Rins set to remain with Yamaha until 2026 MotoGP season

Alex Rins will remain with Yamaha until the end of the current MotoGP rules cycle after agreeing terms for the next two seasons, Motorsport.com understands.

Rins will continue to partner Fabio Quartararo at Yamaha until 2026, having completed negotiations with the Iwata-based marque just before last Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix at Assen.

Only a signature is required for the deal to be officially closed and announced to the public.

"For us it was important to give continuity to Alex, and he wanted to continue with us, so we have reached a total agreement for him to continue in the team," a source at Yamaha told Motorsport.com.

"We just need the signature so we can announce it, which will be one of these days."

Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Rins joined Yamaha at the start of the current season to replace the underperforming Franco Morbidelli and has since done a formidable job on the M1, which still remains the second-slowest bike on the grid.

A race winner with both Suzuki and Honda, the Spaniard has so far bagged four points finishes in the eight grands prix so far, with his best results being a pair of 13th-place results at Portimao and Jerez.

Ironically, Rins agreed a new deal with Yamaha on the eve of the Assen race, where he suffered a big highside at Turn 1 that left him two small fractures in his right hand and one in his leg. 

He will be replaced at this weekend’s German Grand Prix by Remy Gardner, but is hoping to take advantage of the summer break that follows the Sachsenring event in order to make a full recovery in time for the British Grand Prix in early August.

The agreement with Rins marks the final piece in the puzzle for Yamaha, which has already signed a new multi-year contract with 2021 champion Quartararo and expanded its presence on next year’s grid by recruiting Pramac as its satellite team.