Ducati Faces Dilemma: Should They Intervene After Bagnaia-Marquez Collision?

Should Ducati take action following the Bagnaia-Alex Marquez clash?

Podcast discussion: "Is there some uncertainty because it's still early in the season to tell other Ducati riders that they have no mathematical chance and to back off in such situations?"

On Sunday, a contentious incident towards the end of the Aragon MotoGP race involving Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez resulted in both Ducati riders losing their spots on the podium.

This also implied that reigning champion Bagnaia, who came to Spain with a five-point lead in the title race, 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, posed the 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 inevitable. But then, the unexpected occurred."

“What are your thoughts about the situation? I believe it happened not too long ago. Clearly, both riders are pointing fingers at each other…”

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

"Almost everything went awry for him: he had two tire problems, qualified on the less favorable side of the track, and to cap it all, got into a collision when it seemed only a matter of time before he would overtake Alex Marquez for 3rd place."

Clearly, Alex was competing before his local supporters and was eager to possibly stand on the podium alongside Marc during his momentous return. Therefore, it's understandable that he was reluctant to yield, and ultimately there simply wasn't enough space for both riders.

"The issue arises: who noticed whom first? And who was responsible for allowing more space? The Stewards decided not to take any further measures. They mentioned reviewing certain data from machines, although the specifics remain unclear."

"The data aspect was intriguing because, after the decision, Pecco mentioned that the data indicated Alex might not have slowed down as much as one would typically expect a rider involved in a collision to do."

"When two riders in a crash are using the same motorcycles, the manufacturer can access data from both bikes. This is precisely what Ducati did. They did the same after the Portimao incident, where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia crashed, and Marc made a passing comment to resolve the blame issue by stating, 'Ducati can view all the data…'"

“Pecco is now stating that the data indicates he wasn't at fault. Did the Stewards get a chance to review that information too? If they had, 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 Misano test, allowing us to see where each rider was focusing their attention!"

"A racing event with significant consequences. Pecco was fortunate that Marc prevented Martin from securing the highest points this weekend, and the most positive outcome is that both Pecco and Alex Marquez avoided serious injuries."

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

“I’m going to challenge the use of data for a moment, because whenever someone mentions data, I immediately recall Honda in 2015. At that time, they were confident they had data proving that Valentino had kicked Marc and planned to present it publicly!” stated MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan.

However, if I were to assign fault, I would place slightly more on Pecco. We've observed similar behavior from him previously. It happened in Portugal and again during the Sprint race at Jerez. Pecco appears to struggle with choosing the right moments to engage in battles.

"We observed a similar situation with Marc in Portugal. Even if it wasn't obvious from the outside, it was clear he would return to the track. So, why position your bike there? It's inevitable that there will be contact, so navigate the corner more strategically."

In Jerez, when he found himself squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder, he was actually faster than both of them. He should have backed off and avoided the fight. The same thing applied to this situation.

“You observed that Alex didn’t check his surroundings. He was trailing Alex when he veered off course at Turn 12. You noticed he wasn’t aware of your presence. You’re aware that Turn 13 is a tight spot, especially when you make a right turn. And it’s very likely that Alex will be in that position.

"In my opinion, players need to strategize more effectively, particularly when competing for a championship. Alex, for instance, should have glanced behind and considered the situation, thinking, ‘This is going to be close. I'll pull back and look for another opportunity to counter’. Similarly, Pecco should have thought, ‘There's still plenty of time. I can achieve this later’."

"On each of the instances I've highlighted, 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 selective about when to engage with other riders. They should emphasize that securing a 4th place finish is preferable to ending the race without any points."

"It seems that Pecco occasionally has difficulty accepting the position he is in. In contrast, Martin has been content with taking second place when it's available, and as a result, he now leads the championship by 23 points."

Moreland responded: “Pete, this situation is similar to what happened last season between Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It’s unfortunate timing because Martin is currently performing flawlessly and accumulating points."

"And this brings us to the topic everyone dislikes: team orders," McLaren remarked. "It's impossible not to draw parallels between Sunday's race and previous years when other Ducati riders understood they needed to allow the title contenders some extra space."

"Right now, there's some uncertainty because we're not deep enough into the season to tell the other Ducati riders, 'you're out of the running mathematically, so just hold back in that scenario.'"

"Perhaps Pecco and Martin believe that being leaders in the championship will make other Ducati riders give them more space. However, those other riders might be thinking, 'Since we haven't received any instructions, we're still competing fiercely for every spot.'"

The question then arises: what advice would you give to Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are slightly behind the leading two but still have a viable shot?

Duncan commented, “In my opinion, Ducati should really examine this issue for its own benefit. The last thing they need is for Alex Marquez to clash with Pecco Bagnaia again, which could lead to Martin gaining more points as Marc takes the lead.”

"We've observed how incredibly toxic the fan base can become in those scenarios, when they believe 'this occurred, sabotage, etcetera'."

"Ducati should take the lead and declare: 'These are our contenders for the title. These are the riders who can win the championship. If you are not among them, do not race them aggressively.'"

"We hope to avoid this scenario, but it's a disastrous situation for Ducati with Martin at the top of the championship standings. They definitely can't allow Martin to switch to Aprilia while holding the number one position."

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

"That individual did not appear content. It seemed as though he observed the situation and thought: Pecco is off track, Marc is securing victories—which had initially caused some concern about disturbing the balance before they permitted his move to Gresini—and Martin is at the top of the championship standings."

“They must consider the possibility that if things had been handled in another way, they might have had both of those riders with them, assuming Marc had been willing to join Pramac.

"Ducati has plenty to consider in the coming weeks, and one crucial aspect is improving their handling of the current situation, or else they risk facing significant embarrassment by the season's end."

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