Did Ducati’s already stellar line-up of MotoGP teams need an eಌight-time world champion to take them to the next level? No. But did that stop Gresini from going big in the rider market? That would also 𒀰be, no. 

Marc Marquez was signed in place of Fabio Di G𒐪i☂annantonio, and Padovani has since admitted that some members of Ducati management feared it would cause tension.

• Joan Mir: I have more time than Marc, but😼 not much more… 
• Casey Stoner: Getting rid of Preziosi was Ducati’s "biggest 🐠mistake"

Speaking to Corriere della Ser🧸a, Padovani said: “There were those who were afraid of creating a climate of tension with the riders of the official team, but in reality there were conflicting visions inside. 

“I believe that it will be a source of pride for them too to have an eight-time worl🐲d champion on a⛄ Ducati.

“It seemed impossible that an eight-timไe world champion could leave Honda for a private team, it made headlines and will do so again."

“It also seemed like a dream to have Marc. Only when I saw him riding in the te💯st in Valencia did I say: “So it's true”. And even now it seems unreal to me, but he is with us…

Padovani, who now has an all-Marquez line-up at her Ducati🀅 team, said the approach to sign Marc came from his side of management, not🙈 the team’s.

“We would never have gone looking for him, his manager contacted us but he had an agreement with Honda until 2024,” sh♔e said. 

“The obstacles were not few. I said𝄹 to my parents: "Let's try to wait for him". I absolutely wanted him in the hope that all the plan🀅ets would align. I believed in it until the end, and it happened."

2024 will be the first seas🍨on for Marquez in which he’s not a Honda rider but also a factory rider.

Still, the expectation is that he can win races and even mount a title challenge, not only because of his ability, 𝔍but also because Gresi⭕ni have shown they can consistently win races despite being a satellite team. 

Asked if it was a fluke that Marquez chose Gresini, Padovani quickܫly shut that notion down, saying: “No, we are professional: and the results obtained with other riders in recent years speak for us. Otherwise he wouldn't have com🌜e. 

“Of course, the 🤡fact that h🐎is brother Alex was already with us also had an impact. From the GPs [Alex] came home with a smile and told [stories]...

“Marc will stay with us for at lꦜeast a year, then we'll see. We already know Alex, he is "o🐼ur boy" and we get along very well with him, we will manage them as best we can."

Marquez ‘humble, different character from Alex’

While brothers, Marc and Alex are quite different riders and personalities, but Padovani admitted she was very pleased with t𒀰he type of person Marquez was, calꦍling him a ‘rock.

“Humble, calm,💦 lovable, determined,” began Padovani. “It seems to me that he has a different character from Alex who is sweet and sensitive. It seems to me to be more "rock".