**”Ducati’s Dilemma: Navigating Team Dynamics After Bagnaia-Marquez Clash and Championship Implications”**

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

Podcast discussion: "Is the situation unclear because we haven't progressed far enough into the season to tell other Ducati racers, 'you're no longer in contention, so back off in such scenarios'?"

On Sunday, a contentious incident late in the race at the Aragon MotoGP led to a collision between Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez, causing both Ducati riders to lose their chance at a podium finish.

This also implied that, after coming to Spain with a five-point advantage in the championship, the current titleholder Bagnaia departed the country injured and trailing Jorge Martin by 23 points.

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

"The main highlight of the race was the intense competition between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez for a podium finish. Bagnaia appeared to be closing in on Marquez, and it seemed inevitable that he would overtake him. However, an unexpected incident occurred."

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

"A disastrous weekend for Bagnaia. He recorded his worst performance at an event since the introduction of the Sprint format last year," commented Pete McLaren, the MotoGP editor at Crash.net.

"Nearly everything went awry for him: he faced two tire problems, qualified on the less favorable side of the track, and to top it all off, he had 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 aiming to possibly share the podium with Marc during his remarkable return. Naturally, he was reluctant to yield, and ultimately, there simply wasn't sufficient space for both of them."

"The issue now is, who noticed whom first? And who was responsible for allowing more space? The Stewards decided not to take any further steps. They mentioned they reviewed some technical data, although the specifics remain unclear."

"The data aspect was fascinating. After the decision, Pecco mentioned that the data indicated Alex might not have slowed down as much as one would typically anticipate in a crash."

"When two riders on identical bikes are involved in a collision, the manufacturer can review the data for both. Ducati did precisely this. It’s a known fact that they also reviewed the data after the Portimao incident where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia crashed. Marquez made a casual remark to resolve the debate over who was responsible, saying, ‘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 data too? If they had seen the information Pecco mentions, would their decision have been different? It's uncertain."

Another helpful feature could have been the 'visor cam' perspective that we saw from Alex Rins during the private test at Misano, allowing us to see exactly 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 reassuring news is that both Pecco and Alex Marquez escaped without serious injuries."

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

MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan remarked, "I'll challenge the data argument a bit, as it always reminds me of Honda in 2015. They were so sure they had evidence proving Valentino had kicked Marc, and they were prepared to reveal it to everyone!"

"The responsibility, in my view, falls more heavily on Pecco. We've observed similar behavior from him previously—in Portugal and somewhat during the Sprint race at Jerez. It appears Pecco struggles with choosing the right moments to engage in battles."

"In Portugal, we witnessed a similar situation with Marc. Even if you couldn’t see him from the outside, it was obvious he would re-enter. So, why position your bike there? It's clear that would lead to a collision. Navigate the corner more skillfully."

In Jerez, when he ended up caught between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder – you were faster than both of them, so pull back. Don’t engage. The same thing happened this time.

"Observe that Alex hasn't checked his surroundings. He was following Alex when Alex veered off course at Turn 12. It's evident that he's unaware of your presence. You know that Turn 13 is a critical spot, especially when you make a right turn. It's highly probable that Alex will be in that area."

In my opinion, you need to strategize more effectively, particularly if you're aiming for the championship. I believe Alex should have been more aware of his surroundings and thought, ‘This is going to be close. I'll pull back and try to regain my position later.’ Similarly, Pecco should have considered, ‘There's still plenty of time. I can achieve this goal later.’

In all the instances I referred to, Pecco has ended up at a disadvantage and has lost points as a result. I believe Ducati should have a discussion with Pecco and advise him to be more strategic when engaging with other riders. They should emphasize that finishing in fourth place is preferable to ending up with no points at all.

“Pecco occasionally seems to have difficulty accepting the position available to him. In contrast, if you observe Martin in recent weeks, he has consistently accepted second place when it was achievable. As a result, he now leads the championship by 23 points.”

Moreland responded, saying, “Pete, this situation is similar to the event involving Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans last season. It’s unfortunate timing since Martin is performing well without errors and accumulating points.”

McLaren addressed the issue that everyone dislikes, which is the topic of team orders. He pointed out that it's hard not to draw comparisons between Sunday's race and previous years, where other Ducati riders were aware that they needed to give the championship contenders some extra space.

"There's some uncertainty right now because the season hasn't progressed enough for us to tell the other Ducati riders that they have no mathematical chance, so they should step aside in that scenario."

It’s possible that Pecco and Martin, given their lead in the championship race, might assume that other Ducati riders will give them more space on the track. However, these other riders are likely thinking, ‘We haven’t received any instructions to ease off, so we’re still competing fiercely for every spot.’

"Additionally, there's the matter of what advice you would give to Marc Marquez and Bastianini. They are slightly behind the leading pair but still have a viable shot at success."

Duncan suggested that Ducati should consider this issue for its own benefit. He mentioned that the last thing they need is another collision between Alex Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia, which could lead to Martin gaining more points while Marc stays ahead.

"We've observed how the fan base can become quite toxic in such scenarios, suspecting sabotage and making various accusations."

"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're not among them, don't compete aggressively against them.'"

"It's a scenario Ducati dreads: Martin at the top of the championship standings. Allowing Martin to switch to Aprilia while holding the number one spot is simply not an option for them."

"I found it intriguing to observe Gigi Dall’Igna's reaction after Marc finished the race. He appeared quite distressed, as if something was heavily on his mind."

The individual didn't seem content. It was as though he observed the situation and thought: Pecco is struggling, Marc is securing victories—a scenario they were somewhat concerned about disrupting before giving him the green light to join Gresini—and Martin is at the top of the championship standings.

"They must consider that, with different management and Marc's willingness to join Pramac, they could have had both riders on their team."

"Ducati has several issues to address in the upcoming weeks. One key area is improving how they handle certain situations, or else they risk facing embarrassment by the end of the season."

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