News summary
- Fabio Quartararo does not believe losing one day of pre-season testing will have a major impact ahead of his move to Honda.
- The Frenchman will have two days of official testing at Sepang and two more at Buriram before the 2027 season begins.
- Quartararo stressed that race weekends will be crucial to building confidence, particularly with a new bike and Pirelli tires.
Fabio Quartararo has played down the reduction in MotoGP pre-season testing ahead of his move to Honda for 2027. The Frenchman believes that, despite having one fewer day of official testing than in previous years, race weekends will be more important to his adaptation.
MotoGP confirmed its 2027 pre-season schedule on Wednesday, September 2, as the championship prepares for a major technical reset that will introduce 850cc engines, new technical regulations and Pirelli tires. The official schedule includes two days of testing at Sepang on January 31 and February 1, followed by another two-day test at Buriram on February 6 and 7.
The Shakedown at Sepang, reserved for factory test riders and rookies, will also be reduced from three days to two. For regular MotoGP riders such as Quartararo, however, the official testing program represents four days of track time, compared with five in previous seasons.
Quartararo will enter the new era after leaving Yamaha for Honda, but he does not believe the shorter testing schedule will significantly complicate the transition.
“We’ll have two days in Sepang and two in Thailand. I think having four days is enough time to adapt. I don’t think it will be such a big thing [to lose one day],” Quartararo said at Aragón.
“The experience you take during a test is one thing, but you need the race weekends.”
For the 2021 MotoGP World Champion, the difference between testing and racing is particularly important when learning a new motorcycle.
“It looks similar in riding [the bike], but it’s a bit different when you’re in a race weekend, where you have to overtake, brake, change direction [with the other bikes around you],” he explained.
“This is something I’ll have to take confidence from during a race weekend.”
Quartararo expects another adaptation with Honda
Quartararo’s MotoGP career has been entirely with Yamaha so far, but the Frenchman believes his experience with the manufacturer’s radically different motorcycle in 2026 has already prepared him for another major adaptation.
“I didn’t change brand from last year to this year, but it’s a completely different bike. I had to adapt to this bike. The performance [with the V4] is not there, but I had to change my riding style,” he said.
“For next year [moving to Honda], the same will happen. Also next year is different tires, so this is something you’ll have to learn. But I don’t expect to jump on the bike and be super quick.”
The change will therefore involve more than simply adapting to Honda’s motorcycle. Quartararo will also have to learn how to extract performance from the new Pirelli tires, while MotoGP simultaneously moves into the 850cc era.
The Frenchman expects the Valencia test in December to provide an important first reference point before the winter testing program.
“Of course, in Valencia I’ll have a day where I’ll have to check where my weaknesses are, where I need to learn during the winter,” Quartararo said.
“I don’t expect to come and win straight away. I’ll have to learn, have to adapt and maximize as soon as possible the performance on the bike to be fast.”
Quartararo’s move to Honda comes after a difficult period at Yamaha, with the Frenchman recently making clear that he no longer intends to help develop the Japanese manufacturer’s 2027 bike following his decision to leave the team. His Honda move has already made him one of the central figures in the MotoGP 2027 rider market, with the new technical era set to reshape the entire grid.
For now, however, Quartararo’s priority remains finishing the 2026 campaign with Yamaha before beginning his Honda chapter.
MotoGP returns from September 11 to 13 at the San Marino and Rimini Riviera GP, the 14th round of the 2026 season. GRANDE PRÊMIO will cover the entire weekend, as well as all other categories of the World Motorcycle Championship.
FAQ
How many days of official MotoGP testing will Quartararo have before the 2027 season?
Regular MotoGP riders will have four official pre-season testing days: two at Sepang and two at Buriram. The schedule also includes a Valencia test on December 1, 2026, before the 2027 pre-season.
Why is MotoGP reducing testing in 2027?
The 2027 calendar includes a more condensed testing program despite major technical changes, including the move to 850cc engines and Pirelli tires. The official schedule gives regular riders four pre-season test days instead of five.
When will Quartararo join Honda?
Quartararo will leave Yamaha at the end of the 2026 season and join Honda for the 2027 MotoGP season, when the championship introduces its new technical regulations.
