HRC sets its sights on a front-running return, signing champion Fabio Quartararo and rising star David Alonso for 2027
Honda Racing Corporation has moved decisively to reshape its factory MotoGP line-up ahead of the sport’s new technical rules, confirming the signings of 2021 World Champion Fabio Quartararo and rising Colombian star David Alonso.
HRC has signed Quartararo for the 2027 and 2028 MotoGP World Championship seasons, with the Frenchman set to race for the factory Honda HRC team from 2027, when MotoGP’s 850cc regulations come into force. The move had been widely anticipated ever since he announced his departure from Yamaha earlier this year. Quartararo is undoubtedly one of the most talented riders in the world, and has consistently lifted Yamaha to positions well above where the struggling M1 project’s machinery would otherwise be expected to run — a quality that clearly made him a priority target for Honda’s rebuild.
The 27-year-old joined the premier class in 2019 after a record-breaking run in the FIM CEV Moto3 International Championship and four competitive seasons in the Moto3 and Moto2 World Championships. He made an immediate impact as a rookie, taking pole position in just his fourth race and finishing the year with six poles and seven podiums. In 2021 he claimed the MotoGP World Championship title for Yamaha, before battling to second the following season. To date, Quartararo has amassed 11 wins, 32 podiums and 21 poles in the premier class.
HRC has also confirmed the signing of Alonso on a multi-year contract for the MotoGP World Championship. The 20-year-old Colombian has authored one of the most impressive runs through the lightweight classes in recent times, finishing third as a Moto3 rookie in 2023 before dominating the class the following year. Now in his second season in the Moto2 World Championship, Alonso took his maiden intermediate class win at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix and currently sits fourth overall in the 2026 title hunt. It is not currently clear whether he will ride in the factory HRC team however, with Motogp rookie Diogo Moreira making a strong case for promotion given his standout performances this year.
With a total of 20 wins, 30 podiums and nine pole positions across Moto3 and Moto2, Alonso has continued to surpass expectations. He will make his debut on the 2027 Honda machine at the post-race Valencia Test.
