– David Alonso has taken the next big step in his still young career: The 20-year-old Colombian will race for Honda in MotoGP in 2027. Which Honda team will field the Moto2 rider is still open.
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Honda has given Alonso a multi-year contract. The exact team structure for the 2027 season will be announced at a later date.
For Alonso himself, the promotion is the provisional result of a remarkably rapid development. He only competed in his first full Moto3 season in 2023, dominated the smallest class in 2024 with 14 Grand Prix wins in 20 races and seven pole positions, and crowned himself world champion. In 2025, he moved up to Moto2, where he already celebrated his first victory in his debut season.
“It wasn’t that long ago,” Alonso says in an interview with MotoGP.com looking back at his rapid path to the premier class. “I would say I am still a rookie in the MotoGP paddock. This is only my fourth season.” Nevertheless, the step he dreamed of as a child is now imminent.
“No one can tell you what MotoGP feels like. Now I will experience it myself. And that’s exactly what I love,” the Colombian is already eagerly anticipating his promotion.
Alonso: “Honda is like Ferrari in Formula 1”
Alonso is particularly proud of choosing Honda. The Japanese are one of the most traditional manufacturers in MotoGP and will enter a new technical era in 2027. The displacement will then drop to 850 cc, and numerous other changes to the technical and sporting regulations will come into effect.
For Alonso, this timing makes his move especially appealing: “For me, it was something very special to jump into MotoGP with such a brand.”
“Honda in MotoGP is like Ferrari in Formula 1,” the 20-year-old draws the comparison to the premier class on four wheels. “The brand is historic, it has won many races, and many legendary riders have raced for Honda.” However, the name alone was not decisive for his decision.
Photo gallery: Contract durations of current MotoGP riders
Alonso especially emphasizes the trust Honda has shown him: “The trust and the way they believed in me made me sign with them. I believe we will be a good team.”
Honda is deliberately relying on a young rider for the new era. In addition to Alonso, HRC signed Fabio Quartararo for 2027, who is planned as a factory rider for Honda. The 2021 MotoGP world champion is supposed to lead the way back to the top. His teammate could be Alonso. Or Honda might decide to promote Diogo Moreira, who is currently competing as a rookie for LCR.
Puig urges patience: “He is still young”
Alberto Puig, the long-time Honda team manager, warns against expecting miracles from Alonso in his first MotoGP year: “He is young.” As with other young talents, Honda must remain realistic in the first year.
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“We can’t expect much from them in the first year. They need time to understand the class,” the Spaniard warns, while emphasizing that Alonso has already impressively demonstrated his speed. Especially his 2024 Moto3 season showed the potential he has.
At the same time, the Honda official admits that the current Moto2 season has not gone entirely as desired for the Colombian so far. “This year is a bit difficult at the moment,” says Puig. “But we believe he can catch up and that he will be an important rider for the future.”
This perspective is crucial: Honda is signing Alonso not primarily as a short-term solution but as part of a long-term rebuild. The manufacturer has deliberately set the contract duration with the 20-year-old beyond the 2027 season.
Still open: Alonso in the factory team or at LCR?
One important question remains unanswered: For which Honda team will Alonso actually race in 2027? So far, Honda has only confirmed the contract with HRC.
Puig confirms the still open situation. “We are still waiting, and there is currently no real reason we could name,” he explains when asked why the team has not yet been decided. There is also no concrete schedule: “Usually not, but we will know soon.”
For Alonso, this uncertainty changes little about the core of the news. The Colombian will compete in the premier class for the first time in 2027, thus completing a development that would have been hardly imaginable a few years ago. Alonso will make his debut at the Valencia test after the season finale. There, he will get his first direct impression of the new Honda for the 850cc era.
Colombia back on the MotoGP stage
Alonso’s rise is more than just a personal success story. He will bring the Colombian colors back to the premier class. Most recently, Colombia was represented in MotoGP by Yonny Hernandez. His last season in the premier class was in 2016 with the then Aspar team.
“Let’s bring Colombia back to MotoGP and go all out with everything we have,” Alonso shows patriotism. “Let’s make a whole country dream again.”
The response in his homeland is already enormous. Especially after his successes in Moto2, the reactions on social networks are huge, the 20-year-old reports. However, Alonso does not see himself solely as a representative of Colombia.
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He was born in Madrid, and his career is closely connected with both countries. “I have the support of Colombia and Spain as I move up to MotoGP,” he says. “People love this news. It helps me to keep going, and I believe it will be something very special.”
