ZARCO BACKS MOREIRA FOR HONDA’S 2027 FACTORY SEAT

Johann Zarco has endorsed Honda’s decision to promote Diogo Moreira to its factory MotoGP team for 2027, ahead of rookie David Alonso. Moreira will partner Fabio Quartararo, giving HRC an entirely new line-up as the championship enters the 850cc and Pirelli era.

Zarco, Moreira’s LCR team-mate, said the Brazilian had earned the promotion. “The factory team needs two top riders, and Diogo is one of them,” he said. Moreira has already shown promise in his first premier-class season, taking Honda’s only official podium of the season so far in the Motegi Sprint.

In Zarco’s view, Moreira’s experience makes him the lower-risk choice for a factory seat. He noted that Honda could have paired Quartararo with a newcomer, but argued that having two riders familiar with MotoGP should produce stronger overall results than relying on a talented rookie still learning the class. Zarco expects Quartararo to lead the team, while Moreira will begin his second MotoGP campaign alongside the 2021 world champion.

Alonso, who is set to make his premier-class debut at 20, will instead join LCR. Zarco considers that the right environment for the Colombian to adapt. “The place to learn for David is in LCR,” he said, adding that the new technical rules could help riders moving up from Moto2 adjust more easily to MotoGP.

The LCR pairing will span a 16-year age difference: Zarco will be 36 and the oldest rider on the grid, while Alonso starts his first season in the top class. Zarco’s support for Moreira’s promotion reflects a distinction between immediate factory-team experience and the opportunity for a promising newcomer to develop at satellite level.