MotoGP rider market: the latest moves and the big names left out

May will be the decisive month to set the starting grid for the 2027 MotoGP championship. The big names already know their destinations, but there are still a few vacant seats and plenty of names circulating around them. There will be news, intriguing rookies, but also several riders left out. Between Le Mans, Barcelona, and Mugello, negotiations will wrap up with the final signatures and the first official announcements.

Details about the MotoGP futures of Honda’s two current riders, Luca Marini and Joan Mir, are still unknown. Neither has received an offer from HRC up to the Jerez race. Both have emphasized their intention to “stay with the Honda factory team,” but with Fabio Quartararo arriving, at least one of them will have to move on. David Alonso is also coming up from Moto2, but it’s not yet clear whether he will land in the factory team or at Tech3 (if the squad switches from KTM to Honda).

Diogo Moreira and Johann Zarco already signed their contracts with the House of the Wing last year, valid through 2027. Honda also holds an option on Moreira for 2028, which is why the Brazilian rider always refers to his deal as a three-year agreement. For Marini and Mir, however, the situation is increasingly uncertain and will depend entirely on Tech3’s fate. If it remains tied to KTM, Valentino Rossi’s brother will have to find another available seat, which won’t be easy.

VR46 has already reached an agreement with Fermin Aldeguer, and there’s still the matter of Nicolò Bulega to resolve: the Superbike leader is proving very useful in MotoGP testing thanks to his experience with Pirelli tires. But the Emilian rider is seeking a seat in the premier class, and Borgo Panigale wants to oblige. His destination will be either VR46 or Gresini Racing, which further reduces Marini’s chances of returning on a Desmosedici.

Joan Mir is confident he will still be racing in MotoGP in 2027. “I’m in a position where I’ll do what my heart tells me,” the Majorcan told Motorsport.com France. “I will stay true to my feelings. I will stay true to what I really want. That’s all I can say. But we will know soon.” Everything suggests he will sign with Trackhouse, where a manager who knows him very well is waiting: Davide Brivio. The American team is looking for an experienced rider to replace Ai Ogura, who will move to Yamaha. At this point, Joan Mir could become Raul Fernandez’s garage mate.

Another rider at risk of being left out of MotoGP is Brad Binder. The 29-year-old South African is living these weeks under pressure. His last podium dates back to the opening round of the 2024 World Championship in Qatar. Since then, Binder’s results have been inconsistent, while his teammate Pedro Acosta (soon to be a factory Ducati rider) has been delivering better performances. In Mattighofen they have decided to bet on the duo Alex Marquez–Fabio Di Giannantonio, so a renewal with KTM seems unlikely for Binder.

A similar situation for Alex Rins, on his way out of Yamaha but still without a seat for next year. It will also be difficult for the 1995-born Spaniard to carve out a place in MotoGP, but dialogues and negotiations are still being woven in the paddock. Hope remains faintly alive, but with an M1 in a severe state of emergency, it will be difficult to make a case for himself in an increasingly hard-fought and on-the-limit World Championship.

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