Huge reports claim Honda and Ducati have got their next superstar rookies

Reports from Spanish media claim Moto2 stars David Alonso and Dani Holgado will step up to MotoGP in 2027 as part of the Honda and Ducati stables, respectively.

The MotoGP grid is set for its biggest shake-up in years for the new rules cycle in 2027, with the likes of Pecco Bagnaia set to move to Aprilia, Pedro Acosta to Ducati, Fabio Quartararo to Honda and Jorge Martin to Yamaha.

Honda has been one of the focal points of the 2027 rider market, having already come into play last year amid its form resurgence.

Both Acosta and Martin were linked to potential Honda moves for 2026, with the latter revealed by Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola to have had a good offer from HRC, which triggered his attempts to break his contract with the Italian brand.

Honda strengthens its core line-up witth Moto3 record-breaker

While none of that came to pass, Honda went into the winter with realistic ambitions of snaring AAA talent for next year.

Ahead of pre-season testing, bombshell reports linked 2021 world champion Quartararo to the factory Honda team.

According to AS and Mela Chercoles, Quartararo is set to be joined by superstar rookie David Alonso.

The Colombian representative, who was born in Spain, has been on a collision course with a MotoGP move since he made his full-time grand prix debut in 2023.

In 2024, he completed a historic Moto3 title-winning campaign, in which he won 14 races before stepping to Moto2 last year.

After a steady start to his first Moto2 campaign, Alonso scored a maiden podium at Silverstone, then a first win in Hungary and a triple-header of podiums between Australia and Portugal.

Alonso is said to have had his pick of the filed for his MotoGP debut in 2027, electing to join Honda, who is now boasting a promising young roster with Diogo Moreira among its ranks for the next three years.

This now means Luca Marini and 2020 world champion Joan Mir are almost certainly out of the Honda fold.

Marini has been heavily linked to a Yamaha move in 2027, while Mir has been rumoured to reunite with David Brivio at Trackhouse.

Ducati gets star youngster as Gresini situation looks to be resolved

According to AS, Alonso’s Moto2 team-mate Dani Holgado will also step up to MotoGP in 2027, as he is set to join Gresini Racing.

Holgado was runner-up to Alonso in Moto3 in 2024, and has been impressive in Moto2, winning three races across 2025 and 2026 so far.

Gresini’s MotoGP future has been a major point of discussion in recent weeks, with the Italian outfit unhappy with Ducati’s surprise decision to move Fermin Aldeguer to VR46.

The team is also set to lose 2025 MotoGP runner-up Alex Marquez to KTM in 2027, leaving it with two seats to fill, which as recently as Brazil was not a guarantee to be Ducatis.

Gresini has been linked to a return to Honda, though AS claims it will continue with Ducati bikes now, while Enea Bastianini - who raced for the team in 2022 and won four times - is due to return after a difficult stint at Tech3 KTM.

What this means for KTM and a Marc Marquez protege

During the US Grand Prix weekend, KTM boss Pit Beirer noted that “we are talking to” Alonso and Holgado about a 2027 MotoGP move, with both currently attached to the brand through CFMoto in the intermediate class.

However, Beirer also noted that “I know we are not the only ones talking to them”.

Acosta was KTM’s star rookie signing in 2024 and the rider it hoped would bring it to MotoGP title success. His loss to Ducati is a major blow for the Austrian manufacturer, and one that could have been softened somewhat by snaring one of either Holgado or Alonso.

While Alex Marquez’s KTM factory move is all but assured, the rest of its stable remains uncertain.

Maverick Vinales was due to step up to the factory team, but that move has been put on hold after an underwhelming start to the year. He missed the US race due to problems from a pre-existing shoulder injury and is due for surgery this week.

Bastianini is now set to leave Tech3, while Brad Binder’s form has been disappointing for several years now on the factory KTM.

To boot, there’s no guarantee that the Guenther Steiner-helmed Tech3 will continue with KTM machinery beyond this season.

In Moto2, the CFMoto Aspar team will need to find replacements for Holgado and Alonso, placing Marc Marquez protege Maximo Quiles in line for a step to the intermediate class next year.

Quiles races for Aspar in Moto3, stunning in his first year with three wins on his way to third in the standings, while currently leading in 2026 after a win in Brazil and a brace of seconds in Thailand and the US.

A move to Moto2 next year, assuming Quiles then spends two season there, puts him in a prime position to cash in on a MotoGP move for 2029 when the rider market widely opens up again.