The silly season has now come to a close in MotoGP, after the Ducati Lenovo Team set it off back in June. Now, Honda closes it out. After having announced Fabio Quartararo earlier this year, David Alonso was also signed by the manufacturer. Now, months later, the completed lineup for Honda has been confirmed. Diogo Moreira steps up into the factory team with rookie Alonso heading to Honda LCR.
Goodbye Marini and Mir
The duo of Luca Marini and Joan Mir are both set to depart the factory for Honda HRC Castrol at the end of 2026. However, neither is leaving the series. Marini will join Red Bull KTM Tech3 and ride alongside Moto2 prospect Senna Agius. Mir will also race alongside one of the rookies, Daniel Holgado, in BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP.
Marini joined MotoGP in 2021 and for three years raced with the VR46 livery and team. 2023, racing for the Mooney VR46 Racing Team, remains his best season, where he achieved two podiums. In 2024, he switched to Honda to replace the departing Marc Márquez. This year, he has been a consistent force on the grid and is the only rider to have completed every race. Alongside that accolade, he is also the only one to score points every round.
Joan Mir won the Moto3 championship in 2017 and joined the MotoGP grid in 2019, after a single year in Moto2. Initially, he raced for Suzuki and, in his second season, became MotoGP World Champion with the team. When the manufacturer departed the series, the Spaniard headed to Honda in 2023. His time with this team has been characterised by strong performances marred by bad luck and crashes.
Honda HRC and LCR Team are Complete
With both riders departing, Honda’s factory team (Honda HRC Castrol) faces a brand-new lineup in 2027. Fabio Quartararo joins them after eight years with Yamaha. Diogo Moreira steps up from the satellite team as he enters his second year in the series.
For the satellite team, Honda LCR, Johann Zarco remains. Earlier this year, Moto2 rider David Alonso signed with the Honda Racing Corporation. With Moreira stepping up, the incoming rookie has been announced to be joining Zarco for his maiden year.
“We have a highly competitive rider line-up next season across Honda HRC Castrol and the LCR Team, and I am sure that all of these riders will push each other not only to raise their level on track, but also to help HRC’s engineers create the best bike possible in this new era of racing.”
~ Yuzura Ishikawa, General Manager, Motorcycle Racing Division, HRC
Fabio Quartararo
Quartararo impressed on debut as he took back-to-back championship titles in the FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship. Following this, he spent two years in Moto3 and two more in Moto2, achieving one win and four podiums. 2019 saw him advance in MotoGP when he joined Yamaha’s satellite team, Petronas Yamaha SRT.
His two years with the team were fruitful, taking ten podiums, ten pole positions, and three wins. Consequently, in 2021, he stepped into the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team. This debut year was when he shone. The consistent year gave him five victories and another ten podiums, which culminated in the Frenchman becoming the World Champion. Quartararo put up a good fight as defending champion in 2022 but ultimately came second to Francesco Bagnaia.
Since then, Yamaha’s development has stalled, and Quartararo has struggled. Despite extracting the maximum performance, the Yamaha has been clearly behind the dominating Ducati’s and Aprilia’s in recent years. After eight years, Quartararo swaps one Japanese manufacturer for another and joins Honda HRC Castrol. With the clear development seen recently and a focus on the new regulations, he’ll be hoping that the pairing can return to their winning ways.
Diogo Moreira
One of two rookies in 2026, Moreira will remain in the Honda family as he starts his second MotoGP campaign. After a year in the Honda LCR, he steps into the factory team alongside Quartararo.
Moreira’s career began in his home country, Brazil. In 2017, he crossed the ocean to join the world of European racing and competed in a variety of junior championships. Here, he showed promise with podiums and clean races. Much like his new teammate, he spent two years in both Moto3 and Moto2. In the former, his maiden win came in Indonesia, and he was a consistent force on track.
His maiden year in Moto2 was marred by retirements and bad luck but, in 2025 he came out of his shell. After a slow start to the year, Moreira found his consistency again and took his maiden win in Assen. This was followed by a double DNF but then another victory in Austria. This was his turning point. He used this momentum to close in on Manuel González. The title fight came down to the final race, and ultimately, he became the 2025 Moto2 World Champion. This saw him become the first Brazilian to win a title in any class of motorcycle Grand Prix racing.
After cementing his mark, he joined Honda LCR in 2026, partnering Johann Zarco. His rookie year has been impressive, as he has shown he’s not scared to take risks and fight. Out of the seventeen rounds so far, he has scored points in 12 of them, with five top ten results. The Japanese Sprint Race saw him take his maiden podium, finishing second after track limit penalties were awarded to Jorge Martín and Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Johann Zarco
French rider Johann Zarco has a long history of motorcycle racing dating back to the early 2000’s. After impressing in MiniMoto, he had a dominant win in the 2007 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. This progressed him to the 125cc championship, the predecessor to Moto3. In 2012, Zarco advanced to the Moto2 championship.
2015 saw him switch to Ajo Motorsport and Kalex machinery, and he stood out above the rest. Taking eight victories and 14 podiums, Zarco took the championship. This was followed by another Moto2 title in 2016, making him the first and only rider to take multiple intermediate titles in the same class.
Following his back-to-back titles, he joined MotoGP in 2017 and has remained a fixture on the grid since. In his maiden race, he took the lead only to crash laps later. However, he didn’t wait long for a maiden podium. Throughout his MotoGP career, he’s taken 23 podiums, and his maiden win came at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix. Last year, he impressed by taking a home win at the French Grand Prix under wet conditions.
2026 has been a tough year for Zarco. A collision on the restart during the Catalan Grand Prix gave him an injury to his knee, and consequently, he was out for six races. He remains with Honda LCR for a third year in 2027, and he’ll once again team up with a rookie. He’ll be the experienced voice in the team as they face the new regulations.
David Alonso
Finally, David Alonso completes Honda’s lineup as well as the 2027 grid. Born in Spain, the Colombian rider has been shining since he debuted in the European Talent Cup in 2019. Despite retirements and not qualifying for two races, this debut year saw him finish fifth. His second attempt gave him the title. In 2021, he followed this by achieving the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup title as well.
After being a replacement rider in Moto3 in 2021 and 2022, he became a full-time rider in the series in 2023. This year he continued to impress, taking four wins and becoming the first Colombian to win a Moto3 race. 2024 continued his upward trajectory as he became the first Colombian to take a Moto3 title. Not only did he make history for his country, but he also broke multiple records. He holds the record for the most Moto3 wins, 18. With 14 wins in his title year, he also holds the record for most wins in a single season in any category of motorcycle Grand Prix racing.
Following his title, Alonso joined Moto2 in 2025 and had a slower start. After adjusting to the new machinery, Silverstone brought his maiden podium. Later that year, he took his maiden Moto2 victory in Hungary. This year has been slightly skewed by injuries, but he’s achieved a further win and four podiums.
In 2027, he becomes one of the four Moto2 riders making the leap up to the premier class. Being partnered with Zarco will give him a solid benchmark and an experienced teammate. Alonso will be hoping to continue his impressive form as he takes on this new challenge.
Honda Completes MotoGP Grid
Just like that, the MotoGP grid for 2027 is now complete. Next year will see plenty of firsts with five rookies and new regulations. Only five riders remain in their seats; the other 17 riders all face new challenges, either from a new team or a new series. But for all, it’s a new experience with the incoming changes. From new engines to new tyres and a brand new weekend format, all will be changing in the upcoming season.
For Honda, they have a strong lineup across their two teams. Quartararo and Zarco bring needed experience, whereas Moreira and Alonso bring fresher eyes. Alonso’s experience on the Pirelli tyres could also benefit the team. The quartet all have drastically different riding styles, so the new Honda machinery will be put to its tests. Consequently, this could help them develop a more rounded bike.
The grid is set and the regulations are ready. Now it’s time to close out the 2026 season and prepare.