Gresini Racing sign Mir and Holgado for 2027

The BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP Team have announced an all-new rider lineup for MotoGP’s 850cc era that begins next year. Alex Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer are out, with Joan Mir and Dani Holgado in. Mir, currently with Honda HRC Castrol in the premier class, is a former MotoGP World Champion, while Holgado was Moto3 World Championship runner-up in 2024 and is contending for this year’s Moto2 title with the CFMOTO Azul Marino Aspar Team.

“From next year, a lot will change, but the essence of the BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP Team will remain the same,” said Nadia Padovani, Gresini Racing Team owner and the partner of founder, Fausto Gresini, who passed away in 2021.

“We continue to be a team that works to grow season after season, and in 2027 we will do so with two riders in whom we place great trust and whom we are ready to support fully.

“Dani is a profile we have been following for a long time and we are pleased that he can begin his rookie experience with us. Joan is a MotoGP World Champion: his record speaks for itself. One is at the beginning of his journey, the other aims to rediscover his best sensations and make the most of his potential.”

While the new pairing will both ride Ducati’s new Desmosedici 850cc machine, only one factory-spec GP27 will go to Gresini Racing, with Mir receiving the “better” of the two bikes. It’s a similar story at Ducati’s other satellite team, Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing, which is where Aldeguer is expected to be at next season. Alex Marquez has signed with Red Bul KTM Factory Racing for 2027.

While Mir’s HRC contract prevents him from making a comment on the Gresini move before 2027, Holgado made the following statement on his upcoming debut in MotoGP.

“I am very happy to join the MotoGP project of the BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP Team: it is literally the dream of my life to race in the premier class, and doing it with a team like this makes it even better,” the 21-year-old Spaniard said.

“It is the result of a lot of effort and hard work over the years. I know it will be a huge challenge, but I am ready to grow both as a rider and as a person.

“A huge thank you to Nadia and the Team, my family, and everyone who has believed and continues to believe in me. I know it won’t be an easy journey, but I am fully ready for whatever comes next.”

Dani Holgado’s road to MotoGP started with the European Talent Cup in 2018, then the FIM CEV Repsol Championship, in which he was crowned champion in 2021. Holgado also spent two seasons in the Red Bull Rookies Cup (2020-21) for a best overall placing of third in 2021. After a handful of Moto3 World Championship starts in 2021, Holgado joined the championship full time in 2022. The Spanish teenager secured his first Moto3 race win in 2023, along with four other podiums to finish the season fifth overall. A fast start to the 2024 season unravelled late, with Holgado eventually finishing runner-up to David Alonso.

A move up to Moto2 in 2025 saw Holgado consistently finish inside the top ten in the early rounds, but his first wins and podiums wouldn’t come until later in the season. Sixth in the Moto2 World Championship last year, Holgado is sixth overall after the first ten rounds this year

Joan Mir is one of MotoGP’s more experienced riders, having been in the premier class since 2019. Before then, the Spaniard travelled the familiar path of the Red Bull Rookies Cup and FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship, where rivals included Jorge Martin, Fabio di Giannantonio and Toprak Razgatlioglu. Mir made his GP debut in 2015 at Phillip Island in the Moto3 World Championship, securing a full-time ride with Leopard Racng KTM the following year. A race winner in his first full season in Moto3, Mir would back that up with a dominant 2017 season that saw him secure the championship at Phillip Island.

Graduating to Moto2 with Marc VDS Racing Team in 2018, Mir spent only one season in the intermediate class before signing with Team Suzuki Ecstar in MotoGP. While Mir went winless in his sole season in Moto2, he did finish on the podium on four occasions and was sixth in the championship.

After a best race result of fifth in his rookie MotoGP year, Mir would benefit from the COVID-shortened (just 14 rounds) 2020 season. Consistency saw the Spaniard secure the MotoGP World Championship that year, despite winning only one race. To date, that’s been Mir’s sole victory in the premier class, despite multiple podium finishes in the 2021 season.

When Suzuki left MotoGP at the end of 2022, Mir switched to the Repsol Honda Team (now Honda HRC Castrol), but struggled with Honda’s RC213V. Across the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Mir retired from more races than he completed, with a best race placing of fifth. Some light came in 2025 with a pair of podium finishes (at Motegi and Sepang), but 2026 has been another bleak year, with only four finishes in the first ten rounds. The 28-year-old will no doubt be looking to rejuvenate his career with Gresini Racing and Ducati after four seasons on the hard-to-control and uncompetitive Honda.