Brazilian rider Diogo Moreira will be a MotoGP rookie in 2026, becoming the last name added to the now-complete rider roster for next year.
Moreira, who is 21 and will still be a 21-year-old when he makes his MotoGP debut in Thailand next year, is replacing Somkiat Chantra in the LCR Honda team as Johann Zarco's team-mate.
Highly sought after for a MotoGP promotion next year, Moreira chose the LCR move over a possibility with Yamaha at Pramac (and also apparent interest from Aprilia satellite team Trackhouse, though there were no clear contractual openings there).
While he has only been confirmed as an LCR rider for 2026, it comes as part of a "multi-year deal with Honda" directly, making him a factory rider and putting him into the mix to potentially join the factory team in case his first season goes particularly well.
Moreira described the move as "a dream come true".
"Without a doubt, Diogo possesses all the qualities to become one of the greats in MotoGP," said team boss and founder Lucio Cecchinello.
"He has undeniable talent, a deep passion for racing, and has proven his speed across all types of motorcycles and disciplines. On behalf of the entire LCR Team, I extend a warm welcome to Diogo and thank Honda HRC for entrusting us with this exciting project for 2026."
Chantra - who is heading over to World Superbikes as a works Honda rider there - represents the Idemitsu-backed half of LCR's operation this year (with Zarco's entry backed by Castrol), but it isn't clear whether that split will continue in 2025 given oil giant Idemitsu's priority for backing Asian riders. There was no mention of Idemitsu or Castrol in the Moreira announcement.
Moreira will be one of two rookies on the 2026 grid, the other being World Superbike champion Toprak Razgatlioglu at Pramac Yamaha.
There is thus no place on the grid for any of his current Moto2 rivals, including championship leader Manu Gonzalez - whose advantage over Moreira with four rounds left shrunk from 29 to nine points following his disqualification from the race at Mandalika, brought on by the use of "a non-homologated software version".
MotoGP 2026 grid
Ducati
Marc Marquez
Pecco Bagnaia
Gresini Ducati
Alex Marquez
Fermin Aldeguer
VR46 Ducati
Franco Morbidelli
Fabio Di Giannantonio
KTM
Pedro Acosta
Brad Binder
Tech3 KTM
Maverick Vinales
Enea Bastianini
Aprilia
Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Martin
Trackhouse Aprilia
Raul Fernandez
Ai Ogura
Honda
Luca Marini
Joan Mir
LCR Honda
Johann Zarco
Diogo Moreira
Yamaha
Fabio Quartararo
Alex Rins
Pramac Yamaha
Jack Miller
Toprak Razgatlioglu
