Collision Controversy: Should Ducati Intervene After Bagnaia-Marquez Aragon Incident?

Should Ducati intervene following the Bagnaia and Alex Marquez clash?

Podcast Discussion: “Is there some uncertainty because the season isn't advanced enough to tell other Ducati riders, 'you're no longer in contention, so back off in such scenarios'?"

The contentious incident that occurred late in the race on Sunday between Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez at the Aragon MotoGP resulted in both Ducati riders losing their spots on the podium.

This also implied that after coming to Spain with a five-point lead in the championship, the defending champion Bagnaia departed the country injured and trailing Jorge Martin by 23 points.

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

The main highlight of the race was the fierce competition between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez for a spot on the podium. Bagnaia seemed poised to overtake Marquez, and it appeared to be only a matter of time before he did. Then, the unexpected occurred.

“What are your thoughts on the situation? It seems to have happened not too long ago. Clearly, both riders are pointing fingers at each other…”

“A disastrous weekend for Bagnaia, marking his worst performance since the introduction of the Sprint format last year,” commented Pete McLaren, editor of Crash.net MotoGP.

Almost everything that could go wrong did for him: he faced two tire problems, had to qualify on the less favorable side of the track, and to top it all off, he got into a collision just when it seemed inevitable that he’d overtake Alex Marquez for third place.

"Clearly, Alex was competing in front of his local supporters and aiming to potentially stand alongside Marc on the podium during his remarkable return. Therefore, you can understand that he was reluctant to relinquish his position, and ultimately, there just wasn't sufficient space for both of them."

"The issue arises as to who observed whom and who was responsible for making space. The Stewards decided that no additional measures were necessary. They mentioned reviewing some technical data, though the specifics remain unclear."

"But the data aspect was intriguing because when Pecco later discussed the decision, he asserted that the data indicated Alex might not have slowed down as much as one would anticipate in a crash."

When two racers on identical motorcycles are involved in an accident, the manufacturer has access to the data from both bikes. This is precisely what Ducati would have done. It’s known that they performed a similar analysis after the incident at Portimao, where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia crashed into each other. Marc Marquez made a brief comment, suggesting that the issue of who was responsible could be resolved by stating, "Ducati can see all the data…"

"Pecco is now claiming that the data indicates he wasn't at fault. Did the Stewards review that information too? If they had, would it have altered their decision? It's uncertain."

"Another helpful feature would have been a 'visor cam' perspective, like the one we saw from Alex Rins during the private Misano test, to see where each rider was directing their attention!"

"A racing mishap occurred that could have major consequences. Fortunately for Pecco, Marc's actions prevented Martin from securing the maximum points available this weekend. The most positive outcome is that both Pecco and Alex Marquez escaped without serious injuries."

“What’s your opinion on the matter, Lewis?” Moreland asked.

MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan remarked, "I'll play the role of Devil's advocate for a moment regarding data. Whenever data is mentioned, I immediately recall Honda's stance in 2015. They were confident they had evidence showing Valentino kicked Marc and planned to reveal it to everyone!"

"If blame were to be assigned, I would place a larger share on Pecco. This behavior isn't new; it was evident in Portugal and even showed up somewhat during the Sprint race in Jerez. It appears that Pecco has difficulty choosing the right moments to engage in battles."

“We witnessed a similar situation with Marc in Portugal. Even if you couldn’t see him clearly from the outside, it was obvious he was going to re-enter the track. So why position your bike there? It’s bound to result in a collision; you need to navigate the corner more effectively.”

Here's what happened at Jerez: when he found himself squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder, it was clear he had more speed than both of them, so he should have pulled back and not engaged in the fight. The same principle applied in this situation.

“You noticed that Alex didn't check his surroundings. He was trailing Alex when Alex veered off the track at Turn 12. Alex is unaware of your presence. You understand that Turn 13 is a tight spot, especially during the right turn. Alex is very likely to be in that position.

"In my opinion, you need to strategize more effectively, particularly when competing for a championship. For instance, Alex could have glanced back and thought, ‘This is going to be close. I'll pull back for now and try to regain my position later.’ Similarly, Pecco could have considered, ‘There's still enough time. I can accomplish this later.’"

"Each time this has happened, Pecco has ended up losing out and dropping points. I believe Ducati should have a discussion with Pecco about being more strategic in his interactions with other riders. Sometimes, securing a 4th place finish is preferable to finishing without any points at all."

"It seems that Pecco occasionally has difficulty accepting the best possible outcome. For instance, if you look at Martin over the past few weeks, he has consistently accepted second place when it was the best he could achieve. As a result, he now leads the championship by 23 points."

Moreland responded, "Pete, this situation is reminiscent of last season's events involving Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It's particularly unfortunate timing since Martin has been consistent and error-free, accumulating points steadily."

McLaren remarked, "This brings us to the dreaded topic of team orders. It's hard not to compare Sunday's events with previous years when other Ducati riders were aware they needed to provide more space to the championship contenders."

"There's some uncertainty right now because the season hasn't progressed enough to tell the other Ducati riders that they're mathematically out of contention and should therefore step aside in such scenarios."

"Perhaps Pecco and Martin believe they will get more leeway from other Ducati riders since they are leading the championship. However, those other riders are still under the impression that they haven't received any instructions to ease up, so they continue to compete fiercely for every spot."

"Next, consider what advice you would give Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are slightly trailing the top two but still have a viable opportunity."

Duncan commented that Ducati should consider evaluating the situation for its own benefit. He expressed concern about the possibility of Alex Marquez having another collision with Pecco Bagnaia, which could unexpectedly lead to Martin gaining more points while Marc leads the race.

"We've observed how extremely toxic the fan base can become in these scenarios, when they believe 'this event occurred, sabotage and so on'."

"Ducati must take charge and declare: ‘These are our title contenders. These are the riders who can claim the championship. If you are not among them, do not compete aggressively against them’."

"We hope to avoid this scenario, yet it's a troubling prospect for Ducati with Martin currently ahead in the championship. Allowing Martin to join Aprilia while holding the top spot isn't something they can afford to let happen."

After Marc finished the race, I found it intriguing to observe Gigi Dall’Igna's reaction. He appeared to be deeply… concerned. He seemed burdened by some issue.

"He didn't seem pleased at all. It appeared like he saw Pecco crashing, Marc clinching victories—situations that initially concerned them about disrupting the balance before letting him join Gresini—and Martin dominating the championship standings."

"They must consider that, with better management and Marc's willingness to join Pramac, we could have had both of those riders in our team."

"Ducati has a lot to consider in the coming weeks. One key issue is their need to handle the current situation more effectively, or they risk facing embarrassment by the end of the season."

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