**”Ducati Dilemma: Should the Team Intervene After Bagnaia-Marquez Clash?”**

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

Podcast discussion: "Is there some uncertainty since we haven't progressed far enough into the season to tell other Ducati riders, 'you're out of the running mathematically, so you should back off in such situations'?"

A contentious incident between Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez on Sunday during the late stages of the Aragon MotoGP race resulted in both Ducati riders losing their chance at a podium finish.

This also resulted in reigning champion Bagnaia, who came to Spain with a five-point lead in the championship, leaving the country battered, bruised, and trailing Jorge Martin by 23 points.

In the newest episode of the Crash.net MotoGP podcast, Jordan Moreland, the host, posed the 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 to be only a matter of time. However, then an unexpected incident occurred.

“What was your perspective on the situation? I believe it happened not too long ago. Naturally, every cyclist is pointing fingers at one another…”

"A dreadful weekend for Bagnaia, marking his worst performance since the introduction of the Sprint format last year," stated Pete McLaren, the MotoGP editor at Crash.net.

“Nearly everything went awry for him: he experienced 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 like securing 3rd place from Alex Marquez was inevitable.

"Clearly, Alex was competing in front of his home crowd and aiming to possibly stand alongside Marc on the podium during his remarkable return. As you might expect, he wasn't eager to surrender his position, 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.

"But the data aspect was fascinating because when Pecco later commented on the decision, he asserted that the data indicated Alex might not have slowed down as much as one would typically anticipate from a rider involved in a collision."

"When two riders are involved in a crash and they are using identical bikes, the manufacturer has access to the data for both. This is precisely what Ducati did. After the Portimao incident, where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia collided, Marc made a casual remark to end the blame game 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 also review this information? 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 Alex Rins provided during the private test at Misano, allowing us to see where each rider was focusing their attention!"

"A racing incident occurred with significant consequences. Pecco was fortunate that Marc prevented Martin from securing the most points this weekend. The positive takeaway is that both Pecco and Alex Marquez escaped without serious injuries."

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

“I’m going to challenge the data argument a little, because every time someone mentions data, I immediately recall Honda in 2015. They were convinced they had evidence that Valentino had kicked Marc and were eager to present it to everyone!” remarked MotoGP reporter Lewis Duncan.

"However, if I were to assign responsibility, I would attribute a bit more to Pecco because this isn't an isolated incident. Similar behavior was evident in Portugal and to some extent during the Sprint race in Jerez. Pecco appears to struggle with choosing the right moments to engage in battles."

"We witnessed this situation with Marc in Portugal. Regardless of whether you could spot him from the outside, it was clear he would return to the track, so why position your bike there? You should anticipate the contact and navigate the corner more strategically."

In Jerez, when he found himself squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder, he was faster than both of them. He should have pulled back instead of engaging in the battle. The same situation occurred this time.

"Alex didn't check his surroundings. He was following closely when Alex veered off course at Turn 12. It's clear he isn't aware of your presence. Turn 13 is a tight spot where you switch direction to the right, and it's highly probable that Alex will be there."

"In my opinion, when you're competing for a championship, you need to be smarter in your gameplay. I believe Alex should have checked behind him and thought, 'This is going to be close. I'll pull back and try to counterattack later.' Similarly, Pecco should have considered, 'There's still time. I can make my move later.'"

"Every time this has happened, Pecco has ended up in a worse position and lost points because of it. I believe Ducati should have a conversation with Pecco about choosing his battles wisely when interacting with other racers. Sometimes finishing in 4th place is better than not scoring any points at all."

"Pecco seems to occasionally find it challenging to accept the position available to him. In contrast, if you examine Martin's recent performances, he has consistently taken second place when it's achievable. As a result, he now leads the championship by 23 points."

Moreland responded: "Pete, this situation is reminiscent of last year's event involving Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It's particularly unfortunate timing, as Martin is performing flawlessly and consistently earning points."

McLaren continued, "This brings up the dreaded topic of team orders. It's hard not to think about how, in previous years, other Ducati riders understood they needed to allow more space for those competing for the championship."

"There is currently some uncertainty since the season hasn't progressed enough to tell the other Ducati riders that they are mathematically out of the competition, so they should step aside in such situations."

"Perhaps Pecco and Martin believe that, due to their lead in the championship race, the other Ducati riders will give them more space. However, those riders are actually thinking, ‘We haven’t received any instructions so far, so we’re still competing fiercely for every spot’."

"Next, one must consider what advice to give Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are trailing slightly behind the leading pair, yet still have a viable opportunity."

Duncan commented, "In my opinion, Ducati should definitely examine this issue for its own benefit. The last thing they need is another collision between Alex Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia, which could result in Martin gaining more points, especially with Marc leading the race."

"We've observed how extremely toxic the fan base can become in such scenarios, when they suspect 'sabotage and other conspiracies.'"

"Ducati should take the lead and declare: 'These are our contenders for the title. These are the riders who have a chance to win the championship. If you are not among them, do not compete aggressively against them.'"

"We hope to avoid this scenario, but it's a worst-case situation for Ducati with Martin currently topping the championship. Allowing Martin to move to Aprilia while holding the number one spot is not an option for them."

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

"That individual was clearly displeased. It seemed as though he observed the situation and thought: Pecco has crashed, Marc is securing victories – a concern they had about disrupting the balance before permitting his move to Gresini – and Martin is ahead in the championship standings."

"They need to consider that if the circumstances had been handled differently and Marc had been willing to join Pramac, they could have had both of those individuals on their team."

"In my opinion, Ducati has several issues to address in the upcoming weeks. One crucial aspect is that they must handle the current situation more effectively, or they risk facing significant embarrassment by the season's end."

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