Marc Márquez and the factory Ducati Lenovo Team dominated the 2025 MotoGP season. However, it was the impressive goals and achievements from the satellite team, BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP, that stood out. The road to Nadia Padovani and the team’s success to this point has been long and hard. We’re taking a look back at this now female-owned operation and how it led to their best season to date.
Founded on a Legacy
When Fausto Gresini began his motorcycle racing career in 1983, he quickly made his mark. The Italian competed solely in the 125cc class (later replaced by Moto3 in 2012). Over a decade of riding, he won two World Championship titles and numerous Grand Prix races. He holds the record for the most wins in 125cc in one season. Those were achieved in 1987, ten in total—although he did crash in the final race.
In 1994, Gresini retired from competitive motorcycle racing. He then transitioned into the role of Team Manager, forming the Gresini Racing team a few years later. While they started in the 250cc class (later replaced by Moto2), they made quick progress alongside Honda HRC. Together, they developed the NSR250V, which took them to race wins and eventually championships. While there were massive highs in the early years, there were also tragedies during his time as team principal, including the loss of two riders.
On December 27, 2020—a challenging year not only for MotoGP but the world—Gresini was hospitalised with COVID-19. While his health looked to be improving, he contracted a severe lung infection on February 18, 2021. Less than a week later, Gresini passed away at the age of sixty, just a month after his birthday. This left the company and the future of Gresini in the hands of his wife, Nadia Padovani.
Notable Names Riding Under the Gresini Banner
Over the course of Gresini Racing’s nearly 30-year history, it has undergone numerous name changes and partnerships. There have also been several riders who have been part of it—too many to mention. Some of those riders have gone on to become world champions and made significant contributions to the sport.
Alex Barros
The first to ride with Gresini was Brazilian rider Alex Barros, who helped develop the Honda NSR500V two-cylinder bike project collaboration before working on the four-cylinder machine. Barros had two podium finishes and numerous top-five finishes during his time at Gresini.
Daijiro Kato
The first rider for Gresini Racing to secure a championship for the team was Daijiro Kato. With the help of teammates Vincent Phillipe and Emilio Alzamora, Kato improved his performance at each race during his time with the team. He was runner-up in 2000 before claiming the title in the 250cc class the following year, the first for the team in a world rider championship. In 2002, Kato moved up to the premier MotoGP class and was crowned the best rookie of the season. Tragically, Kato passed away the following year from injuries sustained at the Japan Grand Prix in Suzuka two weeks earlier.
Sete Gibernau
Carrying on the torch after Kato was Sete Gibernau. He helped Gresini Racing continue their expansion into Moto2 for the next few years, securing wins and paving the way for riders like Colin Edwards and Toni Elías, the inaugural Moto2 world champion. With Elías came some changes in sponsorships and tyre supplier, as well as a wealth of talent that helped the team achieve victories and podiums. One of those talented riders was Marco Simoncelli. The Italian was promoted for a ride in 2011 and had made a good enough impression to secure a ride in 2012. Unfortunately, Simoncelli passed in a racing incident at the Malaysian Grand Prix the very same month of this announcement.
The Aprilia Era of Riders
In the years that followed, Gresini Racing would partner with Aprilia to bring more talent not only to MotoGP but also to Moto2, Moto3, and MotoE. They achieved a one-two championship finish with Jorge Martín and Fabio Di Giannantonio in 2018, before leaving the class in 2021. Matteo Ferrari was also the inaugural MotoE Cup winner under Gresini in 2019.
Female-Owned and Operated
When her husband passed away, Padovani had a difficult choice to make: let someone else take charge of Gresini Racing or become the first female to run and own a MotoGP team to continue the legacy. Padovani chose the latter. However, becoming the first woman in such a high position in a MotoGP team has not come easily. Padovani has received a wave of sexism since taking charge, both outside and within Gresini Racing itself.
Speaking with a few Italian media outlets, Padovani has often commented on the challenges she has faced in a sport that remains predominantly male. One instance occurred shortly after the death of her husband. A major sponsor, reportedly set to join the 2022 season, decided to back out because she had taken over. Despite challenges such as this, she and the rest of her team have led Gresini Racing and her husband’s legacy successfully into the new era.
A New Era with Ducati
From 2014 to 2021, Gresini Racing was under the Aprilia umbrella. But after seven years of partnership, Aprilia planned to field its own factory team from 2022. Despite the many hardships in 2021, Gresini Racing put in a commendable effort across all classes. After the financial difficulties that impacted all teams during the pandemic, a saving grace came in the form of Ducati. With the backing of their machinery, Gresini Racing returned to full independence before becoming the Ducati satellite team a year later.
Over the past few years, the team have gone from strength to strength. Every single rider for the past five years who has ridden under the Gresini banner has won a Grand Prix. Enea Bastianini took the team’s first premier class victory at the 2022 MotoGP season opener in Qatar. Fabio Di Giannantonio secured their first pole in Mugello in 2023. And Álex Márquez won the team’s first of many Tissot Sprint victories at Silverstone and Sepang the same year. The biggest news came when the then-six-time world champion Marc Márquez joined his brother to ride the Ducati Desmosedici, breaking away from a career built at Repsol Honda. This new era has truly cemented Gresini as not only a name worthy of its history in MotoGP, but also one that continues to evolve and change in the modern years of the sport.
2025: A Year of Accomplishments
With Marc Márquez leaving to join the Ducati Lenovo Team—another surprising chapter in the Spaniard’s career—this brought Fermín Aldeguer up from Moto2 to ride alongside Álex Márquez. Between the pair, they accumulated five podiums and two maiden wins, À.Márquez’s in Jerez and Aldeguer’s in Indonesia. The Malaysian Grand Prix secured Gresini’s best season with the clinching of the Independent Team of the Year, runner-up in the MotoGP Riders’ Championship, and the Rookie of the Year award.
What’s Next for Gresini?
With the rider pairing remaining the same in the BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP Team, many will be asking what 2026 will bring. It will certainly start with more history being made in Kuala Lumpur and the 2026 MotoGP season launch at the beginning of February. However, the iconic team will reveal the machine they’ve been working on over the winter at the end of January. This could mean more wins and titles, as well as the potential for a rider to become world champion. Not to mention, they have two talented riders in the ITALJET Gresini Moto2 team in Sergio García and Alonso López. That leaves several chances for more podiums in MotoGP and Moto2 for Gresini Racing in 2026.