MotoGꦑP team owner and 125cc world champion Fausto Gresini spent his 60th birthday in the intensive care unit of the Maggiore Carlo Alberto Pizzardi Bologna hospital on Saturday, where he has been battling serious respiratory problems caused by Covid-19 for almost a month.

Fortunately, the latest medical update on the Italian's condition describes 'minor but comforting news',𒀰 with Doctor Nicola Cilloni speaking of a 'fragile' but 'slowly improving' condition.

Encouragingly, Gresin♚i's blood oxygenation levels, which currently require constant mechanical ventilation, are also 'progressively improving'.

Overall, the progꦏnosis is 'still reserved' but 'mo𓆏re optimistic'.

“Fausto Gresini's general clinical conditions are fragil🎃e, but slowly and progressively improving. He is conscious and combative. Radiological and laboratory tests also go in the same direction," Doctor Cilloni said.

"He still needs to be supported by the mech🅘anical ventilator, but blood o🧸xygenation is progressively improving. He started physiotherapy to rehabilitate both breathing and muscles.

"He remains in critiཧcal and fragile condition with a long path of treatment, but the direction taken in recent days makes the prognosis, still reserved, more optimistic!"

The latest Facebook update from Fausto's son Lorenzo reads: "Another quiet day for Dad, still intubated with tracheotomy and helped breat🐟hing with the [Ventilator], but no fever a❀nd a small improvement in blood oxygenation."