Yamaha is apparently radically restructuring its factory team for 2027 and is banking on Ai Ogura and Jorge Martin – How Fabio Quartararo views the rider selection
Yamaha is completely restructuring for the 2027 MotoGP season. After failing to retain Fabio Quartararo, the departure of Alex Rins from the Japanese manufacturer’s factory team was recently made public. Ai Ogura is set to take his place, forming the duo for the new era of regulations alongside Jorge Martin.
Although the deal with both riders has not yet been officially confirmed, internally the course is considered set. While Quartararo has publicly distanced himself from the personnel decisions of his (still) employer, much clearer signals are already coming from Ogura’s camp.
Trackhouse does not want another rookie for the time being
Trackhouse team principal Davide Brivio confirmed Ogura’s departure at the end of the season to Sky during the last race weekend in Jerez and expressed understanding: “It is a bit of a shame, but everyone makes their own decisions.”
When signing Ogura, the team had already factored in that he might look for a factory ride after two years with the Trackhouse team. “That’s part of the business,” said Brivio, who has already announced that he is looking for an alternative.
There are many signs pointing to a change in strategy at Trackhouse. Brivio made it clear that the team wants to focus more on experience: “I think so,” he replied when asked about an experienced replacement for Ogura. “I don’t think now is the right time to invest in a rookie,” the team boss said.
“We believe that experienced riders can help us better exploit the bike’s potential.” A clear departure from the previous strategy of promoting young talent.
Quartararo indirectly backs Rins
In the Yamaha camp itself, however, communication remains cautious, especially from Quartararo. When asked about the latest developments, the 2021 world champion did not want to interfere in internal decision-making processes.
“I don’t think it’s about whether someone is left out or not,” says the Frenchman when asked if Yamaha’s decision was made too early. “I don’t really want to comment on that.” At the same time, he emphasizes that few people are in a position to judge how competitive Yamaha currently is.
“It’s difficult to assess results when comparing our bike to the others,” says Quartararo. “Last year we secured a few pole positions, but the bike wasn’t fantastic.” The 27-year-old considers it problematic to draw the right conclusions for rider selection from this.
“If you’re selecting a rider for the future and only looking at the results we had last year, then in my view that’s not the right decision.”
In doing so, Quartararo indirectly takes the side of his teammate Rins, whose results, in his view, don’t say much about actual performance because the bike wasn’t competitive enough last year. The same applies to this season, after only a few—but difficult—races with the new V4 bike.
At the same time, Quartararo makes it clear that he himself has no influence over Yamaha’s personnel policy: “I’m lucky that I’m not the one selecting the riders. That’s their problem.” That’s why he doesn’t want to comment much on the possible signing of Ogrua and Martin for 2027.
While he acknowledges the quality of both riders, ultimately it doesn’t matter to him: “To be honest, I don’t care. They’re two good riders, but that’s not important to me,” said Quartararo, who will be moving to Honda in 2027.
And Ogura? As expected, the Japanese rider is keeping a low profile. When asked if he wanted to comment on the rumors surrounding his future, he responded clearly and briefly: “No, nothing.”