MotoGP: Italian team Gresini Racing to partner with Ducati for 2022, 2023 seasons

Paris: Italian race team Gresini said Thursday it is partnering for the 2022 and 2023 MotoGP seasons as a satellite squad of constructor Ducati with Fabio Di Giannantonio and Enea Bastianini as its riders.

"From next year, Gresini Racing will again be an 'independent team' in MotoGP with Ducati," said a statement from the team which had from 2015 competed as Aprilia's factory-supported team.

Gresini, which also has a five-season deal with MotoGP promotor Dorna, will be an "entirely Italian team composed of Fabio Di Giannantonio and Enea Bastianini -- two very young riders but already very much linked to Fausto and to Gresini Racing," the team added.

The team was rocked when Italian former racer and founder Fausto Gresini died last February aged 60 after catching the coronavirus .

His widow Nadia Padovani has taken over as owner and team principal.

"This is a project born of continuity and (based) on the values with which Fausto constructed this wonderful institution," said Padovani, describing the Ducati deal as a "very moving moment."

Gresini will be Ducati's second satellite stable next year alongside Pramac. Valentino Rossi's VR46 could become a third and replace Avintia, which is leaving the world championship.

Ducati, the constructor with the most models on the grid — six — this season would thus boost that tally to eight.

Bastianini, 23, debuted in the MotoGP category this season with Avintia, having won the Moto2 crown in 2020.

Di Giannantonio, 22, has been competing in Moto2 this campaign and will next year step up to the elite category.