Honda is yet to give a clue as to whether Diogo Moreira or David Alonso will join Fabio Quartararo in its factory MotoGP team in 2027.
On 21 July, Honda officially announced the signing of young talent Alonso, who was born in Spain and has competed with a Colombian passport since arriving in the world championship four years ago.
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Long before that announcement, the news that Alonso was going to be signed by Honda had spread like wildfire, which is why there was a lot of interest in what the Japanese manufacturer would announce and which team it would place the Spaniard-Colombian with.
“Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) is pleased to confirm the signing of David Alonso on a multi-year contract”, it stated during a brief announcement.
The root of the interest comes from the arrival of Moreira at Honda this year. The Brazilian made his MotoGP debut this season as a factory rider, but at the satellite LCR team, where he has been demonstrating his talent.
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Even before becoming Moto2 world champion, Moreira signed a contract with Honda for two seasons plus an optional third, with a clause that automatically activated that third year if he moved up to the factory team in 2027. This leads to the understanding that, if Honda does not promote him to the official garage, he will be free for 2028.
Although not a single word has leaked from Tokyo, which is now where Honda’s decisions are all made, everything seems to indicate that the line-ups of the two Honda teams, the factory team and LCR, will be announced at the Japanese GP from 2-4 October – even though, with the exception of Johann Zarco, all its riders are under factory contracts, including test riders Aleix Espargaro and Takaaki Nakagami.
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Although the riders deny it, this lack of information has ended up putting them under pressure, as LCR owner Luci Cecchinello himself admitted. He hopes to be able to continue counting on Moreira next season, even though he understands that the 22-year-old wants to move to the factory team.
At last weekend’s Aragon GP, Moreira was the best-placed Honda rider, while he also beat the entire Yamaha contingent.
Moreira has already accumulated five top-10 finishes this season, and since the Catalan GP (ninth), he has finished outside the top 11 only once (Assen). Furthermore, in Hungary he finished sixth, securing his best result. He also made it to Q2 in three consecutive races, Italy, Hungary and the Czech Republic, as he did at Aragon, where he qualified 10th on the grid.
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“I’m doing my job and I think we’re going in the right direction,” the LCR rider told Motorsport.com on Sunday.
“Almost always, I’m in the top 10 and first Honda, so I think we’re doing well. More than that, there isn’t.
“On Sunday, I was fighting with some Ducatis, with Enea [Bastianini’s KTM]. To do more than that, we need to make a very big step with the bike. With what we have now, the best we can do on a weekend is finish sixth or seventh. So I think I’m doing my job well.”
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Looking at his performances and his deameanor, it may seem otherwise, but such significant uncertainty can affect anyone, and even more so a 22-year-old rider who is still in their rookie season.
“No, it doesn’t affect me. I had more pressure last year, fighting for the Moto2 world championship. This year I have everything very clear and my future is also clear, so I’m enjoying the moment”, Moreira concluded.
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