There has been speculation that he could sign with Honda for 2027, but Neil Hodgson says Fabio Quartararo should keep his focus where it belongs.
The 2026 MotoGP season began with the Thai Grand Prix on February 27, and Fabio Quartararo was back in action on his Yamaha M1.
This year, Yamaha have made a major adjustment to his bike, replacing the inline four engine with a V4 – a change made at Quartararo’s request.
Even so, early signs suggest that the new V4 hasn’t delivered much improvement. Quartararo still looks frustrated after each session, and Yamaha don’t appear to have taken any real steps forward from last year.
Neil Hodgson urges Fabio Quartararo to stay ‘professional’
Quartararo re-signed with Yamaha during the 2024 season on a two-year deal for 2025 and 2026, a decision which at the time was questioned due to Yamaha’s poor performances.
However, it appears that at the end of 2026 Quartararo will leave Yamaha as he has reportedly signed a two-year deal with Honda.
During the Free Practice One coverage on TNT Sports, Neil Hodgson called for Quartararo to ‘keep focused’ and do the ‘best job for his employer’ during the 2026 season.
Hodgson said, “He has to reset his goals; he knew when he re-signed with Yamaha that there was always a risk. He pushed for them to develop a new V4, which they have done.
“This is all part of his job; knowing that he will be leaving at the end of the season does not help. But he is paid very well, he has to be a professional, he has to keep focused, he has to keep his head down, and he has to do the best job for his employer.”
No Yamaha rider earned an automatic Q2 spot on Friday
The opening day of the MotoGP race weekend at the Buriram International Circuit wrapped up with the afternoon Practice session, where riders aimed to secure one of the ten automatic Q2 spots.
All four Yamaha riders finished outside of that group and will now have to fight their way through Q1 on Saturday morning.
Quartararo was the best-placed Yamaha rider in 16th, while his factory teammate Alex Rins ended up in 20th. The two Pramac Yamaha riders, Jack Miller and Toprak Razgatlioglu, finished 19th and 21st respectively.
These results were not unexpected for the Yamaha riders, as all four of them have struggled during pre-season testing at Sepang and Buriram.
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