Clash of Titans: Should Ducati Intervene After Bagnaia-Marquez Aragon Incident?

Should Ducati intervene after the altercation between Bagnaia and Alex Marquez?

Podcast: "Is there some confusion because we haven't progressed far enough into the season to tell other Ducati riders, 'you're out of the running for the title, so take a step back in these scenarios'?"

A contentious incident on Sunday between Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez during the closing stages of the Aragon MotoGP resulted in both Ducati racers being eliminated from the final podium position.

Arriving with a five-point lead in the championship, reigning champion Bagnaia left Spain injured and trailing Jorge Martin by 23 points.

In the most recent episode of the Crash.net MotoGP podcast, Jordan Moreland, the host, posed the following question:

The main highlight of the race was the intense competition between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez for a spot on the podium. Bagnaia seemed poised to overtake Marquez; it appeared inevitable. However, an incident occurred that changed the course of events.

"What did you think about it? It seems like it happened not long ago. Clearly, both riders are pointing fingers at each other…"

Crash.net MotoGP editor Pete McLaren commented that it was a disastrous weekend for Bagnaia, marking his worst performance in an event since the Sprint format was introduced last year.

Nearly everything fell apart for him: he faced two tire problems, qualified on the less favorable side of the track, and to cap it all off, he collided at a moment when it seemed inevitable that he would overtake Alex Marquez for 3rd place.

"Alex was clearly competing in front of his home crowd and had hopes of possibly standing next to Marc on the podium during his remarkable return. Understandably, he was determined to hold his position, but ultimately, there simply wasn’t enough space for both riders."

"The issue now is, who noticed whom first? And who was responsible for yielding more space? The Stewards concluded that no additional action was necessary. They mentioned reviewing some technical data, but the specifics remain unclear."

“The data aspect was intriguing because, after the decision, Pecco mentioned that the data suggested Alex did not slow down as much as one might anticipate from a rider involved in a crash.

"If two riders involved in an accident are using the same motorcycles, the manufacturer has access to the data from both bikes. This is precisely what Ducati examined. We are aware that they did this after the incident in Portimao, where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia collided. Marc Marquez made a brief remark to address the issue of blame, stating, 'Ducati can see all the data…'"

“Pecco now claims that the data exonerates him. Did the Stewards have access to this data too? If they had seen the evidence Pecco refers to, would their decision have been different? It's uncertain.”

"Another helpful feature would have been the 'visor cam' perspective we saw from Alex Rins during the private test at Misano, so we could see where each rider was focusing their attention!"

A racing incident occurred that had significant consequences. Pecco was fortunate because Marc prevented Martin from earning the most points this weekend, and the positive takeaway is that both Pecco and Alex Marquez escaped without serious injuries.

"Lewis, what are your thoughts on this?" Moreland asked.

MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan remarked, "I want to challenge the data a little, because whenever data is mentioned, I immediately recall Honda in 2015. They were convinced they had evidence that Valentino had kicked Marc and were prepared to reveal it to everyone!"

"However, if I were to assign blame, I would attribute a bit more to Pecco. We've witnessed similar instances previously—in Portugal and somewhat during the Sprint race at Jerez. It appears that Pecco struggles with choosing the right moments to engage in battles."

"We observed a similar situation with Marc in Portugal. Regardless of whether he was visible from the outside, it was clear he would re-enter, so why position your bike there? You know it will result in a collision; navigate the corner more effectively."

“In Jerez, he found himself squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder – you're faster than both of them, so ease off. Don't battle it. The same thing happened this time."

"Alex didn't check his surroundings when he veered off track at Turn 12. He was unaware of your presence behind him. You’re aware that Turn 13 is a tight spot, especially when making a right turn, and it’s highly probable that Alex will be in that position."

"In my opinion, you need to approach the game more strategically, particularly if you're competing for a championship. I believe Alex should have checked his surroundings and thought, 'This is going to be close. I'll pull back now and look for another chance to overtake.' Similarly, Pecco should have considered, 'There's still time. I can make my move later.'"

"In each of the instances I've discussed, Pecco has ended up in the worst position and has lost points as a result. I believe Ducati should have a talk with Pecco and advise him to be more strategic in his interactions with other racers. They should emphasize that securing a 4th place finish is preferable to ending up with no points at all."

"Pecco seems to occasionally have difficulty accepting the position available to him. In contrast, Martin, over the last few weeks, has consistently secured second place when that's been the best option. As a result, he now leads the championship by 23 points."

In response, Moreland said, "Pete, this situation is similar to what happened with Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans last season. It's particularly unfortunate timing because Martin has been performing consistently without errors and accumulating points."

McLaren addressed the issue that everyone dislikes, saying, “This brings us to the topic of team orders.” He noted that it's difficult not to draw comparisons between Sunday's race and previous years, where other Ducati riders understood they needed to allow more space for those competing for the championship.

"There's some uncertainty right now since the season hasn't progressed enough to tell the other Ducati riders that they're mathematically out of the running and should therefore back off in such situations."

"Perhaps Pecco and Martin believe that, since they are leading the championship race, their fellow Ducati riders will give them more space. However, those teammates are actually thinking, ‘We haven't received any instructions yet, so we're still competing fiercely for every spot.’

The next matter to consider is what advice you would give Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are slightly trailing the leading pair yet remain in contention.

Duncan mentioned that Ducati should consider this situation for its benefit. He pointed out that another collision between Alex Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia could lead to Martin gaining more points, while Marc stays ahead.

"We've witnessed how extremely toxic the fan base can become in those scenarios, when they believe something like 'this happened, sabotage, etc.'"

Ducati should take the lead and declare: ‘These are our title contenders. These are the riders who can win the championship. If you are not among them, avoid competing aggressively against them’.

"We definitely don't want to witness this scenario, but for Ducati, it's a worst-case situation with Martin currently at the top of the championship standings. They simply can't allow Martin to move to Aprilia while holding the number one title."

"I found it intriguing to observe Gigi Dall’Igna's reaction after Marc finished the race. He appeared quite… distressed. It seemed as though something was heavily on his mind."

"He didn't seem pleased. It seemed like he saw Pecco crashing, Marc securing victories—which had initially caused concerns about disturbing the balance before letting him join Gresini—and Martin taking the lead in the championship."

"They need to consider that if things had been handled differently and Marc had been willing to join Pramac, they could have had both riders in their team."

"Ducati has a lot to consider in the coming weeks, and one major point is that they need to handle the situation more effectively or risk facing embarrassment by the end of the season."

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