Gresini will have Marc Márquez on board for MotoGP this year, and although there’s been little time working with the team, he’s already making an impact. Nadia Padovani, leader of the team founded by her late husband Fausto Gresini, is excited about the arrival of the six-time premier class champion.
In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, as cited by Marca, the Italian shared her first impressions of #93: ‘He introduced himself to the team in a calm and humble way. You expect, who knows what, from someone who has won so much, but it was exactly the opposite. In fact, he was a bit restless, eager to get on the bike’.
Regarding Márquez’s debut on the Ducati Desmosedici GP23, Padovani said: ‘I stayed in the pit box waiting for him to take off his helmet after his first outing on the track; I wanted to see his initial expression when getting off the bike. I saw a smile on his face, and he said, «OK, here we go». He was very happy; furthermore, he preferred to stop an hour earlier to avoid any risks’.
Márquez comes from challenging seasons due to injuries and the lack of competitiveness with Repsol Honda, but Gresini’s leader praised the rider’s persistence and dedication: ‘After everything, he wants to get back into the game after some tough years due to braking issues, arm problems, and a difficult bike that no longer allowed him to achieve certain results and caused him to crash many times. However, he never gave up on trying to do his best’.
Confident in Gresini’s potential to fight for top positions, especially with Márquez, Padovani is also aware of the intense competition: ‘I don’t know if he will win, but he will fight for the championship; that’s what I expect from someone like Marc. Our team is at the level of the factory teams, and he will give us an extra boost. It’s clear that [Francesco] Bagnaia is a very strong rider; he has great control over the bike and has grown a lot in recent years. [Jorge] Martín is another rider who is at this level and pilots a Ducati in a spectacular way. [Marco] Bezzecchi is progressing well. I would say it won’t be so obvious who will win the championship, but we will try, and we will grow’.