Marco Bezzecchi
Luca Marini is now emerging as a target for Yamaha, as the Honda rider has received an offer for the 2027 season.
The Italian will stay at Honda in 2026 after extending his contract for another year in 2025. Marini was pivotal in the Japanese giants’ strong progress last season – in fact, it was his P7 in Valencia that moved Honda into C-rank concessions.
Predict the order of the Honda riders in the 2026 MotoGP standings
Marini enjoyed decent consistency in 2025, scoring points in all but one of the races he finished. A serious crash during training at Suzuka ruled him out for three races, but he still finished P13 in the standings, ahead of teammate Joan Mir, who scored two podiums.
On board the RC213V again in 2026, Marini will be looking to push forward and guide Honda further up the order. However, this year could well be his last with the team.
Luca Marini receives ‘great offer’ from Yamaha for 2027
With Honda set to sign Fabio Quartararo in 2027, Marini and Mir’s futures with HRC are under threat. The Japanese giants are planning to make moves on the MotoGP rider market and are currently assessing their options.
In Marini’s case, he does have options elsewhere if he does not re-sign with Honda. A report from AS notes that Yamaha have tabled a ‘great offer’ to the Italian for 2027.
Yamaha have already signed Jorge Martin as Quartararo’s replacement, and the Iwata outfit are said to be highly interested in partnering him with Marini for the new regulations in 2027.
So much so that AS reports that some within Honda ‘are already predicting’ that he will leave the team next season. As it stands, Yamaha looks to be the manufacturer pushing the most for Marini’s signature.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Luca Marini from his net worth to half-brother
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Of course, Marini joining Yamaha is not a given at this point. It might be natural to assume that he would be keen to stay at Honda and help develop the team further.
But HRC are assessing their options for 2027, with Quartararo being a major coup for the team. Marini and Mir will be given time to prove themselves and try to save their seats.
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However, there are other riders in contention. LCR’s Johann Zarco and Diogo Moreira could be in for a promotion, particularly the latter, given that he has a contract directly linked to Honda.
According to reports, Moto2 rider David Alonso is the ‘leading candidate’ to join Honda and partner with Quartararo. Marini is facing competition to keep his seat, but if it does not work out, Yamaha presents another opportunity.
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