Podcast: Can Fabio Quartararo and Yamaha survive the rest of MotoGP 2026?

Fabio Quartararo made headlines last week as tensions between him and Yamaha flared over the Aragon MotoGP weekend.

The 2021 world champion will leave Yamaha at the end of the 2026 season, having signed a deal with Honda before even a lap of testing had been completed this year.

Fabio Quartararo has made no secret of his unhappiness with Yamaha’s lack of progress this season with its V4 bike.

But the relationship between both parties is as strained as it has ever been coming into this weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix at Misano.

After the Aragon race, Quartararo said he would no longer be helping Yamaha develop its current bike with a view to 2027 after it refused to let him test Pirelli tyres at the Red Bull Ring next week.

A second in-season test for 850cc bikes and Pirelli tyres will be held on the Monday after the Austrian Grand Prix.

While a number of riders have not been allowed to test Pirellis already at Brno in June due to them changing teams in 2027, some current riders who are moving on did get permission.

Yamaha responded to Quartararo’s comments with strong statements from Paolo Pavesio and Massimo Meregalli.

But with nine races still left to run in 2026, this fallout has raised questions about how both parties can actually make it to the end of the season.

In the latest Crash MotoGP Podcast, Amy Reynolds is joined by Lewis Duncan and Peter McLaren to discuss this topic and the wider repercussions it could have for both parties.

They also look ahead to this weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix at Misano and ask if Marc Marquez can continue his winning streak after his Aragon double.

With just 24 points separating the top three in the championship, any one of Jorge Martin, Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi could leave Misano leading the standings.