Bastianini “looks like a puppy, but becomes a beast!”
Bastianini won the second-most amount of MotoGP races last season, finished third in the MotoGP standings, and earned a promotion from Gresini to the factory Ducati team where he will partner reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia.
The success of the young Italian continues to inspire Gresini, even after his departure.
“Enea is an incredible guy,” team owner Padovani said.
“You see it, he looks like a puppy, then it gets on that bike and becomes a beast.
“He taught us that if you have determination, and it is monstrous, you can get wherever you want. Few are born like Enea.”
Alex Marquez has arrived from LCR Honda to replace Bastianini, and team with Fabio di Giannantonio, in the 2023 MotoGP rider line-up.
Padovani reminded Di Giannantonio of her late husband’s opinion: “Fausto believed in him so much, I trusted his judgement completely.”
She said about her hopes for Gresini this year: "I want to do some podiums, if a victory escapes..."
Fausto Gresini passed away two years ago, leaving his wife to assume responsibility for the MotoGP team.
"Now I am more aware of what happens both in the company and on the track,” she said.
"I didn't want to lose what he had created. He knew I have a strong character, but he wouldn't have expected that I would do all this."
She joked after a successful season: “Look here these four fools led by a woman managed to do!"
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
