The MotoGP lineup for 2026 is now decided. Only a handful of official confirmations are missing, but it is only a matter of time for them to arrive. Just a few months ago, the market seemed to have been set alight after Jorge Martin's willingness to leave Aprilia, but the world champion was brought back to milder terms (thanks in part to Carmelo Ezpeleta's intervention) and the domino effect was averted.
The first consequence was that Marini kept his place in the official Honda team, the one Martin wanted. However, Luca had to overcome internal competition from Johann Zarco, who had repeatedly applied for that seat and who won the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours for HRC. In the end, however, the Italian, who has been proving in recent races that he deserves the trust of the Japanese, came out on top.
Honda, however, had to solve another problem, that of Chantra. The Thai was brought to MotoGP probably not at the right time and his season is punctuated by injuries, physical problems and disappointing results. It thus becomes a bit too much to confirm him, and even sponsor Idemitsu, which has always been linked to Asian riders, had to admit this was the case. Diogo Moreira will therefore arrive. A young, talented rider with a yellow-gold passport, a plus considering that next year MotoGP will return to Brazil.
Moreira has been offered a three-year contract (so he can improve unhurriedly), directly with HRC. He will be one of two rookies in the premier class in 2026, along with Toprak Razgatlioglu.
Speaking of the Turk, in Hungary Yamaha removed all doubts about his future teammate. After sounding out the possibility of signing Manu Gonzalez (but a team with two rookies would have been a gamble), it was decided to confirm Miller. Jack had been impatient because they were continuing to stall at Iwata, but in the end he will have his seat secured in Pramac for another year. This is not merely a random choice, because the Australian will be able to help with his experience in the development of the new M1 with the V4 engine.
In the game of musical chairs, the one left standing was Oliveira. There is no chance for Miguel to stay in MotoGP, except as a test rider, and he has apparently offered himself to Aprilia in that role. Otherwise, he has no choice but to look for an option in SBK.
The last seat put in doubt in recent months was Morbidelli's. Acosta had flirted several times with Ducati and the VR46 team, but like Martin he too was brought back (more or less unwillingly) on track. Also because KTM has confirmed its commitment to MotoGP for 2026 with the current 4 riders. So Franco is safe and only official confirmation is awaited for him as well.
Otherwise, all the other riders had two-year contracts. There had been doubts about Rins' confirmation, but Yamaha has made it clear that it keeps its confidence intact in him. While the fanciful rumors of Bagnaia's flight from Ducati are not even worth commenting on.
This is the 2026 MotoGP lineup, with the underlined riders still lacking official confirmation.
Aprilia Racing
Jorge Martin - Marco Bezzecchi
BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP
Fermin Aldeguer - Alex Marquez
Ducati Lenovo Team
Francesco Bagnaia - Marc Marquez
Honda HRC Castrol
Luca Marini - Joan Mir
LCR Honda
Johann Zarco - Diogo Moreira
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
Fabio Quartararo - Alex Rins
Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team
Franco Morbidelli - Fabio Di Giannantonio
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP
Jack Miller - Toprak Razgatlioglu
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Brad Binder - Pedro Acosta
Red Bull KTM Tech3
Maverick Vinales - Enea Bastianini
Trackhouse MotoGP Team
Raul Fernandez - Ai Ogura