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Fausto s wife Nadia Padovani becomes Gresini Racing CEO, committed to 2022 Independent team; We’re currently speaking with several manufacturers and in a matter of few weeks we will reveal the details of our MotoGP project .
The Gresini team is speaking with several manufacturers and in a matter of few weeks we will reveal the details of our [2022] MotoGP project .
Those are the words of Nadia Padovani, Fausto’s wife, who has been announced as the new CEO of the Faenza-based company, thus taking over Fausto s former roles of both Team Owner and Team Principal.
Following Fausto s tragic death from Covid-19 complications earlier this year, there had been speculation that the team s plan to continue in MotoGP by reverting to full Independent status next season might be in jeopardy.
We have a good bike, good balance, but we still need the last step of competitiveness.
For comparison, Espargaro had been 16sec from victory on his way to eighth place in last November s Portimao race. [Eight seconds] can feel like it s a big step, but it s not like this, he said. The difference between every rider and every machine in MotoGP every time is smaller and smaller. So last year we were not that bad, and this year we are not that good. But we are a little bit more close, also my feeling with the bike is a bit better, so my confidence increased. So it s like a circle, step by step you are closer to the top guys.
Today we proved it on the track, not just one lap – many, many laps fighting with the best bikes of the world. Today there have been a lot of crashes. For the moment, the stability of the bike allowed me to ride with no risk, so I’m very positive. With the allocation from Michelin, we don’t have any more the soft tyre of last year. The softer option now is the medium of last year. After just two days, we did 53- 54 low. So we have been very, very fast. In lap times we proved that we can fight with the best, and also regarding the pace, the race simulation, if I’m not the fastest one, then almost. So yes, looks like we are doing good steps. Looks like we can have fun this year, because not just here, also in Jerez [private test] we’ve been very competitive.