Honda officially confirmed Thursday that Joan Mir will leave the factory MotoGP team at the end of the 2026 season, bringing to a close a difficult four-year partnership and clearing the way for the former world champion’s anticipated move to Gresini Ducati for the 2027 campaign.
The announcement ends months of speculation surrounding Mir’s future and represents another major development in an increasingly active MotoGP rider market ahead of the introduction of new technical regulations in 2027.
Mir is widely expected to be unveiled by Gresini in the coming days, where he is set to partner newly confirmed rookie Dani Holgado in a completely revamped Ducati satellite lineup.
The move marks the end of a frustrating chapter for the 28-year-old Spaniard, whose arrival at Honda coincided with one of the most difficult periods in the Japanese manufacturer’s modern MotoGP history.
Mir joined the premier class with Suzuki in 2019 after winning the Moto3 world championship and quickly established himself among the category’s leading riders. His breakthrough came in 2020 when he captured the MotoGP world title with remarkable consistency, delivering Suzuki its first premier-class championship since 2000.
That championship remains one of the most memorable title-winning campaigns of the modern MotoGP era, achieved without dominating the season in outright victories but through relentless consistency and race management.
Suzuki’s shock decision to withdraw from MotoGP after the 2022 season forced Mir onto the rider market, ultimately leading him to sign with Repsol Honda for 2023 alongside Marc Marquez.
The timing, however, proved unfortunate.
Honda’s RC213V had already become one of the least competitive motorcycles on the grid, with even six-time MotoGP champion Marquez unable to consistently challenge for victories.
Mir’s first season with Honda quickly turned into a struggle as crashes, injuries and the motorcycle’s lack of competitiveness combined to produce one of the most difficult campaigns of his career.
While Marquez opted to leave Honda after the 2023 season in search of a more competitive package at Gresini Ducati, Mir chose to remain and committed his future by signing a new two-year agreement with the Japanese manufacturer.
There were encouraging signs of progress during the 2025 campaign.
Mir claimed his first podium finishes aboard a Honda at Motegi and Sepang, suggesting the manufacturer had begun reversing its competitive decline after years of disappointing results.
Honda also benefited from MotoGP’s concession system, allowing additional testing and development opportunities designed to help struggling manufacturers close the performance gap to Ducati and Aprilia.
Yet the momentum has not carried into 2026.
Honda’s improved results elevated the manufacturer into a less favorable concession category, reducing the technical advantages it previously enjoyed while simultaneously shifting development attention toward the all-new 850cc regulations scheduled to debut in 2027.
The result has been another frustrating campaign for Mir.
He has collected only 26 championship points through the opening part of the season, well behind teammate Luca Marini, who has accumulated 71 points despite also struggling to consistently challenge at the front.
Statistics alone, however, do not fully reflect Mir’s performances.
The Spaniard has frequently demonstrated competitive speed before seeing promising weekends unravel through crashes, technical setbacks or penalties.
One of his strongest performances came at the Circuit of the Americas, where he qualified fifth before crashing while battling Pedro Acosta for the final podium position during the Sprint race.
Ironically, Acosta was later penalized for failing to comply with minimum tire pressure regulations, meaning Mir would likely have inherited third place had he remained on track.
Another opportunity slipped away during the Catalan Grand Prix.
Mir crossed the finish line in second position but received a post-race tire pressure penalty that dropped him to fifth in the final classification.
Although disappointing, it nevertheless remains his strongest Sunday finish of the current season.
Those near-misses have become a recurring theme throughout Mir’s Honda career.
Despite flashes of the speed that carried him to the 2020 world championship, consistency has proven elusive as crashes and misfortune repeatedly interrupted his progress.
His departure also signals Honda’s continued rebuilding process ahead of MotoGP’s next technical era.
The manufacturer has already begun reshaping its rider lineup and development strategy as it attempts to return to championship contention under the forthcoming regulations.
For Gresini Racing, Mir’s expected arrival represents another significant signing.
Earlier Thursday, the Italian team confirmed Moto2 rider Dani Holgado as the first rookie officially promoted to the 2027 MotoGP grid.
Holgado, runner-up in the 2024 Moto3 world championship before moving into Moto2 with Aspar, has impressed during his second intermediate-class campaign despite slipping from the early championship lead to sixth in the standings.
The combination of Mir’s experience and Holgado’s youthful potential offers Gresini an intriguing balance as the independent Ducati squad prepares for a completely new chapter.
Current Gresini riders Alex Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer are both expected to depart at the end of the season.
Alex Marquez has been strongly linked with a move to KTM, while Aldeguer is widely expected to join VR46 Ducati as part of the broader rider market reshuffle.
That would leave Gresini with two entirely new riders entering MotoGP’s first season under the new regulations.
Mir’s move could also provide the former champion with the competitive machinery needed to revive his career.
Ducati has established itself as the benchmark manufacturer in MotoGP over recent seasons, producing multiple championship-winning motorcycles and consistently delivering the strongest overall package on the grid.
Although Gresini operates as an independent team, its riders have repeatedly demonstrated the ability to compete for victories and podium finishes using Ducati machinery.
Marquez’s decision to leave Honda for Gresini at the beginning of 2024 ultimately revitalized his own career, eventually earning him a factory Ducati promotion.
Mir will hope a similar environment allows him to rediscover the form that once made him MotoGP world champion.
Honda has not yet announced who will replace Mir in its factory lineup, while Gresini is expected to formally confirm the Spaniard’s signing in the near future as preparations continue for the sweeping changes that will reshape the MotoGP grid in 2027.
