The “remarkable” MotoGP rookie riding like an "expert" after only one race

Reigning Moto2 World Champion Diogo Moreira has already impressed his team boss after only one round as a MotoGP rider.

Satellite Honda rider Moreira showed strong speed throughout his first MotoGP weekend in Thailand three weeks ago, finishing 13th in the race after qualifying 15th and only 0.043 seconds behind factory HRC rider Luca Marini.

But it was not only Moreira’s performance that impressed his team manager, Lucio Cecchinello, in Thailand, the Italian having also been struck by his rider’s technique.

“It’s absolutely remarkable what he [Moreira] has done,” Cecchinello said, speaking to the MotoGP international TV broadcast during FP1 in Goiania.

“We clearly fixed a target with him: to not exaggerate, to not push himself over the limits. 

“But he is already riding the bike in a very natural way. You can see how he plays with the bike and his body, his movement around the bike is, let’s say, dancing on the bike – really like an expert MotoGP rider. 

“It’s remarkable. 

“This is a sign that he is a very talented rider and we are very pleased to work with him and to accompany him for as long possible in his MotoGP journey.”

Moreira experiences a home grand prix for the first time this weekend in Brazil, something Cecchinello thinks the 21-year-old is dealing with well so far.

“Looks like he’s handling very well the pressure so far,” the LCR Honda team boss said.

“He was very calm and he did his routine – warming up and talking with the technicians, and preparing a long and tough race weekend. He will feel some pressure, definitely.”

MotoGP’s Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend is the first for the championship in the country since 2004’s Rio Grand Prix. 

With no Argentina on the 2026 calendar, the Goiania race is the only one in South America this year, and Cecchinello was clear about his own feelings on visiting the continent.

“Every time we came here in South America, the joy and the happiness of all the crowd, of all the fans, is something on another level,” he said.

“Especially us, as Honda LCR team, having Diogo Moreira, a Brazilian rider– yesterday I was in the town and people was in the street and said ‘Diogo Moreira! Diogo Moreira’ to me in. 

“It was really nice and we are pleased to be part to provide [as much] joy as possible to these fantastic people.”

Moreira ended the wet FP1 session in Goiania 18th-fastest. The session was delayed by an hour due to heavy rainfall overnight and into Friday morning that meant Moto3 FP1 could not start on time.