– Honda officially announced the signing of David Alonso on Tuesday. It is now confirmed that the Colombian will make his MotoGP debut in the upcoming season. However, it remains unclear whether the 20-year-old will race for the factory team or the satellite team LCR-Honda.
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That Alonso would move to Honda has been considered a done deal for several months. With him, the Japanese manufacturer secures one of the biggest talents.
The Madrid-born rider won the Moto3 World Championship two years ago and then moved up to the Moto2 class with the Aspar team. In the current 2026 season, Alonso has so far celebrated one victory in the middle class and currently ranks fourth in the overall world championship standings.
His deficit to leader Manuel Gonzalez is 79.5 points. The season was not without difficulties for the 20-year-old: a shoulder injury, which especially affected him in the first half of the season, impaired his performance.
Factory team or LCR: Honda still leaves it open
In the official statement, Honda explains: “Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) is pleased to announce the signing of David Alonso on a multi-year contract.”
“The 20-year-old Colombian has made one of the most impressive rises through the junior classes. After finishing third overall in his rookie season in Moto3, he dominated the championship the very next year.”
Honda left further details about the contract open. Neither was it announced which team Alonso will race for in MotoGP, nor did HRC provide information about the exact duration. According to our information, however, the agreement is supposed to extend beyond the usual two-year contract duration in MotoGP.
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Until the end of last season, Alonso was coached by former rider Nico Terol, who simultaneously held this role along with his position as sporting director of the Aspar team.
To best prepare for the move to MotoGP and conduct contract negotiations, both sides eventually brought in Bob Moore from the sports agency Wasserman. He accompanied the talks and secured Alonso what they consider the best perspective for the step up to the premier class.
In Alonso’s environment, a place in the Honda factory team is considered the ideal solution for the move to MotoGP. There, Alonso could race alongside Fabio Quartararo, whose move to Honda is expected to be officially confirmed shortly.
Other observers see advantages in a deployment at LCR-Honda. In the manufacturer’s satellite team, the young rider could initially get used to the demands of MotoGP without the enormous pressure of expectations from the factory team.
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So far, it is only certain that Alonso will race for Honda in MotoGP from the upcoming season. Which team he will ultimately ride for remains to be seen.
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