(click “NEWS” tab to see all)

(click “G! VIDS” tab to see all)

(click “YT VIDS” tab to see all)

Nadia Padovani grew up in the shadow of the Imola autodrome and ended up running one of MotoGP’s most storied teams — not because she planned it that way, but because someone had to, and she was the one willing to do it.

EARLY YEARS

Born and raised in Imola, Italy, Padovani grew up with the autodrome as the town’s dominant landmark [1]. Her father loved motorsport and took her to events as a child, following riders including Johnny Cecotto, Giacomo Agostini, and Graziano Rossi [2]. As a teenager, she joined friends camping at the Tosa curve to watch races for two or three days at a stretch — a social occasion as much as a sporting one. She described it in her own words to L’Équipe: “L’autodrome était et est la seule attraction importante, mon père m’y emmenait voir les courses. Plus tard, j’y allais avec les copains, on plantait la tente au virage de la Tosa, on y restait deux, trois jours. C’était une façon de s’amuser, pas une grande passion, même si j’étais pressée de fêter mes 14 ans pour pouvoir rouler en Ciao, la fameuse mobylette de Piaggio.” [1]

It was at one of those Tosa campouts, at seventeen or eighteen, that she first watched Fausto Gresini race [2]. She graduated from a teacher-training institute and spent eighteen years working as a nurse and home-care assistant before motorsport became her professional world [3].

OTHER INTERESTS

Outside the paddock, Padovani has described spending time cooking, shopping, and with her children. A 2022 profile describes her as passionate about home life and a capable cook [4].

EARLY SUCCESS

Padovani’s entry into motorsport leadership was not gradual — it was abrupt and wrenching. Her husband, Fausto Gresini, had founded Gresini Racing after a successful career as a motorcycle racer. When he died in 2021, she faced a decision that she has since described plainly: “The most difficult, bravest decision I had to make was to stay in the MotoGP after my husband Fausto passed away.” [4]

She was named CEO and Team Owner of Gresini Racing in April 2021 [5]. The team’s own staff took time to see her as anything other than Fausto’s wife; she has said that she credited the team with teaching her and that she worked deliberately to demonstrate a woman could achieve results in the sport [2]. The learning curve was steep, the scrutiny constant, and the emotional weight considerable — but she stayed.

The payoff came quickly. At the 2022 Qatar Grand Prix, Gresini Racing rider Enea Bastianini crossed the line first, making Padovani the first female team manager to win in MotoGP’s premier class [6]. For a team that had just navigated the death of its founder and an uncertain future, the result carried weight well beyond the trophy. She has described the victory as an early and emotionally significant milestone [4].

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2021: Named CEO and Team Owner of Gresini Racing following the death of her husband Fausto Gresini, taking over leadership of the MotoGP outfit [5].
• 2022: Became the first female team manager to win in MotoGP’s premier class when Enea Bastianini won the Qatar Grand Prix under Gresini Racing [6].
• 2025: Received the Woman in WOW award at the WOW WomenMotor event in recognition of her work carrying Gresini Racing forward [7].

INSPIRATIONS

Her father’s enthusiasm for motorcycle racing was her earliest and most documented influence — he shaped her childhood exposure to the sport, bringing her to events at the Imola circuit and following the careers of riders like Agostini, Cecotto, and Graziano Rossi [2]. The research does not record her naming a personal racing role model beyond that family context.

REPUTATION

MotoGP’s own coverage identified Padovani as the first female team manager to win in the premier class following Gresini’s 2022 Qatar Grand Prix victory [6]. She has been candid about what daily leadership in a male-dominated environment actually involves, describing credibility as something that must be constantly maintained and her position as a daily challenge [4]. Over time, her framing of her own role has shifted: she has said she no longer thinks of herself as the first woman team principal, but simply works [2]. That quiet insistence on being judged by results rather than novelty has become as much a part of her public identity as the history-making label itself.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

As of the current Gresini Racing company page, Padovani holds the titles of Team Principal and Team Owner, with the team fielding entries in both MotoGP and Moto2 for 2026 [8]. In a December 2024 interview, she said the team needs clearly defined shared goals and that its members must work together to achieve them. She also emphasized that she wants to keep learning and improving, and pointed to passion, motivation, and determination as the foundation of that work [4].

References:

[1] L’Équipe
[2] Speedweek
[3] Il Venerdì di Repubblica
[4] Motor Valley
[5] Gresini Racing — Fausto’s Dream Continues
[6] MotoGP.com
[7] Comune di Imola — WOW WomenMotor
[8] Gresini Racing — Company