Ducati Faces Dilemma: Should Team Orders Be Enforced After Bagnaia-Marquez Clash?

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

Podcast discussion: "Is there a level of uncertainty since we haven't progressed far enough into the season to instruct other Ducati riders that they're no longer in contention and should therefore back off in such situations?"

On Sunday at the Aragon MotoGP, a contentious incident in the final stages of the race involving Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez led to both Ducati riders losing their positions on the podium.

This also implied that reigning champion Bagnaia, who had come to Spain with a five-point lead in the title race, departed the country battered, bruised, and trailing Jorge Martin by 23 points.

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

"The main highlight of the race was the intense competition between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez for a podium finish. It appeared that Bagnaia was on the verge of overtaking Marquez; it seemed inevitable. However, an unexpected event occurred."

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

Crash.net MotoGP editor Pete McLaren commented that Bagnaia had a disastrous weekend, recording his worst performance since the introduction of the Sprint format last year.

"Nearly everything went awry for him, from the two tire problems to qualifying on the less favorable side of the track. To top it all off, there was a collision when it seemed inevitable that he would overtake Alex Marquez for 3rd place."

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

The issue now is to determine who saw whom and who should have yielded more space. The Stewards decided not to take any additional measures. They mentioned reviewing some technical data, although the specifics are unclear.

"The data aspect was intriguing because, following the decision, Pecco mentioned that the information indicated Alex might not have slowed down as much as one would anticipate from a rider involved in a crash."

"When two riders on identical bikes are involved in an accident, the manufacturer can access the data for both. Ducati has certainly done this. We are aware they did the same following the Portimao incident, where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia crashed. Marc defused the blame game by stating, 'Ducati can review all the data…'"

"Pecco is now claiming that the data indicates he wasn't at fault. Did the Stewards have access to this data too? If they had reviewed what Pecco says the data reveals, would it have made a difference in their decision? That's uncertain."

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

"A collision occurred during the race, leading to significant consequences. Pecco benefited from Marc's intervention, which prevented Martin from scoring the most points this weekend. Fortunately, Pecco and Alex Marquez did not sustain any serious injuries."

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

MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan remarked, "I'm going to take on the role of Devil's advocate here regarding data. Every time someone mentions data, I'm reminded of Honda in 2015. Back then, they insisted they had evidence showing Valentino kicked Marc and were ready to present it to everyone!"

“If blame were to be assigned, I’d attribute a bit more to Pecco. We've witnessed similar behavior from him previously—once in Portugal and also somewhat during the Sprint race at Jerez. Pecco appears to struggle with choosing the right moments to engage in battles.”

"We witnessed it with Marc in Portugal. Even if you couldn't see him from the outside, it was clear he would return to the track. So why position your bike there? It's obvious it would result in a collision. Navigate the turn more wisely."

"During the Jerez race, he found himself squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder. He was faster than both of them, so he should have pulled back. There was no need to engage in a battle, and the same principle applied to this situation."

"You've noticed that Alex didn't check his surroundings. He was trailing behind Alex when he veered off course at Turn 12. It's clear that he isn't aware of your presence. You understand that Turn 13 is a tight spot, especially when you make a right turn. It's highly probable that Alex will be in that area."

"I believe it's crucial to play strategically, particularly when you're competing for a championship. In my opinion, Alex should have checked his rear and thought, 'This is going to be close. I'll pull back and try to counter later on.' Similarly, Pecco should have considered, 'There's still plenty of time. I can make my move later.'"

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

"In my opinion, Pecco occasionally finds it challenging to accept the position available to him. On the other hand, if you observe 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: “Pete, this situation is similar to what happened last season with Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It’s unfortunate timing because Martin is performing consistently without errors and accumulating points."

"This brings us to the dreaded topic of team orders," commented McLaren. "It's impossible not to draw parallels between Sunday's race and previous seasons, where other Ducati riders were aware they needed to give more space to those vying for the championship."

"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 back off in such situations."

"Perhaps Pecco and Martin, since they are leading in the championship race, assume that other Ducati riders will give them more leeway. However, those other riders are actually thinking, 'We've received no instructions, so we're still competing fiercely for each spot.'"

"Another consideration is what advice you would give to Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are slightly trailing the leading pair but still have a viable opportunity."

Duncan commented, "In my opinion, Ducati should consider this issue for its own benefit. The last thing they need is for Alex Marquez to collide with Pecco Bagnaia again, leading to Jorge Martin gaining more points while Marc Marquez leads the race."

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

"Ducati should take the lead and declare: 'These are our contenders for the title. These are the riders who can clinch 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 at the top of the championship. Allowing Martin to move to Aprilia while holding the number one position is not something they can permit."

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

The person seemed quite unhappy. It was as if he saw the situation and thought: Pecco is off the track, Marc is taking victories – they were somewhat concerned about disrupting the balance before they let him join Gresini initially – and Martin is at the top of the championship standings.

"They need to reflect on the fact that they could have retained both individuals within their team if the circumstances had been handled better and if Marc had been willing to join Pramac."

"There are several aspects Ducati must address in the upcoming weeks, and one crucial task is to handle the current situation more effectively, or they risk facing embarrassment by the end of the season."

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