Silly season is officially over, with all 22 seats for next season sealed and signed – bringing an end to a chaotic contract period. It’s been one of the most unpredictable and unexpected games of musical chairs, where, after 11 months into 2025, the music has finally stopped. As the dust settles, we can take a look at how the grid was shaped and some of the big surprises ahead of 2026.
The final seat is decided
The final seat on the 2026 grid is finally confirmed, where, after months of speculation, Diogo Moreira was confirmed to join IDEMITSU Honda LCR. The Brazilian ends a busy few months of rider announcements, which included the Honda news that Johann Zarco would remain a HRC contracted rider at CASTROL Honda LCR in 2026 and 2027, and that Luca Marini will stay with Honda HRC Castrol in 2026. The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team also announced that they will continue their relationship with Franco Morbidelli in 2026, while Pramac Yamaha confirmed that they will retain Jack Miller for next season.
THE JORGE MARTIN SITUATION: a headline act in 2025
One of the biggest stories of the season has been Jorge Martin’s statement, released at the end of May after the British GP. You can read the full statement here. During the Dutch GP weekend, more statements were made with Martin’s manager, Albert Valera, speaking on Saturday morning, followed by further words from Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola in a media scrum on Sunday morning, saying that he’s very much under contract for 2026 – read all about it here, and likewise watch the full scrum. However, it was on the #1’s return that he himself declared that in the end, nothing changes: Martin will be with Aprilia in 2026. This evaporated the hopes for any other rider, who began to look towards a factory Aprilia. ‘The Martinator’ stays put in 2026.
THE FINAL PIECE: Honda’s seats are confirmed
As we’ve mentioned, Marini and Zarco were already announced to remain with HRC next season, leaving just one seat at LCR. Rumours were swirling around the paddock as Somkiat Chantra was announced in WorldSBK, signing a deal to move over with Honda. Diogo Moreira was initially rumoured to take his MotoGP seat, which was only heightened after Manuel Gonzalez was confirmed to be staying at LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP in 2026. Finally, in the middle of October, Moriera was announced at IDEMITSU Honda LCR on a multi-year deal.
What now for Miguel Oliveira?
After a prolonged saga, Pramac Yamaha announced that they would retain Jack Miller next season, where he will line up alongside Toprak Razgatlioglu. This news left Miguel Oliveira with an uncertain future in the Grand Prix paddock. Early links pointed towards either a WorldSBK move or a Test Rider role, with the WorldSBK move being favoured. The Portuguese star was then announced to join the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team in WorldSBK, completing the German manufacturer's line up.
WorldSBK ARRIVALS: Razgatlioglu moves across, Bulega lands Ducati testing gig
Earlier in the season, one of motorcycle racing fans’ biggest dreams has been to see what WorldSBK sensation Toprak Razgatlioglu can do on MotoGP™ machinery; wait no longer, he’s coming in 2026. The double WorldSBK Champion was finally announced to join the MotoGP paddock with Prima Pramac Yamaha for next season, something that has sent both paddocks into overdrive with how the rest of the seats shake out.
Along with that, current WorldSBK Championship leader Nicolo Bulega remains in WorldSBK for 2026 with the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team, but will be an official Ducati test rider in MotoGP™, with work looking towards 2027’s rule change. Davide Tardozzi, Ducati Lenovo team manager, recently stated that Nicolo is “someone we’re looking at for the future. We trust him and maybe we’ll have some more collaboration in the future.” Ducati took on exciting rookie Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), and that’s going well…
2026 AWAITS: pre-season looms
So there you have it, we have added the final piece to our puzzle for next season’s grid. It brings an end to another dramatic silly season as excitement builds for 2026. The pre-season dates have already been announced, where you can see the premier class stars in action before the season opener. However, before all this, we have the small matter of 2025 to finish – with a blockbuster end to the season expected.