Joan Mir believes MotoGP’s increasingly early silly season could risk pushing riders into decisions they may come to regret, as teams move at a record pace to finalise 2027 line-ups.
Even before testing for the upcoming season began in Malaysia last week, speculation was already rife about how the grid could look heading into MotoGP’s next era in 2027.
While early contract talks have become commonplace in recent years, the scale of the technical overhaul planned for 2027 appears to have accelerated the process further.
It’s expected that the factory teams will lock in their riders for next year by the end of March, with Gresini rider Alex Marquez recently admitting he intends to decide his future before the Thailand season opener, following Autosport’s report linking him to a KTM move.
Honda is also expected to play an important role in the market, with 2021 champion Fabio Quartararo believed to be considering a switch that would end his long-standing association with Yamaha.
Any such move could place the futures of Honda’s current riders under threat, potentially leaving either Mir or team-mate Luca Marini without a factory seat for next season.
Mir, who scored two podiums at the end of 2025, admitted that he feels under pressure to act early due to other rider movements, despite believing that he needs more time to properly assess his options.
Joan Mir, Honda HRC
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
“The truth is that every time that you start to speak about the new contracts earlier and earlier. There’s no limit about it,” he said. “Now it looks like someone started to speak [to teams] in November. In my case, this means that everyone cannot sleep because you don’t want to be without a seat.
“But also from another part, I want to see things to make a decision. If you don’t wait and you exaggerate this procedure a little, maybe you can make a decision that is not the right one. But you have to take it [the decision] because everyone is taking it early.
“We will try to play our cards. I don’t know what I want to do. That is a bit my decision at the moment.
“It’s true that I see an improvement from Honda’s project in the last few years. I’ve been on board in difficult times.
“Last year you saw when I was on the podium, I celebrated like a championship because when you make good results with them, the flavour is different.”
Mir joined Honda in 2023 after his previous employer Suzuki abruptly ended its MotoGP programme. His move to Honda coincided with the worst period in the Japanese manufacturer’s history in the series, and he seriously considered stepping away from the championship before eventually committing to a new deal covering the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
While Honda’s situation has considerably improved since Mir’s last contract negotiations with the factory, the jury is out on which manufacturer will best adapt to the 2027 regulations.
Asked why he remains undecided about his future, the 2020 champion said: “Honestly, it was more I don’t even think about it. I don’t even think about what I want to do.
Luca Marini, Honda HRC
Photo by: Steve Wobser / Getty Images
“At the moment, I’m thinking about starting the year [2026] in the best way possible. But on the other hand, if the other riders are closing the deals, we have to move. That’s also the reality. So, we will see.”
Former VR46 rider Marini was drafted in by Honda to replace Marc Marquez in 2024. The Italian remains a popular figure within the Honda management, who value the work he has put in to develop the RC213V.
However, while he outscored Mir over the course of the 2025 season, he was unable to match his team-mate in the final part of the campaign when the bike’s performance was at its peak.
Asked about his plans for 2027, Marini was largely non-committal about where he could race next season: “I think now everybody is speaking a lot now on the media side, but also on the rider side. Every rider wants to be in the perfect position in 2027.
“It is not so easy to understand which one is the best now because everything is going to change.
“But I am constantly talking with Honda, with all the Japanese [executives]. We have a fantastic relationship and now I think everybody still has a lot of time to end with these things.
“The 2026 season has not even started yet.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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