A change for Quartararo coming soon?

Fabio Quartararo has done nothing to rule out the possibility that he could switch to Honda at the end of the 2022 MotoGP season.

The 2021 world champion is into the final year of his current contract with Yamaha, a year which has largely been a frustrating one so far.

That continued last weekend at Termas de Rio Hondo, where Quartararo finished eighth in the Gran Premio Michelin De La Republica Argentina after experiencing a grip “nightmare” early on.

He was asked on Sky Sport Italia after that race about whether his continued struggles, and Honda’s interest, might push him into the arms of the other big Japanese manufacturer.

Quartararo responded, “It’s something to think about.

“My future is not clear to me, so it’s time to think about it and take my time.”

The Frenchman had already vented about his YZR-M1 package during pre-season, declaring his future “wide open” due to receiving a bike which was well below his expectations.

He would go on to record race results of ninth, second, and eighth in the three rounds to date, from grid positions of 11th (12th-fastest in qualifying), first, and sixth.

A deal with Honda would make much sense for both parties.

For Quartararo, there are simply few other options aside from staying at Yamaha.

Ducati already has three of its own contracted riders fighting for one remaining factory seat for 2023, those being Jack Miller, Jorge Martin, and Enea Bastianini.

KTM would most likely want to promote from its own talent pipeline if Miguel Oliveira is to move up whereas  Brad Binder  is also there in the reckoning.

Suzuki, like Yamaha, does run inline engines rather than a V4 configuration, meaning the adjustment might be easier.

As for Aprilia, it is the most recent race winner, but that is its first ever in the premier class and the Noale manufacturer would be a risky proposition for a world champion.

Furthermore, it is unlikely that Suzuki or Aprilia would be able to match Honda’s financial clout.

Honda, of course, carries its own risks, but the manufacturer made radical revisions to its RC213V in the last off-season in a bid to make it rideable for pilots other than Marc Marquez. He has been suffering from a lot of crash and injury problems too but there will be also speculation on his comeback form and the opportunities for him ahead.

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