MOREIRA SET TO CLAIM MOTOGP ROOKIE TITLE AFTER RAZGATLIOGLU INJURY

Diogo Moreira is set to secure the 2026 MotoGP Rookie of the Year award after Toprak Razgatlioglu’s season was ended by injury, leaving the Brazilian with an unassailable points advantage. The LCR Honda rider has scored 74 points to Razgatlioglu’s 18, with five rounds remaining. Pramac Yamaha confirmed that the Turkish rider will have surgery on a dislocated right shoulder sustained at Mandalika, ruling him out for the rest of the season as he aims to be ready for MotoGP’s 2027 850cc era.

Moreira, 22, said the award felt like a natural next step. “I was already rookie of the year in Moto3 and Moto2, and now I will be in MotoGP,” he said. He previously won the rookie honours in Moto3 in 2022 and Moto2 in 2024. His MotoGP campaign has included a first Sprint podium in Japan, following post-race penalties for Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini, while his best Grand Prix finish so far is sixth in Hungary.

The numbers underline Moreira’s advantage in the rookie contest. Across 17 rounds, he has finished ahead of Razgatlioglu 14 times, compared with three for the Pramac rider; each of Razgatlioglu’s head-to-head wins came in a race Moreira did not finish. Moreira also leads their Sprint results 15-1 and qualifying results 13-3. His average qualifying position is 13.8, against Razgatlioglu’s 19.6, while their average Grand Prix finishing positions are 11.9 and 15.4 respectively.

Razgatlioglu has covered more distance, completing 1,761.8 kilometres in races and 3,871.1 in practice, compared with Moreira’s 1,664.2 and 3,508.1. But adapting to MotoGP’s Michelin tyres and the new V4 Yamaha has proved difficult for the three-time WorldSBK champion; his best result was 11th in Hungary. Moreira, meanwhile, has benefited from the Honda RC213V’s stronger performance relative to Yamaha’s new-for-2026 machine.

The rookie award is not Moreira’s only major milestone. Honda has confirmed he will join its factory team in 2027 alongside Fabio Quartararo, after initially keeping him at LCR for his MotoGP debut. David Alonso will take Moreira’s place at LCR. Moreira said Honda informed him of the decision after the Japanese Grand Prix, adding: “I was always calm because the results came and my work was done. Then, we spoke after the race in Japan and they told me the decision. I’m very happy and proud… We were the last to know where I was going to race.”

He also backed LCR as the right place for Alonso to begin his premier-class career: “I think starting in MotoGP with this team [LCR] was the right thing, and I think the same will happen to David Alonso.”