Joan Mir announces Honda exit as he feels he “doesn’t deserve” silence over MotoGP future

Joan Mir says he “does not deserve” to be treated that way by Honda as he confirms impending split

Joan Mir has revealed he will leave Honda at the end of the 2026 MotoGP season after growing frustrated by the manufacturer’s silence over its plans for the 850cc era.

Amid heavy speculation over the Catalan GP weekend linking him with a move to Gresini Ducati in 2027, Mir confirmed that he will be ending a relationship with Honda that began in the midst of the team’s worst slump in 2023.

"On this subject, as you will understand, I cannot say anything," he said. "What I can say is that after Jerez I decided not to continue at Honda, that is true, I am not going to continue there."

The factory HRC squad inked a deal with 2021 champion Fabio Quartararo even before the start of the current season, while rising star David Alonso has long been rumoured to make the jump up from Moto2.

Such a move would leave both current riders, Mir and Luca Marini, without a seat in Honda’s MotoGP programme, with Johann Zarco and Diogo Moreira already locked into long-term deals at its satellite squad LCR.

Honda’s ambitions to expand to six bikes could have handed Mir a reprieve, but Tech3 confirmed on Saturday morning that it will continue its long-standing relationship with KTM into MotoGP’s next rules cycle, closing that door on him.

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Joan Mir, Honda HRC

Photo by: JOSE JORDAN/AFP via Getty Images

While he did not specify his exact plans, Mir said Honda’s lack of communication prompted him to make the decision last month, with limited seats available elsewhere on the grid.

"At Jerez, I had no news from Honda management about where I would go, and what is clear is that I do not deserve that,” Mir said when asked by Motorsport.com if the decision was mutual.

“It is for that reason that I decided that I did not want to continue here. The other thing will be seen later."

At the end of 2023, Mir’s then team-mate Marc Marquez broke his Honda contract to join Gresini, despite not being offered a salary by Ducati’s satellite squad. The move turned out to be a masterstroke as, after returning to winning ways, he secured a move to the factory Ducati team and won his seventh MotoGP title in 2025.

Asked if he would do the same to extend his career in MotoGP - and potentially get his hands on a more competitive bike, Mir replied “yes, now I would”, but did not clarify if he was actually going to race without pay in 2027.