Red Bull is back at Honda. The Austrian energy drink giant has confirmed a return as the title sponsor of Honda's factory MotoGP team for the 2027 and 2028 seasons, ending a four-year absence and triggering a domino effect across the paddock that will force Fabio Quartararo to sever his long-standing Monster Energy partnership.
The deal, first reported by Italy's GPOne on 25 September and amplified by Crash.net on 28 September, marks a reunion for two brands that dominated the premier class together between 2015 and 2023. During that period, Red Bull purchased roughly 30 per cent of the advertising space on the Honda RC213V for a reported mid-single-digit millions annual fee — a partnership that coincided with Marc Marquez's six MotoGP world titles on the RC213V.
Red Bull withdrew from HRC at the end of 2023 when Marquez left Honda for Gresini Ducati, invoking a contractual clause that allowed exit upon the Spaniard's departure. The budget was shifted to the Tech3 KTM customer team for 2024 through 2026. But tensions with Tech3 principal Guenther Steiner — dating back to Red Bull Racing in Formula 1 and NASCAR — prompted the Austrian company to look for a new home sooner than expected.
Honda, for its part, has given Red Bull plenty of reasons to return. The signing of Quartararo on a two-year deal from Yamaha — confirmed earlier in 2026 — has injected credibility into the HRC project ahead of the new 850cc Pirelli era. Red Bull reportedly believes in both Honda's engineering push and in the Frenchman's raw speed, which yielded 11 MotoGP victories and the 2021 world championship despite years of underperforming Yamaha machinery.
That speed comes with a cost: Quartararo's personal sponsorship. Monster Energy has been his backer since his 2019 MotoGP debut with the Petronas SRT Yamaha outfit, a relationship that continued through his factory Yamaha years. Under the terms of the new Honda-Red Bull alliance, Quartararo will carry Red Bull branding for the first time at the post-season Valencia test on 1 December 2026. It will be the first time in his MotoGP career that the 27-year-old rides without the Monster claw on his leathers.
The financial implications are significant. According to Crash.net, Honda compensated Monster for the early termination of Quartararo's contract, which was originally set to extend beyond 2026 — a detail that underscores the financial muscle behind the sponsorship reshuffle.
The ripple effects extend well beyond the two parties. Monster Energy is simultaneously leaving Yamaha to become the title sponsor of Aprilia in 2027. That move forced Red Bull to put its own long-standing backing of Jorge Martin on hold, since the Spaniard could not promote the Red Bull logo while Aprilia runs the Monster brand. Martin, who won the 2024 MotoGP world championship with Red Bull backing, is nevertheless joining Yamaha — a team now desperately searching for a new naming-rights partner for the first time since the Movistar era ended in 2018.
Yamaha did approach Red Bull in an attempt to replace Monster, but was rebuffed. The Austrian company had already reached an early agreement with HRC, leaving the Japanese manufacturer to face the 2027 season without a headline sponsor lined up.
The deal also reshapes Honda's 2027 garage. With Quartararo confirmed at the factory team, the LCR satellite slot is being used for young talent development. Diogo Moreira, currently with LCR Honda, could step up alongside the Frenchman, while 2024 Moto3 world champion David Alonso is tipped for a MotoGP rookie year at the satellite outfit.
Red Bull's return gives Honda something it has lacked since Marquez's departure: a globally recognised brand, deep pockets, and a roster of talent linked to the energy drink empire. For Quartararo, it is the price of joining a factory project with genuine ambition — a clean break from Monster and the start of a new chapter under the Red Bull banner.
Sources
https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/1105864/1/fabio-quartararo-forced-major-sponsor-change-honda-move https://motorcyclesports.net/fabio-quartararo-forced-to-leave-monster-as-red-bull-returns-to-honda-motogp-team/
