Honda says farewell to Joan Mir ahead of Gresini Ducati MotoGP move
Honda has officially confirmed the departure of Joan Mir at the end of the 2026 MotoGP season.
Honda has officially confirmed the departure of Joan Mir at the end of the MotoGP season, clearing the way for a 2027 Gresini Ducati announcement.
Update: Joan Mir's Gresini deal has now been officially confirmed.
Mir moved to MotoGP with Suzuki in 2019, winning the title the following year.
The Spaniard then switched to Repsol Honda, alongside Marc Marquez, in 2023, following Suzuki's exit.
However, by then, the RC213V was a bike even Marquez couldn't win on.
While Marquez departed for Gresini in 2024, Mir went on to sign a further two-year deal and finally claimed his first Honda podiums at Motegi and Sepang last season.
However, Mir's nightmare run of DNFs has continued into 2026, while Honda's change in concession status and preparations for the incoming 850cc regulations appear to have slowed the RCV's progress.
Mir has scored just 26 points this season, compared with 71 for team-mate Luca Marini, although he has shown flashes of his former speed, including fifth on the grid at COTA.
The Spaniard, 28, then crashed chasing Pedro Acosta for the final rostrum place in the US Sprint, only for Acosta to receive a post-race tyre pressure penalty.
Mir was then on the receiving end of a tyre pressure penalty in Catalunya, dropping him from second to fifth, still his best result of the season.
Gresini will have an all-new MotoGP line-up for 2027, part of which was confirmed earlier today with the signing of Mir's future team-mate Dani Holgado.
The announcement of Mir's Gresini deal is expected shortly.
Current Gresini riders Alex Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer are set to move to KTM and VR46 Ducati, respectively.
In this article
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
