Marco Bezzecchi
Diogo Moreira’s display at Balaton Park has reinforced the same belief throughout the MotoGP paddock, at a time when Honda are considering giving him a works 2027 ride.
The 22-year-old earned the best result of his rookie campaign so far in the Hungarian Grand Prix last Sunday. The LCR gem came home in P6, and he arguably could have achieved more at Balaton Park had the Brazilian not got stuck behind Jack Miller of Pramac in the early laps.
Miller’s valiant defence ride, on the underpowered V4 Yamaha YZR-M1, made the Australian a moving roadblock for Moreira in the Hungarian GP. It took the LCR gem until the final third of the race to force his way through, at which point Luca Marini and Ai Ogura had got ahead.
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‘No one’ in the MotoGP paddock doubts Honda have ‘a major talent’ in Diogo Moreira
Moreira’s performance at Balaton Park, after he also secured P7 in the Sprint Race, certainly caught the attention of Mat Oxley last weekend. Oxley claims Moreira “reminds me of Jorge Lorenzo”, and he even feels the rookie has surpassed expectations with his near-perfect run.
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The entire MotoGP paddock is now certain that Honda have ‘a major talent’ on their hands, too, according to Motorsport-Magazin. It is believed that ‘no one’ in the paddock questions whether Moreira has ‘more to come’, and he may yet force Honda to give him a factory ride.
Honda signed Moreira to a multi-year factory contract through at least 2027 amid his charge to the 2025 Moto2 title, which saw him earn his MotoGP debut with LCR in 2026. The belief was that Honda would also leave Moreira at LCR for 2027, but their plans could now change.
While it is believed that Honda have ‘promised’ Moto2 ace David Alonso a direct move from the intermediate class into their factory MotoGP line-up for 2027, their plan may now ‘be in jeopardy’ due to Moreira. Instead, Alonso could join LCR, with Moreira promoted to Honda.
Previous reports have also claimed that Alonso’s inconsistent form in Moto2 is giving Honda second thoughts about moving the 2024 Moto3 champion straight into their works MotoGP line-up next year. The 20-year-old was tipped as a 2026 Moto2 title contender, but he is just sixth in the standings through eight events and trails leader Manuel Gonzalez by 83.5 points.
READ MORE: Who is Moto2 sensation David Alonso? Everything you need to know
Now, Alonso could instead head to Honda’s satellite MotoGP team in 2027, if they decide to move Moreira over from LCR. Yet LCR team owner Lucio Cecchinello admits he “wouldn’t be happy” if Honda take Moreira for 2027, given the progress that the Brazilian is now making.
For his part, Moreira does not know whether Honda intend to promote him to their factory line-up, or will simply decide to leave him at LCR for the 2027 MotoGP season. Motorsport-Magazin quotes the Brazilian as saying: “I don’t know yet. I have a contract, so I’m happy. I have a bike for next year, but I don’t know where yet. We’ll see.”
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