The Mother of MotoGP: Nadia Gresini Against Fausto’s Wishes

The Gresini Racing Team is becoming a solid guarantee in the MotoGP championship. After the death of Fausto Gresini, the castle seemed destined to crumble. Instead, Nadia Padovani, supported by her sons and some long-time collaborators, had the strength and grit to bring the team to the highest level.

In February 2021, Fausto Gresini passed away due to Covid. From that moment, his wife Nadia inherited the fate of the MotoGP team. In 2022 they finished seventh in the standings, in 2023 sixth, in 2024 third, and in the most recent season they clinched second place with Alex Marquez. The team from Faenza has even earned a factory Ducati for 2026, on par with Valentino Rossi’s Pertamina VR46 team. Now they will aim for the world title, even if the feat won’t be easy against a Marc Marquez who has returned to his former brilliance.

In an interview with Gazzetta Motori, Mrs. Padovani revealed a behind-the-scenes detail. A few months before his death, Fausto Gresini himself asked his wife not to continue with the MotoGP project. "All of a sudden, out of the blue, Fausto said to me: ‘If something happens to me, please sell everything. Because racing is a tough world. With what you make, you’ll be set...’. I replied: ‘What are you saying? We don’t talk about these things.’ Then, seeing that he insisted, very seriously, I took it as a joke: ‘Well, sure, it wouldn’t even occur to me to carry on, I wouldn’t know where to start’."

Nadia then decided to leave her job as a nurse, a profession she had kept despite her husband’s success. "Being supported has never been part of my plans." The Gresini team boss also revealed that she decided to continue with the MotoGP project the day before Fausto’s funeral. "For the 2021 season there weren’t many alternatives; everything was already planned. It was a matter of deciding whether or not to sell the business before starting our MotoGP project in 2022. There were potential buyers. That’s why I decided to give it a try."

She never stopped believing and trying, ultimately with excellent results. The secret to success? "Our way of running things, centered around family," concluded Nadia Gresini. "I think the fact that there’s a woman running everything is important. A woman is more empathetic with people, maternal with the riders, who after all are the same age as my children... Yes, I’m a bit like the MotoGP mom."