MotoGP team boss Fausto Gresini 'monitored closely' after COVID hospitalisation

MotoGP team manager Fausto Gresini is taken to hospital after his condition worsens in the wake of a positive COVID-19 diagnosis before Christmas

Fausto Gresini

Fausto Gresini, eponymous manager of the Gresini Racing MotoGP team, is in hospital after deteriorating in health in the wake of a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.

The Italian manager, who has helmed Gresini Racing since it entered the premier class in 1997 as an independent team, was diagnosed with the coronavirus shortly before Christmas.

However, on 27 December he was admitted to Santa Maria della Scaletta hospital in Imola, before being transferred to a specialist COVID-19 ward Maggiore Carlo Alberto Pizzardi hospital in Bologna. 

A short statement from the team press office adds his condition is being monitored closely.

"Following the COVID-19 positivity discovered shortly before the Christmas break, Fausto Gresini - after an initial isolation period at home - was hospitalised on 27 December at the Santa Maria della Scaletta hospital in Imola.

"The Gresini Racing team principal was transported today to the Maggiore Carlo Alberto Pizzardi hospital in Bologna, in a more specialised ward for COVID-19 care.

"Fausto's conditions are constantly monitored. Further updates will follow.”

Gresini has been a mainstay of the 500GP/MotoGP class for 23 years, first as an independent Honda outfit before it was tapped to collaborate with Aprilia for its latest MotoGP project in 2015. 

It also has title wins at Moto2 and Moto3 level, while its entry to MotoE makes it the only outfit to participate in all four grand prix classes.

The 2021 MotoGP season will be Gresini Racing’s last as a de facto works effort with Aprilia having confirmed it will revert to independent status once more in 2022, potentially as Aprila’s official satellite effort.