Gresini Racing boss Fausto Gresini is being awoken after his condition improved slightly since being hospitalised with COVID-19.

The 59-year-old tested positive before Christmas and entered hospital care on December 27 after initially isolating at home, before being transferred to a specialty unit in another hospital on December 30.

His eponymous team’s latest update reveals that the Italian was in fact placed in a coma and had been breathing through a tube but is now being brought back to consciousness.

“The conditions of Fausto Gresini – who was transported to the Carlo Alberto Pizzardi hospital in Bologna on December 30th – are slightly improving,” read a Gresini Racing statement.

“After his arrival at the hospital (Intensive Care Department of Prof. Cilloni) with very low blood oxygen saturation levels, the Gresini Racing Team Principal was induced into a pharmacological coma and received an endotracheal intubation to help organs oxygenation.

“During the last few hours, in light of stable and improving general conditions, the doctors decided to begin a slow awakening process to allow independent lung ventilation.”

Gresini himself twice won the 125cc world championship, in 1985 and 1987, while his team debuted in the premier class in 1997.

It currently competes in all three world championship classes plus MotoE, with its MotoGP effort being the Aprilia factory team for one more season.