the Sepang shakedown, where Aleix Espargaró topped the times, underscoring that manufacturers continued work on machinery even as market stories circulated. Joan Mir, reflecting on Honda’s 2025 progress under technical director Romano Albesiano, said Honda now understands what it needs and hoped to be “fighting for something” in 2026; Mir and Marini have not yet signed for the planned switch to 850cc machinery.

Overall, coverage this week centered on unconfirmed transfer reports and potential domino effects across factory seats as teams positioned themselves ahead of 2027 regulations, with several elements remaining provisional and disputed by managers or treated as speculative by some outlets.