Honda confirmed on Tuesday that Diogo Moreira will join the manufacturer’s factory MotoGP team next season, where he will partner Fabio Quartararo.
The announcement means that David Alonso, who agreed a deal with HRC months ago for a promotion to the premier class for 2027, will instead join LCR, the Japanese manufacturer’s satellite team, taking the seat that will be vacated by the Brazilian.
In his debut MotoGP season, reigning Moto2 world champion Moreira has delivered on the brief he was given. Not only has he proved highly consistent for much of the campaign, but he has also sent out signals that have caught the attention of Honda’s Japanese executives. The Sao Paulo-born rider sits 15th in the overall standings, level on points (74) with Yamaha's Quartararo, who is 14th, and is Honda’s second-highest-placed rider, behind Luca Marini, who has scored 34 more points than him. So far this season, Moreira has finished inside the top ten on five occasions, with sixth place in Hungary and second in the Motegi sprint standing out as his most notable results.
Initially, Moreira is expected to work alongside crew chief Andres Madrid, who will join HRC from KTM, while Santi Hernandez, who heads up Joan Mir’s side of the garage, will oversee Alonso’s adaptation to the premier class.
“It’s an amazing feeling to join the factory team; it’s something every rider dreams of when they are young. I want to thank everyone at HRC for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to take the next step in this project,” Moreira said in Honda’s official statement.
David Alonso
Honda’s decision to back Moreira appears entirely justified when his performances are compared with those of Alonso, the other candidate to become Quartararo’s team-mate. The Colombian, who dominated Moto3 in 2024, began his second Moto2 campaign aiming to fight for the title, but that target has gradually slipped away as the season has progressed. His sole victory, at Assen, and four podium finishes have left him fifth in the standings, 99.5 points behind Manuel Gonzalez, who is likely to contest the intermediate-class title with Izan Guevara, currently just 5.5 points behind him.
Despite Alonso’s lack of winning form, Honda gave considerable thought to assigning him to Lucio Cecchinello’s team. One of the reasons was the pressure it faced from the Wasserman Group, the agency representing the Colombian, which consistently pushed for him to be placed in the factory team. That position ran counter to the view held by several influential figures within Honda, who felt the pressure Alonso would face in his rookie season in the premier class would be excessive.
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