Ducati’s Dilemma: Assessing the Bagnaia-Alex Marquez Incident and the Need for Strategic Intervention

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

Podcast: "Is there some uncertainty because the season hasn't progressed enough to tell other Ducati riders that they are no longer in contention and should therefore hold back in such scenarios?"

A contentious incident late in the race on Sunday at the Aragon MotoGP resulted in both Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez, who ride for Ducati, being eliminated from contention for the final podium spot.

Arriving in Spain with a five-point lead in the championship, reigning champion Bagnaia departed both physically battered and bruised, and 23 points behind Jorge Martin.

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

The main highlight of the race was the intense fight between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez for a podium finish. Bagnaia seemed poised to overtake Marquez; it appeared inevitable. Then, an unexpected incident occurred.

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

"A disastrous weekend for Bagnaia. This is his worst performance since the Sprint format was introduced last year," stated Pete McLaren, MotoGP editor at Crash.net.

"Nearly everything went awry for him: two tire problems, starting from the unfavorable side of the track during qualifying, and to top it all off, a crash when it seemed inevitable that he would overtake Alex Marquez for third place."

"Clearly, Alex was competing in front of his local supporters and was eager to potentially share the podium with Marc during his remarkable return. Therefore, it's understandable that he was reluctant to back down, and ultimately, there simply wasn't enough space for both of them."

The issue at hand is determining who noticed whom first and who should have made more space. The Stewards decided not to take any additional steps. They mentioned that they had reviewed certain technical data, though the specifics remain unclear.

“The data aspect was intriguing because, according to Pecco when he spoke after the ruling, the information indicated that Alex might not have slowed down as much as one would anticipate from a rider involved in a crash."

"When two riders are involved in a crash and they're both using the same motorcycles, the manufacturer can access the data for each rider. This is precisely what Ducati would have done. It's known that they took similar actions after the Portimao incident, where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia collided. Marc tried to defuse the blame game by remarking, 'Ducati has all the data…'"

“Pecco is now claiming that the data indicates he wasn't at fault. Did the Stewards have access to that information too? If they had reviewed what Pecco asserts was clear in the data, would it have altered their decision? It's uncertain.

"Another helpful element could have been the 'visor cam' perspective we saw from Alex Rins during the private test at Misano, which would show us where each rider was focusing their attention!"

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

“What’s your opinion on this, Lewis?” Moreland asked.

MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan remarked, "I'll play the role of Devil's advocate concerning data, as the mention of data always reminds me of Honda in 2015. They were insistent that their data proved Valentino had kicked Marc and were ready to present it to everyone!"

“If blame were to be assigned, I would place a bit more on Pecco. We've witnessed similar behavior from him in the past—in Portugal and slightly at Jerez during the Sprint race. It appears that Pecco struggles to choose his battles wisely."

"We witnessed this with Marc in Portugal. Even if he wasn't visible from the outside, we knew he would return. So why place your bike in that spot? It was clear it would lead to a collision; navigate the corner more effectively."

"At Jerez, when he found himself stuck between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder, he was faster than both of them. He should have just backed off and avoided the battle. The same thing happened in this instance."

"You observed that Alex didn't check his surroundings. He was trailing Alex when Alex veered off course at Turn 12. It's apparent he isn't aware of your presence. You are aware that Turn 13 is a tight spot, especially when making the right turn. It's highly probable that Alex will be in that area."

"In my opinion, you need to play smarter, particularly when you're vying for a championship. I believe Alex should have checked behind and thought, 'This is going to be close. Maybe I should ease off and try to make a comeback later.' Similarly, Pecco should have considered, 'There's still plenty of time. I can achieve this 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 discussion with Pecco and advise him to be more selective about when to engage with other riders. For instance, securing a 4th place finish is preferable to ending the race with no points at all."

In my opinion, Pecco occasionally has difficulty accepting the position available to him. For instance, Martin has consistently accepted second place over the past few weeks, and as a result, he now leads the championship by 23 points.

Moreland responded: "Pete, this situation is reminiscent of last year's incident involving Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It's particularly unfortunate timing since Martin is performing consistently and accumulating points without errors."

McLaren addressed the issue we all dislike, the matter of team orders, by saying, “This brings us to the topic of team orders.” He pointed out that you can't avoid comparing Sunday's race to previous years, where other Ducati riders were aware that they needed to provide more space for the title contenders.

"Currently, there is some uncertainty as the season hasn't progressed enough to tell the other Ducati riders that they are mathematically out of contention and should therefore hold back."

"Perhaps Pecco and Martin believe that, being the front-runners in the championship, other Ducati riders will give them more space. However, those riders are under the impression that, since no instructions have been given, they should continue to compete fiercely for every spot."

The next issue revolves around the advice you would give to Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are slightly trailing the leading duo but still have a viable shot.

Duncan commented, “In my opinion, Ducati should consider this for its own benefit. The last thing they need is another clash between Alex Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia, which could result in Martin gaining more points while Marc stays ahead.”

“We have observed how the fan base can become quite toxic in such scenarios, especially when they believe things like ‘this was sabotage, etc.’.

"Ducati should take charge and designate who their title contenders are, indicating clearly who has the potential to win the championship. They should instruct other riders not to compete aggressively against these contenders."

"The scenario is far from ideal for Ducati, with Martin currently leading the championship. They can't afford to let Martin leave for Aprilia while holding the top position."

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

"He didn't seem pleased at all. It was as if he saw the situation and thought: Pecco's off the track, Marc is securing victories—which was a concern when they initially considered letting him join Gresini—and Martin is at the top of the championship standings."

"They must consider that, with different management and if Marc had been willing to join Pramac, both of those riders could have been part of our team."

A lot of work lies ahead for Ducati in the coming weeks. They must handle the current situation more effectively, or they risk facing significant embarrassment by the end of the season.

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