Fabio Quartararo is a MotoGP rider for the factory Yamaha team, and he was the 2021 world champion. His contract with Yamaha ends at the end of 2026, so he is now thinking hard about his future in MotoGP.

Quartararo agreed to stay with Yamaha for the 2025 and 2026 seasons in a deal worth around €12 million per year, and he even turned down a chance to join Aprilia to remain with Yamaha.

In the two years of his current contract, Quartararo has had only one podium finish in a Grand Prix, and Yamaha has been last in the manufacturers’ championship.

In a new documentary on MotoGP.com, he said that his goals have changed. When he signed his current deal, his aim was to bring good results back to Yamaha, but he says he is now more focused on his own future and personal goals. Quartararo said that the only thing that could convince him to stay with Yamaha after 2026 is if he feels fast on the bike and enjoys riding it.

Yamaha is making a big change for 2026 by switching to a V4 engine on their MotoGP bike, a different style from their old engine. Quartararo has tested the bike but so far has not given a strong positive rating and says the development still needs time.

There are pre-season tests coming up that seem to be very important for Yamaha to try to show Quartararo that the new bike can be fast and enjoyable. So far, Yamaha has said it has not yet had real talks about a new contract for 2027 with him.

Other top teams such as Honda, Aprilia and Ducati are also interested in signing Quartararo for 2027, and all of those teams have bikes that are currently competitive in MotoGP.

So at the moment, Quartararo’s future after 2026 is still open and will probably depend on how well Yamaha’s new bike performs during the season