Honda HRC Castrol confirm Diogo Moreira for 2027 campaign
Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) are pleased to announce that Diogo Moreira will join the Honda HRC Castrol factory team for the 2027 FIM MotoGP World Championship in a multi-year agreement, lining up alongside Fabio Quartararo as a new era begins.
The 22-year-old Brazilian steps up from LCR Honda, where he has spent his rookie premier-class season after signing an HRC contract off the back of his impressive Moto2 World Championship campaign. With five wins, 13 podiums and nine pole positions across the lightweight and middleweight classes, Moreira’s trajectory from entering the World Championship in 2022 to MotoGP in 2026 has been meteoric.
Crowned Moto2 World Champion in 2025 in just his fourth season racing on the world stage, a breakthrough first intermediate-class victory at Assen saw him fight back through the standings to take the title. The blend of raw speed, race craft and composure under pressure convinced HRC he was ready for the premier class and a clear star of the future.
His first year in MotoGP confirmed that judgement. Moreira approached the season with a clear plan and built his confidence and understanding of the Honda RC213V step by step until a breakout weekend at the Catalan GP where he achieved his first top ten finish. Since then, he has consistently battled for top Honda honours in the majority of races. A debut Sprint podium at HRC’s home race in Motegi proved he was ready for the factory team.
The #11 will join Fabio Quartartaro in the Honda HRC Castrol team on a multi-year contract as the MotoGP World Championship transitions to a new set of technical regulations. A combination of proven success and youthful promise, the 2027 Honda HRC Castrol line up heads into the new season with the objective of returning Honda HRC back to the top of the MotoGP World Championship standings.
Moreira will not be the first Brazilian to ride for the factory Honda squad in the premier class, Alex Barros earning four podiums during the 2004 MotoGP season with the Honda RC211V.
Diogo Moreira 11 Pro Honda LCR
“It is a fantastic feeling to arrive to the factory Honda HRC team in MotoGP, it is something that every rider dreams of when they are young. I want to say thank you to everyone in Honda HRC for putting their faith in me and making the next step in this project. So far in 2026 we have done a great job to adapt to the bike and the sensations for the future are already very positive from what we have seen. Of course, I must also say thank you to everyone in LCR who have helped me in my adaptation to MotoGP – the whole team has been crucial in this development. I am looking forward to next year and to helping Honda HRC return to where they must be.”
Yuzuru Ishikawa - General Manager, Motorcycle Racing Division, Honda Racing Corporation
“Moreira has always been able to adapt to new bikes quickly, everything from motocross to Moto3, Moto2 and now MotoGP. This is the sign of a talented rider and as HRC, we aim to keep supporting Diogo in the next step of his career and in the next step of our plan to return to fighting for the World Championship. We have a highly competitive rider line-up next season across Honda HRC Castrol and the LCR Team and I am sure that all of these riders will push each other not only to raise their level on track, but also to help HRC’s engineers create the best bike possible in this new era of racing.”