80-point Moto2 rider will ‘most likely’ secure a MotoGP seat for the 2026 season

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Three riders will graduate from Moto2 to MotoGP for the 2025 season, led by world champion Ai Ogura. Pedro Acosta was the only candidate for last year’s best rookie prize, but it will be a competitive race this time around.

Ogura joins Trackhouse, having taken the surprise decision to split with Honda. The Japanese manufacturer have instead placed Somkiat Chantra at LCR.

Chantra only finished 12th in the 2024 standings. But he has the backing of Japanese oil company and Honda partners Idemitsu, which has helped him secure a seat.

The third and final rookie is Fermin Aldeguer, who will replace six-time world champion Marc Marquez at Gresini. He sat almost halfway between Ogura and Chantra in fifth place.

In the upcoming Moto2 campaign, much of the focus will be on David Alonso. The Colombian broke Valentino Rossi’s record for the most Moto3 wins in a single season (with 14), but one journalist has named another rider to watch out for.

Diogo Moreira expected be on the MotoGP grid for 2026

Diogo Moreira is preparing for his second year in the intermediate class with the Italtrans Racing team. Moreira, the Rookie of the Year, signed off for the 2024 season with his first podium at the Solidarity Grand Prix.

That took him to 80 points, elevating him to 14th in the championship. He’ll hope to carry his momentum into 2025 after five straight top-10 finishes, including three in the top five.

Speaking on the Motorsport Brazil YouTube channel, journalist Fausto Maciera backed Moreira to score his first win in the category this year. That should pave the way for a 2026 MotoGP spot.

His promotion would come at the perfect time for the sport. It was confirmed last month that MotoGP will return to Brazil in 2026 after more than 20 years away, racing at the Ayrton Senna Circuit in Goiania, and he could be the home hero.

“He adapted in the first year of Moto3,” Maciera said of Alonso. “In the second year, he won a Grand Prix and did very well. He was rookie of the year in the first year in the intermediate class and next year, I think he will a Grand Prix and score podiums.

“He will emerge as one of the great talents on the way to MotoGP in 2026, most likely. The return of MotoGP to Brazil, and having a Brazilian on the grid – wherever he is – will be great.”

Which seats could be open to Diogo Moreira for 2026?

Moreira is backed by Red Bull, which could help in next year’s rider market. Of course, he’ll still need to deliver the results if he’s to become an appealing option.

Red Bull are title sponsors of the KTM factory team. And he previously rode a KTM bike for the MT Helmets – MSI team in Moto3.

Logically, Tech3 may make sense as a destination. But the manufacturer is facing an uncertain future in motorsports.

Red Bull won’t be KTM’s saviour, but they appear to be in desperate need of investment. That will enable them to pay off at least some of their enormous debt, and keep their racing programme viable long-term.