Honda confirms Moreira for factory MotoGP team in 2027

Honda confirmed Tuesday that Diogo Moreira will join its factory MotoGP team in 2027, partnering Fabio Quartararo. David Alonso, who had been expected to move into the premier class with Honda, will instead ride for satellite team LCR. The announcement settles which of the two Honda-contracted riders will take the factory seat. Moreira, a Brazilian in his debut MotoGP season, currently sits 15th in the standings, level on 74 points with Quartararo, who is 14th. Honda said Moreira has recorded five top-ten finishes this season, including sixth in Hungary and second in the Motegi sprint. Alonso, a Colombian and the 2024 Moto3 world champion, is fifth in the 2026 Moto2 standings, 99.5 points behind the leader. He has one win and four podium finishes this season. Honda’s announcement named LCR as his 2027 team but did not specify what motorcycle or level of factory support he will receive there. Some pre-announcement reporting said Alonso would have factory machinery and support at LCR, while other accounts described the arrangement without confirming those terms. Honda’s announcement itself did not set them out. Alonso’s contract details and the precise support package were not...