Honda may already have offered ‘special’ rider a 2027 factory seat if he delivers next year

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The MotoGP grid is set to undergo some significant changes ahead of the 2026 season, with rider swaps happening all over the place.

While the factory seats all remain unchanged, satellite teams are tweaking their line-ups and bringing some young talent to the fore.

The MotoGP rider market has still not been fully resolved, but with just a few months of the season to go, things are starting to take shape.

KTM will have no changes, nor will Ducati, but at Honda, there may be a new rider. LCR could adopt Diogo Moreira alongside Johann Zarco.

Honda have just cleared a key hurdle to signing the Brazilian rider for the future, after receiving the relevant sponsorship clearance.

Now that the season is into September, Honda’s final decision is being ‘kept secret’ due to one reason. It’s one that may take a little time to unfold.

READ MORE: Jack Miller will be delighted when he hears the real reason Diogo Moreira turned down a Pramac MotoGP seat

Honda may already have offered ‘special’ Diogo Moreira a factory seat for 2027 if he delivers next year

After watching him in Moto2, Neil Hodgson is ‘absolutely’ convinced about Moreira and believes he will be successful in the premier class.

His TNT Sports colleague Sylvain Guintoli said something similar about his talents not long ago, calling him ‘very special’.

“In my opinion, and in the opinions of MotoGP team managers and people who scout the riders, there is a very special talent there,” he said.

According to Simon Patterson of The Race, it now seems that his performance in 2026 could decide whether he receives a promotion to a factory seat for the following year, when the new regulations come into force.

“One of the rumours we’ve heard about the contract hardball negotiations that we talked about is that he wanted a direct factory option built into his contract,” he said.

“If he has one of those, it’s performance-based. So it depends entirely on how fast he is next year.”

READ MORE: Neil Hodgson makes Fabio Quartararo comparison as Diogo Moreira nears ‘£13m’ Honda MotoGP contract

How has Diogo Moreira fared in Moto2 during the 2025 season?

Despite being third in the standings, Moreira has really started to kick in Moto2 this season, compared with 2024.

Just once has he finished a race outside of the top four, and if he were able to eliminate some of his mistakes, he’d likely be top of the pile.

Three retirements are hurting him the most currently, but Moreira has admitted he ‘must learn’, and is displaying the right attitude towards his progression.

Claiming the title would be the cherry on top for his campaign, but it won’t decide whether he graduates or not. It seems that he may already have secured his promotion.