**”Ducati Dilemma: Assessing Team Orders and Rider Dynamics After Bagnaia-Marquez Clash at Aragon”**

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

Podcast: “Is there some uncertainty because the season isn't advanced enough to tell other Ducati riders, ‘you're no longer in the running, so stay out of it’?"

Sunday’s disputed late-race collision at the Aragon MotoGP involving Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez resulted in both Ducati riders losing their chance at a podium finish.

This also implied that reigning champion Bagnaia, who came to Spain with a five-point lead in the title race, left 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 question:

"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; it appeared inevitable. Then, the unexpected occurred."

“What did you think about it? It seems to have happened not too long ago. Clearly, each cyclist is pointing fingers at the other…”

"A disastrous weekend for Bagnaia. According to Crash.net MotoGP editor Pete McLaren, it's his worst performance since the introduction of the Sprint format last year."

"Practically everything fell apart for him: he faced two tire problems, qualified 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 would secure 3rd place from Alex Marquez."

Clearly, Alex was competing in front of his local supporters and aiming to possibly stand beside Marc on the podium during his remarkable return. As you can guess, he was reluctant to forfeit his position, and ultimately, there simply wasn't enough space for both of them.

"The issue now is, who spotted whom first? And who was responsible for making space? The Stewards decided not to take any further steps. They mentioned reviewing some technical data, though the specifics of that data are unclear."

"The data aspect was intriguing because when Pecco commented after the ruling, he asserted that the data indicated Alex perhaps didn't slow down as much as one might anticipate from a rider involved in a crash."

"When two riders have an accident while riding the same brand of bike, the manufacturer can access data from both bikes. This is what Ducati certainly did in this case. We are aware that Ducati also analyzed the data after the Portimao incident involving Marc Marquez and Bagnaia. In that situation, Marc Marquez made a casual remark to address the question of blame by stating, 'Ducati has access to 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, would it have altered their decision? It's uncertain."

"Another helpful addition could have been the 'visor cam' perspective, similar to what we saw from Alex Rins during the private test at Misano, to see exactly where each rider was focusing their attention."

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

Moreland asked, "What do you think about it, Lewis?"

MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan remarked, "I'll play the Devil's advocate regarding data for a moment. Whenever someone mentions data, I can't help but recall Honda in 2015. They were convinced they had evidence proving that Valentino had kicked Marc and were ready to present it to everyone!"

"If blame were to be assigned, I would attribute slightly more to Pecco. We've witnessed similar behavior from him in the past, notably in Portugal and somewhat during the Sprint race in Jerez. Pecco appears to struggle with selecting the right moments to engage in battles."

"We observed a similar situation with Marc in Portugal. Even if he wasn't visible from the outside, it was clear he would re-enter the track. So, why place your bike in that spot? It's obvious that would lead to a collision; you need to handle the corner more skillfully."

In Jerez, when he found himself squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder – you’re faster than both of them, so ease off. Don’t engage in the battle. The same principle applies here.

"You observed that Alex didn't check his surroundings. He was positioned behind Alex when Alex veered off course at Turn 12. It's evident that he is unaware of your presence. You recognize that Turn 13 is a critical spot, especially when making a right turn. It's highly probable that Alex will be there."

"I believe you need to strategize more effectively, particularly when you're competing for a championship. In my opinion, Alex should have checked his surroundings and thought, 'This is going to be close. I'll let it go for now and try to regain my position later.' Similarly, Pecco should have considered, 'There's still plenty of time. I can accomplish this later.'"

In each of the instances I've referred to, Pecco has ended up in the worst position, losing valuable points. I believe Ducati should have a discussion with Pecco about choosing his confrontations with other riders wisely. They should emphasize that finishing in 4th place is preferable to ending a race with no points at all.

"Pecco seems to occasionally have difficulty accepting the position he can achieve. In contrast, Martin has recently been content with finishing second when that's the best he can do. This approach has put him 23 points ahead in the championship standings."

Moreland responded, saying, "Pete, this situation is reminiscent of what happened last season with Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It’s particularly unfortunate timing because Martin is performing flawlessly and accumulating points."

McLaren commented, "This brings us to the dreaded topic of team orders. It's inevitable to draw comparisons between Sunday's race and previous seasons when other Ducati riders understood they needed to allow more space for the championship contenders."

"Currently, there's some uncertainty 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 that, since they are leading the championship, the other Ducati riders will give them more space on the track. However, those other riders are still competing fiercely for every spot, thinking, 'We've received no instructions to ease off yet.'"

The next matter to consider is what advice you would give to Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are slightly trailing the leading pair but still have a feasible opportunity to catch up.

Duncan commented that Ducati should review the situation for its own benefit. He expressed concern that if Alex Marquez has another collision with Pecco Bagnaia, it could lead to a scenario where Martin gains more points while Marc is leading the race.

"We have observed how the fan base can become rather toxic in such circumstances, believing things like 'this happened, sabotage, and so on'."

"Ducati should take charge and declare: 'These are our title contenders, the ones capable of winning the championship. If you're not among them, don't compete aggressively against them.'"

"We hope to avoid this scenario, but it's a worst-case situation for Ducati if Martin is at the top of the championship. Allowing Martin to switch to Aprilia while holding the number one position is something they can't really afford to let happen."

"I found it intriguing to observe Gigi Dall’Igna's reaction after Marc finished the race. He appeared quite… distressed. It seemed like he was burdened by something."

"He did not seem pleased at all. It was as if he saw the situation and thought: Pecco is off the track, Marc is securing victories – a scenario that initially raised concerns about disrupting the balance before permitting him to join Gresini – and Martin is at the top of the championship standings."

"They must consider the possibility that they could have retained both riders if the circumstances had been handled better and if Marc had been willing to join Pramac."

"In my opinion, Ducati has several issues to address in the upcoming weeks. One key aspect they must improve is their management of the current situation, or they risk facing significant embarrassment by the end of the season."

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