Debate Intensifies: Should Ducati Intervene After Bagnaia-Marquez Aragon Clash?

Should Ducati intervene following the clash between Bagnaia and Alex Marquez?

Podcast: "Is there some uncertainty because it's too early in the season to tell other Ducati riders that they're out of the running and should back off in such situations?"

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

Additionally, this resulted in reigning champion Bagnaia, who came to Spain with a five-point lead in the title race, leaving 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, posed the following question:

The main highlight of the race was the intense duel between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez for a podium finish. Bagnaia seemed poised to overtake Marquez; it appeared to be only a matter of time. But then, an unexpected incident occurred.

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

"A disastrous weekend for Bagnaia. This marks his worst performance in an event since the introduction of the Sprint format last year," stated Pete McLaren, editor at Crash.net MotoGP.

Nearly everything that could go wrong did for him: he faced two tire problems, started from the less favorable side of the track during qualifying, and to top it all off, he got into a collision right when it seemed inevitable that he would overtake Alex Marquez for third place.

"Clearly, Alex was competing in front of his local supporters and aiming to possibly stand alongside Marc on the podium during his remarkable return. Therefore, you can understand that he was unwilling to concede, and ultimately, there simply wasn't enough space for both of them."

"The issue now is, who noticed whom first? And who was responsible for providing more space? The Stewards decided not to take any additional measures. 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 might not have slowed down as much as one would typically expect in a crash.”

"When two riders from the same team are involved in an accident, the manufacturer has access to the data for both bikes. Ducati has surely analyzed this information. They did the same after the incident in Portimao, where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia crashed. To address the debate over who was responsible, Marc made a casual remark, saying, ‘Ducati has all the data…’"

"Pecco is now claiming that the data indicates he wasn't at fault. Did the Stewards have access to this information too? If they had seen what Pecco says is evident in the data, would it have altered their decision? It's uncertain."

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

"A racing event with significant consequences. Pecco was fortunate that Marc prevented Martin from earning the most points this weekend, and the great news is that both Pecco and Alex Marquez escaped without serious injuries."

“What do you think about it, Lewis?” Moreland asked.

MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan remarked, "I'll challenge the use of data here, as it reminds me of Honda in 2015. They firmly believed they had evidence showing Valentino kicking Marc and were prepared to present it to everyone!"

"If I were to assign blame, I'd give Pecco a bit more of it. We've witnessed similar situations before, such as in Portugal and somewhat during the Sprint race in Jerez. Pecco appears to struggle with choosing the right moments to engage in battles."

"We observed it with Marc in Portugal. Even if he wasn't visible from the outside, you knew he would return to the track. So, why position your bike there? It's clear it would lead to a collision; you should navigate the corner more skillfully."

In Jerez, when he found himself caught between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder, he should have backed off since he was faster than both of them. There was no need to engage in a battle. The same principle applied in this situation.

“You've noticed that Alex didn't check his surroundings. He was following Alex when Alex veered off at Turn 12. You observed that he's unaware of your presence. You understand that Turn 13 is a tight spot when you make the right turn. And it's highly probable that Alex will be there.

"I believe you need to strategize more effectively, particularly when you're aiming for the championship. In my opinion, Alex should have been more aware of his surroundings and thought, ‘This is going to be close. I'll step back and try to regain my position later.’ Similarly, Pecco should have considered, ‘There's still plenty of time. I can make my move later.’"

Pecco has consistently been on the losing end in these situations, resulting in a loss of points. It's my belief that Ducati should have a conversation with Pecco, advising him to be more strategic when competing with other riders. They should emphasize that securing a 4th place finish is preferable to ending the race with zero points.

"In my opinion, Pecco occasionally has difficulty accepting the position available to him. For instance, if you examine Martin's performance in recent weeks, he has consistently secured second place when it was attainable. As a result, he now leads the championship by 23 points."

Moreland responded by saying, "Pete, this situation is reminiscent of last season's event involving Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. The timing isn't great either, as Martin is performing consistently and accumulating points."

"And this brings up the dreaded topic of team orders," remarked McLaren. "It's impossible not to compare Sunday's race with previous years, where other Ducati riders understood they needed to allow the title contenders some extra space."

"Currently, there's some uncertainty because the season isn't far enough along 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 that, given their leading positions in the championship, other Ducati riders will give them more space on the track. However, those other riders are still racing competitively for every spot, as they haven't received any instructions to do otherwise."

"Then there's the matter of what advice you would give to Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are slightly trailing the top two but still have a genuine opportunity."

Duncan commented that Ducati should consider this issue for its own benefit. He suggested that they wouldn't want Alex Marquez to have another mishap with Pecco Bagnaia, which could result in Martin gaining more points while Marc leads the race.

"We've witnessed how extremely toxic the fan base can become in such scenarios, when they suspect 'this occurred, sabotage and so on'."

Ducati should take the lead by identifying their main contenders for the championship, making it clear who has the potential to win the title. They should also instruct the other riders not to compete aggressively against these top contenders.

"We hope to avoid this scenario, but it’s a worst-case situation for Ducati with Martin at the top of the championship. Allowing Martin to leave for Aprilia while holding the number one position is not something they can permit."

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

"He didn't seem pleased at all. It was as if he saw Pecco crashing, Marc securing victories – which had initially raised concerns about disrupting the balance before they let him join Gresini – and Martin at the top of the championship standings."

"They must reflect on the fact that they could have retained both of those individuals if the circumstances had been handled differently, and if Marc had been willing to move to Pramac."

"Ducati has a lot to consider in the coming weeks, and one key issue is that they must handle the situation more effectively to avoid potential embarrassment by the season's end."

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