**Ducati’s Dilemma: Navigating Team Orders and Controversial Clashes in the MotoGP Championship**

Should Ducati intervene following the Bagnaia-Alex Marquez incident?

Podcast discussion: “Is there some uncertainty because it's still early in the season to tell other Ducati riders that they’re no longer in contention and should therefore hold back in such situations?”

The contentious collision between Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez during the closing stages of Sunday’s Aragon MotoGP cost both Ducati racers their chances at securing a spot on the podium.

This also implied that, despite starting with a five-point lead in the championship, the current titleholder Bagnaia departed from Spain injured and trailing Jorge Martin by 23 points.

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

The main highlight of the race was the intense competition between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez for a podium finish. Bagnaia seemed poised to overtake Marquez; it appeared to be only a matter of time before he succeeded. Then, an unexpected event occurred.

“What did you think about it? It seems to have happened not long ago. Clearly, both riders are holding each other responsible…”

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

"Nearly everything turned against him: two tire problems, starting from the less favorable side of the track during qualifying, and finally, a crash when it seemed inevitable that he would overtake Alex Marquez for third place."

"Clearly, Alex was eager to perform well in front of his home supporters and aimed to potentially share the podium with Marc during his remarkable return. Understandably, he was reluctant to yield, and ultimately, there simply wasn't sufficient space for both riders."

"The issue now is, who noticed whom first? And who was responsible for making space? The Stewards concluded that no additional measures were necessary. They mentioned reviewing some technical data, but 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 anticipate in a crash situation."

"When two riders experience an incident while riding the same type of bike, the manufacturer can access data from both bikes. This is precisely what Ducati has done. We also know they did the same thing after the Portimao incident, where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia crashed. To address who was responsible, Marc casually mentioned, 'Ducati can see all the data…'"

"Pecco now claims that the data indicates he wasn't at fault. Were the Stewards given access to this information too? If they had reviewed what Pecco says the data reveals, would their decision have been different? It'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 racing mishap with significant consequences. Pecco was fortunate that Marc prevented Martin from securing the maximum points this weekend, and the silver lining 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 point with some data,” said MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan. “Whenever data is mentioned, I can’t help but think of Honda in 2015. They were confident they had data proving that Valentino had kicked Marc and planned to reveal it to everyone!”

"But if I were to assign blame, I would place a bit more on Pecco because this isn't the first time we've seen this behavior. It happened in Portugal and to some extent during the Sprint race in Jerez. Pecco seems to struggle with choosing the right moments to engage in battles."

In Portugal, we observed Marc's actions. Even if you couldn't spot him from the outside, you could anticipate his return. So, why position your bike there? You know it will result in a collision. Navigate the corner more effectively.

“At Jerez, when he found himself trapped between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder – you’re faster than both of them, pull back. Don’t engage. The situation was similar this time.”

"You noticed that Alex wasn't looking around. He was behind Alex when Alex went wide at Turn 12. You observed that he wasn't aware of your presence. You understand that Turn 13 is a tight spot when you switch to the right. And it's highly probable that Alex will be there."

In my opinion, you need to be more strategic, particularly when you're competing for a championship. I believe Alex should have checked behind him and thought, ‘This is going to be close. I'll pull back and try to regain the position later’. Similarly, Pecco should have considered, ‘There's still enough time. I can make my move later’.

"In every instance I've referenced, Pecco has ended up in the worst position and has lost points as a result. I believe Ducati should have a discussion with Pecco and advise him to be more selective about his confrontations with other riders. They should emphasize that finishing in 4th place is preferable to not earning any points at all."

"Pecco occasionally has a hard time accepting the position he can realistically achieve. In contrast, Martin has recently been content with finishing second when that's his best option. As a result, he's now leading the championship by 23 points."

Moreland responded, “Pete, this situation is reminiscent of last season’s incident involving Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It’s particularly unfortunate timing, as Martin is currently performing flawlessly and accumulating points.”

"And that brings us to the topic everyone dislikes: team orders," McLaren commented. "It's hard not to draw comparisons between Sunday and previous years when other Ducati riders were aware they needed to give the title contenders more space."

"There's some uncertainty right now because the season hasn't progressed enough for us to tell the other Ducati riders, 'you're mathematically out of contention, so please step aside in this scenario.'"

"It’s possible that Pecco and Martin, leading the championship, assume other Ducati riders will give them more space on the track. However, those other riders are still under the impression that they need to compete fiercely for every spot since they haven't received any different instructions."

"Another matter is what advice you would give Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are trailing slightly behind the leading duo but still have a feasible shot at success."

Duncan suggested that Ducati should consider this issue carefully for its own benefit. He mentioned that it would be problematic if Alex Marquez were to have another clash with Pecco Bagnaia, which could lead to Martin gaining more points while Marc remains in the lead.

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

"Ducati should take the initiative and declare: 'These are our title contenders. These are the riders who can secure the championship. If you're not among them, don't compete aggressively against them.'"

"We hope to avoid this scenario, but it's a disastrous situation for Ducati, with Martin currently leading the championship. They can't afford to let Martin move to Aprilia while holding the top spot."

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

"He seemed very unhappy. It was as though he saw Pecco crashing, Marc securing victories—which initially concerned them about disrupting the balance before letting him join Gresini—and Martin taking the lead in the championship."

"They must consider that they could have had both of those riders on their team if the situation had been handled differently and if Marc had been willing to join Pramac."

"Ducati has a lot to consider in the coming weeks, especially when it comes to handling the current situation more effectively, or they risk facing embarrassment by the end of the season."

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