Honda could ‘shake up’ MotoGP by signing 74-podium rider for 2027 season

Add as preferred source on Google

Honda are in the midst of a miserable spell in MotoGP, but they retain a unique allure. And the 2027 regulation changes will present an opportunity to win again.

Honda finished bottom of the constructors’ standings in 2024, nearly 50 points behind Yamaha. The factory team propped up the championship, with satellite squad LCR only one place ahead.

Since their last title in 2019, they have only once placed in the top four. And worryingly, Johann Zarco says Honda’s 2025 bike is even ‘worse’ than its predecessor as it stands.

But given their resources and reputation, it feels inevitable that they’ll return to the top one day. They’ve won 19 riders’ titles, 10 teams’ championships and 25 constructors’ trophies since their 1983 arrival.

From 2027, MotoGP will introduce smaller engines in a bid to make the sport safer and more road-relevant. A year after Formula 1, they will also begin using 100% sustainable fuels.

In addition, the aerodynamic profile of the bikes will be simplified to encourage closer racing, while ride-height devices will be banned. The scale of the changes could lead to a reshuffled pecking order.

Francesco Bagnaia ‘might give in to the lure’ of Honda for 2027 MotoGP season

On the opposite end of the scale to Honda, Ducati are currently the dominant force in MotoGP. They have won the last four constructors’ titles.

Jorge Martin won the 2024 championship on a Ducati bike for Pramac after the Casole d’Elsa outfit clinched the 2023 teams’ crown. There’s no sign of a rival manufacturer breaking their stranglehold in 2025 either.

Riders like Francesco Bagnaia may not have an incentive to leave until 2027. But according to GPOne, he could become a candidate for Honda at that stage.

HRC are set to ‘shake up’ MotoGP by targeting two of ‘the best riders in the world’. It’s unclear if Joan Mir or Luca Marini are part of their long-term plans in that regard.

A reunion with Marc Marquez appears unlikely, but Bagnaia ‘might give in to the lure’ of the Japanese manufacturer. Martin and Pedro Acosta are also potential targets.

Jorge Martin’s verdict on whether Pecco Bagnaia is better than Casey Stoner

If Marquez is off the market following his Ducati factory move, then Bagnaia is arguably the next-best thing. He’s won two titles in the premier class, collecting 40 Grand Prix victories, 38 poles and 74 podiums.

He could surpass Jorge Lorenzo all-time for both wins (47) and poles (43) this year. His biggest goal will be securing a third world championship to break the tie with Casey Stoner.

Martin believes Bagnaia is better than Stoner already. In fact, he thinks the Italian is ‘entering’ the ‘best in history’ group alongside Marquez and Valentino Rossi.