Diogo Moreira, 21 years old, will make his debut in MotoGP for Honda next year, stepping up from Moto2, where he is third with Italtrans team. Motorsport reveals that the deal will be made in the coming days and that he will replace the Thai rider Somkiat Chantra, who has been sidelined due to injury.
This move is more than just a simple change in drivers, as the exit of Chantra will impact Honda's sponsors: Japanese petroleum company Idemitsu will come to and end. However, the presence of a South American driver could bring new commercial opportunities and will certainly increase interest of the Motorcycle competition, recently acquired by F1 owners Liberty Media, in Brazil.
Before Honda, Moreira was linked with Yamaha. He already has ties with Yamaha's Brazilian branch, a "practical arrangement", in Diogo's worlds, where Yamaha lends him bikes for training and then he returns them at the end of the season. But in the end, Honda stepped in.
Speaking on Sunday after his Moto2 victory in Austria, Moreira said that "If I move up to MotoGP, it's because I'm performing well; [my nationality] doesn't matter. It will be because I twist the throttle, not because of the [Brazilian] flag".