The rumor mill is circulating in the paddock: Honda is about to lock Diogo Moreira (Moto2) into LCR in 2026, with a multi-year factory contract and a potential path to the official bike in 2027. The context is incendiary: Somkiat Chantra, propelled to LCR due to the lack of Ai Ogura (who left for TrackHouse Aprilia), is struggling to get off the ground in 2025 - only one point on the clock, gleaned at Assen via the help of Aleix Espargaró. At the same time, Yamaha is said to have dropped the Moreira track, believing that the Brazilian would be happy to join Honda.
In this game of musical chairs, former world champion Neil Hodgson offers a clear interpretation. On TNT Sports 2, he says: " Moreira is potentially close to signing a three-year contract with Honda MotoGP. His salary figures will be important, and he won three Grand Prix in his career! »
« He has one Moto3 victory in 39 races, and two in Moto2 this year. He has therefore competed in 70 Grands Prix, won three, and His annual salary would amount to 5 million euros. It could reach 15 million euros. Get ready, I think this is a great signing for everyone. »
The parallel with fabio quartararo comes naturally to Hodgson's pen: a contested rise to MotoGP at the time, few victories in the small categories... then an immediate explosion among the big ones (poles, podiums, then the title). For Moreira, the CV is still short (no junior title, Moto3 seasons concluded in 8th place), but the curve is clearly ascending: podium at the end of 2024, four podiums already in 2025 before Hungary, including victories at Assen and Austria. So many clues that seduce a factory Honda in search of raw talent to rebuild its future.
Diogo Moreira: A great signing for everyone?
From a sporting perspective, the logic holds: LCR would offer to Moreira a launch pad with the RC213V, before a possible factory promotion when the new 850cc rules open in 2027. Politically, Honda would send a clear signal: invest in the Moto2 sector to find its next leader, while reconfiguring its system around a youngster with a Quartararo-like profile.
Possible collateral loser: Chantra, whose MotoGP adventure could be cut short, with a relocation to World SBK planned for 2026. Potential winners: LCR, who would recover a high-potential prospect, and Honda, which would bet both on the long term... and on an immediate boost in the event of rapid adaptation.
Nothing has been publicly signed, but the framework is becoming clearer. And if we are to believe Hodgson, " a great signing for everyone » is taking shape on the horizon of 2026.
