The next major transfer in MotoGP is on the horizon – Jorge Martin and Yamaha are finalizing the details of a contract for 2027 and 2028.
The MotoGP transfer merry-go-round for 2027 and 2028 has really picked up speed. As previously revealed exclusively, Fabio Quartararo will leave Yamaha and move to Honda. It is already becoming clear who will take his place in the Yamaha factory team: Jorge Martin.
According to information from Motorsport.com Spain, Jorge Martin is close to reaching an agreement with Yamaha. This means that the Spaniard will end his chapter with Aprilia next year.
While “El Diablo”’s move to Honda seems logical given the tensions between him and Yamaha management, Martin’s move is likely to surprise many. Especially since he already tried to move to Honda for 2026 last year. “We are currently reviewing the options Jorge has on the table—and Yamaha is one of them,” his manager Albert Valera explained in an interview with Motorsport.com Spain. The contract with Yamaha is expected to be signed shortly.
Martin, who celebrates his 28th birthday today, January 29, will join the Yamaha factory team at the age of 29. After Pramac-Ducati and Aprilia, Yamaha will be his third motorcycle in a short period of time.
The “Martinator” will not be able to take to the track at all during next week’s Sepang test (Tuesday to Thursday) as he is still recovering from two operations performed this winter.
The procedures were necessary to alleviate pain in his left scaphoid bone and right collarbone.
They were the result of his crash at the start of the sprint race in Japan last season. It was the latest setback in a year to forget. Martin will nevertheless travel to Malaysia this Sunday to follow the test closely and attend the MotoGP season presentation, which takes place on February 6 and 7 in Kuala Lumpur.
Lorenzo Savadori will replace Martin at the Sepang test. While Yamaha has not yet announced Martin’s official signing, attention now turns to who his teammate might be. Alex Rins, Quartararo’s current teammate, seems likely to retain his place only if he performs significantly better than he did in 2025.