MADRID, 26 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Spanish MotoGP rider Alex Márquez, now in the ranks of LCR Honda Castrol, will compete with Gresini Racing MotoGP on a Ducati satellite alongside Italian Fabio di Giannantonio, the team confirmed this Sunday during the Dutch Grand Prix.
The one from Cervera will replace the Italian Enea Bastianini next year, who will go to the factory configuration or to the Prima Pramac Racing Ducati to drive a factory Desmosedici in 2023. Thus he will be the partner of another transalpine, Fabio di Giannantonio, who aspires to become in best ‘rookie’ of the year.
The 26-year-old Moto3 world champion in 2014 and Moto2 in 2019 has 40 podium finishes and 12 World Championship victories, in addition to two second places in the premier class in 2020.
“I am very excited to start this new adventure: it was crucial for me to change to regain the same kind of motivation that I had when I joined this category. This was the best option for me, with a team that helped write the history of this championship. I would like to thank Nadia, Carlo and all the GR staff for believing in me. I still have half a season left to give my best before I start 2023 with maximum motivation”, indicated the youngest of the Márquez.
For his part, Di Gianntonio was happy to prolong his stay with the team. “We will continue on this learning curve, and we will do it with a Ducati, and that makes me very happy. Continuity is key in MotoGP to be able to work on myself to be the best possible. We have been working on this contract extension for a time, and now we can finally announce it. The goals will be higher: we will take advantage of this second part of the season to improve our results and next year I want to take that step forward”, he underlined.
The owner of the team and widow of Fausto Gresini, Nadia Padovani Gresini, explained that ‘Diggia’ “has shown his talent this year” and that “he will continue to be more competitive”. “We wanted to put a more experienced rider alongside him, and I think Alex Marquez is the perfect fit for our team. His resume speaks for itself: we believe he has great potential and that the Desmosedici machine can be the perfect partner in his new venture. Welcome to the family, Alex,” he concluded.