Joan Mir will leave Honda at the end of the 2026 MotoGP season to join Gresini Ducati, following the same career path that helped revive Marc Marquez’s championship ambitions just three years earlier.
Gresini confirmed Thursday that the 2020 MotoGP world champion will spearhead its completely revamped rider lineup for the 2027 season alongside Moto2 graduate Dani Holgado, who was announced as the team’s rookie signing earlier in the day.
The move marks a fresh start for Mir after four challenging seasons with Honda, where flashes of speed were frequently overshadowed by crashes, injuries and the RC213V’s lack of competitiveness.
It also mirrors Marquez’s decision to leave Honda for Gresini in 2024, a gamble that reignited the six-time MotoGP champion’s career. Marquez won three races during his lone season with the independent Ducati squad before earning promotion to the factory Ducati team, where he captured another world championship.
Mir now hopes a similar switch will allow him to rediscover the form that carried him to the 2020 MotoGP title with Suzuki.
Gresini team owner Nadia Padovani said the combination of Mir’s experience and Holgado’s potential reflects the team’s long-term ambitions as MotoGP prepares for sweeping technical changes under the new 850cc engine regulations and Pirelli tires in 2027.
“From next year a lot will change, but the essence of the BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP Team will remain the same,” Padovani said.
“We continue to be a team that works to grow season after season, and in 2027 we will do so with two riders in whom we place great trust and whom we are ready to support fully.”
Padovani said the team had closely monitored Holgado’s development before deciding to hand him his MotoGP debut.
“Dani is a profile we have been following for a long time and we are pleased that he can begin his rookie experience with us.”
She also highlighted Mir’s pedigree as one of the premier class’s established champions.
“Joan is a MotoGP world champion. His record speaks for itself.”
“One is at the beginning of his journey, the other aims to rediscover his best sensations and make the most of his potential. For both, we want to be a constant reference point.”
Mir’s signing concludes months of speculation surrounding his future.
After Honda secured former world champion Fabio Quartararo for its factory lineup and later added highly rated Moto2 rider David Alonso, Mir appeared increasingly likely to leave the Japanese manufacturer.
Earlier in the season, reports linked him with a reunion with former Suzuki team manager Davide Brivio at Trackhouse Aprilia.
Mir’s manager, Paco Sanchez, confirmed during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend that the rider had already decided to depart Honda.
“Joan decided in Jerez to leave Honda at the end of the year and asked me to look for a good project for him,” Sanchez said in May.
Although Brivio subsequently departed Trackhouse, Gresini quickly emerged as the leading destination.
The transfer also reunites Mir with Frankie Carchedi, the crew chief who guided him to the 2020 MotoGP championship at Suzuki.
Since Suzuki’s withdrawal from MotoGP, Carchedi has continued to build an impressive reputation, working with Fabio Di Giannantonio, Marc Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer while collecting multiple Grand Prix victories.
That reunion could prove one of the most significant elements of Mir’s move.
The Spaniard enjoyed the finest period of his career under Carchedi’s technical leadership, claiming the world championship in only his second MotoGP season through remarkable consistency.
His fortunes changed dramatically after Suzuki ended its MotoGP program following the 2022 season.
Mir joined Honda alongside Marquez but struggled almost immediately as the manufacturer entered one of the most difficult competitive periods in its modern history.
He finished only 22nd in the championship during his first season with Honda before slipping to 23rd the following year.
Across those two campaigns, Mir failed to finish 23 Grands Prix, reflecting both the RC213V’s unpredictable nature and his repeated attempts to extract more performance than the motorcycle could consistently deliver.
Signs of progress finally emerged in 2025.
Mir collected his first Honda podium finishes at Motegi and Sepang as the manufacturer’s development program began to show encouraging results.
This season has produced further glimpses of his speed despite limited championship rewards.
His strongest result came in Catalunya, where he crossed the finish line in second place before receiving a post-race tire pressure penalty that dropped him to fifth.
Ironically, the trophy Mir lost because of that penalty was inherited by Aldeguer, the rider he will effectively replace at Gresini next season.
Despite those encouraging performances, Mir’s season has again been interrupted by crashes and retirements.
He has finished only four of the first 10 Grands Prix, leaving him 18th in the championship standings despite demonstrating enough pace to regularly challenge inside the top five.
Gresini’s 2027 lineup also signals the end of one of the strongest rider pairings on the current grid.
Alex Marquez, who finished runner-up in last year’s championship, is expected to join KTM, while race winner Fermin Aldeguer is widely tipped to move to VR46 Ducati.
Their departures create an opportunity for Gresini to begin a new chapter built around a proven world champion and one of Moto2’s most promising young riders.
For Mir, the challenge will be transforming potential into results once again.
With Ducati continuing to set the benchmark in MotoGP and Carchedi once more directing his side of the garage, the Spaniard will hope his move to Gresini becomes the career revival that Marquez demonstrated is possible after leaving Honda.
