RED BULL RETURNS TO HONDA AS QUARTARARO LEAVES MONSTER

Red Bull is set to return as a major sponsor of Honda’s official MotoGP team in 2027, according to reports, bringing an end to Fabio Quartararo’s long-standing association with rival brand Monster. The French rider is expected to switch to Red Bull, potentially as soon as the post-season Valencia test on 1 December. It would be the first time in his MotoGP career that he has competed without Monster backing.

Quartararo has been associated with Monster since his 2019 MotoGP debut with Petronas SRT Yamaha. The partnership continued when he joined the factory Yamaha team in 2021, whose title sponsor was Monster. He won all 11 of his MotoGP races and claimed the 2021 world championship while carrying the brand.

Honda’s reported Red Bull deal would revive a partnership from the team’s successful years with Marc Marquez. That arrangement ended after Marquez left Honda at the close of 2023 to join Gresini Ducati, taking Red Bull with him as a personal sponsor.

The sponsorship reshuffle extends beyond Honda and Quartararo. Monster is due to become title sponsor of Aprilia in 2027, while Jorge Martin, whose Red Bull backing has been paused this year because of Aprilia’s Monster agreement, is moving to Yamaha. Monster’s future relationship with Yamaha remains unclear. Marquez, meanwhile, ended his Red Bull ties last year when he joined Monster-backed Ducati. Speculation has also linked Red Bull with Ducati from 2027, when Marquez and Pedro Acosta are expected to form the team’s rider line-up.

The reports provide no further details about the Honda agreement, and neither Quartararo nor the teams are quoted.