– The MotoGP future of Joan Mir and Luca Marini is uncertain. The Honda factory team is counting on former Yamaha world champion Fabio Quartararo for 2027. Rumors link David Alonso with the second seat.
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After Suzuki’s exit, Honda brought Mir into the team. Since 2023, the former world champion has been riding the RC213V. In the first year, he finished 22nd in the world championship, and in the second year, he barely improved with 21st place.
Only last year did Mir achieve third places in Japan and Malaysia. But many crashes and retirements prevented further respectable results. This trend continued at the start of the 2026 season.
With seventh place in the Thailand sprint and 15th place in the Spanish Grand Prix, Mir collected only four world championship points in the first four race weekends. Retirements and crashes again prevented further points finishes.
This is also one reason why Mir has not yet received a new offer from Honda. Nevertheless, the 28-year-old recently said in Jerez: “I don’t think I would deserve to ride for any team other than the official Honda team.”
“I’m not here to demand anything. I think I’m a rider who can guarantee that I’ll be up front when the bike works. That’s what we have to work towards.”
“Besides, I have to find a project that motivates me. If something doesn’t motivate me, I won’t do it. It’s that simple. I’m not at the beginning of my career where you go through everything.”
“If I do something, it’s because it makes sense, because we move forward and because we give everything, as I prove that I am fast. As for the things I can’t control, we have to wait and see.”
“But I think I provide more than enough reasons to get a good bike next year.” Rumors link him with Trackhouse-Aprilia, where team boss Davide Brivio is looking for an experienced rider.
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Marini also wants to stay in the factory team
Marini is also said not to have received a new offer from Honda so far. The Italian is appreciated by Honda engineers for his work. For this reason, Yamaha also showed interest in Marini.
This door closed when Yamaha chose Ai Ogura alongside Jorge Martin. Therefore, Marini’s future is open. Possibly, there will be three Honda teams next year, as Tech3 could switch from KTM to Honda.
When asked whether Honda’s ambitions to have three teams on the grid would favor his staying with the Japanese manufacturer, Marini replied in Jerez: “I haven’t heard anything about that.”
“But it won’t make much difference to me anyway whether Honda fields six motorcycles next year. What I want is to stay with the factory team.”
“We do great work. The bike has clearly taken a step forward. From a manufacturer’s perspective, more bikes on the track are better. More data and more chances to achieve better results.”
Marini tries to convince the engineers with his work: “It would be fantastic to continue with Honda and the factory team because, in my opinion, we do great work.”
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“We have made a fantastic step forward in these few years. It would be nice to close the circle and fight for podium places in the coming years.”
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