Fausto Gresini regains consciousness in COVID-19 battle
MotoGP team boss Fausto Gresini’s medical condition remains serious as he continues to battle COVID-19 but he is now conscious and stable in hospital.
The veteran team boss and 125cc world champion was taken ill just before the Christmas break when he tested positive for the virus.
Gresini was hospitalised on 27 December in Imola as his condition started to worsen, with continued deterioration in his health forcing him to be transferred to a specialist COVID care ward in a hospital in Bologna. Upon admittance he was placed into a medically-induced coma, from which he was gradually re-awakened last week.
In the latest update issued by his team, the Italian is showing signs of progress in his recovery. Gresini remains on mechanical ventilation and under some sedation, however.
The statement read: “Comforting news from the intensive care unit of the Maggiore Carlo Alberto Pizzardi hospital in Bologna. Fausto Gresini is conscious and in stable condition, even if the situation remains serious overall.”
Dr Nicola Cilloni added: “Fausto Gresini's clinical conditions are still serious, but more stable. It is still necessary to maintain mechanical ventilation to ensure good blood oxygenation.
“However, the clinical stability allowed to moderate the sedation and keep him conscious. He is a fighter and very collaborative and this helps clinicians a lot in managing the disease. Apart from the breath, all other organs are functional.”
Gresini is one of a number of high-profile MotoGP names to have caught the virus in the past year, though he's been the one most seriously affected by it. New Pramac MotoGP rider and former KTM Moto2 runner Jorge Martin was the first high-profile name to catch the virus last year, forcing him to miss the Misano double-header.
Nine-time grand prix world champion Valentino Rossi was absent from the Aragon races after he tested positive for the virus at home in Italy, while Tech3’s Iker Lecuona had to miss the final three rounds because of COVID-19.
Gresini will remain Aprilia’s factory entrant in MotoGP in 2021, but announced late last year it would return to being an independent team from 2022, as Aprilia enters as a standalone works squad.
Related video
“Angry” Dovizioso opens up over his Ducati MotoGP exit
Suzuki MotoGP team won’t replace F1-bound Brivio
How Quartararo cast aside prior doubts to become MotoGP's new king
Doubts were cast over Yamaha’s French recruit after his disastrous end to the 2020 MotoGP season with Petronas SRT, but Fabio Quartararo answered them convincingly in 2021 to claim a MotoGP title that exhibited both his devastating speed and mental strength
The Rossi-less future MotoGP must now navigate
Motorcycle racing's greatest showman has left the stage, as Valentino Rossi calls time on his remarkable career on two wheels. But in his successors, all of whom were inspired by 'the Doctor', grand prix racing has vibrant new acts to keep us hooked
Valentino Rossi’s 10 greatest MotoGP races
As the Italian legend finally bows out and retires from MotoGP, it marks the end of one of the most incredible careers in motorsport history. Here is Motorsport.com's pick of his best rides and the stories behind them
How Ducati has drawn first blood in the 2022 MotoGP title race
The 2021 MotoGP season may have only just ended but preparations for 2022 are well underway following a two-day test at Jerez this week. Ducati has hit the ground running while a lack of progress dominated Yamaha’s and world champion Fabio Quartararo’s test. While no battle lines have been drawn yet for 2022, it appears Ducati has already drawn first blood...
Why Suzuki's quest for a new MotoGP boss may be too late
Suzuki is on the search for a new team manager after its decision not to replace Davide Brivio at the start of 2021 was backed up by its unsuccessful bid to help Joan Mir defend his 2020 MotoGP world title. But whoever Shinichi Sahara appoints next, it may have already come too late to convince Mir to stick with the project
How Rossi got the perfect send-off to his MotoGP career
The greatest chapter in MotoGP history came to a close at the Valencia Grand Prix as Valentino Rossi bid farewell after 26 seasons of grand prix racing. While his run to a strong 10th was a pleasing end to his time in MotoGP, it was what happened at the front of the grid that capped the Italian's ideal send-off
Why MotoGP's under-fire graduate has a point to prove
OPINION: MotoGP-bound Darryn Binder was already under the microscope as his jump from Moto3 to join RNF's new top-class team was announced. But his crash with title hopeful Dennis Foggia caused significant consternation among the ranks - with many current riders suggesting the top level should be harder to break into as a result
How Portugal exposed the biggest threat to Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo’s first DNF of his title-winning 2021 MotoGP season couldn’t have come at a better time. But the events of the Yamaha rider’s Algarve Grand Prix exposed the M1’s well-known major weakness, which could threaten his championship defence given the increasingly Ducati-heavy makeup of the grid heading into 2022