**”Ducati’s Dilemma: Navigating Team Orders and Title Hopes After Bagnaia-Marquez Clash”**

Should Ducati intervene following the Bagnaia-Alex Marquez clash?

Podcast Discussion: "Is there some uncertainty because we haven't progressed enough into the season to tell other Ducati riders that they're no longer in contention and should therefore back off in such scenarios?"

Sunday's contentious incident in the closing stages of the Aragon MotoGP saw Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez collide, resulting in both Ducati racers losing their chances at a podium finish.

This also implied that reigning champion Bagnaia, who arrived with a five-point lead in the title race, departed Spain injured and trailing Jorge Martin by 23 points.

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

"The highlight of the race was the fierce competition between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez for a spot on the podium. Bagnaia seemed poised to overtake Marquez, and it appeared to be only a matter of time. Then, the unexpected occurred."

“What are your thoughts on the matter? I believe it happened not too long ago. Clearly, both drivers are pointing fingers at one another…”

"It was a disastrous weekend for Bagnaia. According to Pete McLaren, the MotoGP editor for Crash.net, this was his worst performance since the introduction of the Sprint format last year."

"Virtually everything that could go wrong did for him: he faced two tire problems, started qualifying on the unfavorable side of the track, and to top it all off, he was involved in a collision just when it seemed inevitable that he would overtake Alex Marquez for third place."

"Alex, eager to perform well in front of his home crowd and hopeful to stand alongside Marc on the podium during his monumental return, was understandably reluctant to yield. Ultimately, the space available was simply insufficient for both competitors."

"The issue now is, who spotted whom first? And who was responsible for allowing more space? The Stewards decided not to take any further action. They mentioned reviewing some technical data, but the specifics remain unclear."

"The data aspect was intriguing, as Pecco mentioned after the ruling that the information indicated Alex perhaps did not slow down as much as one might anticipate in a crash situation."

"When two riders crash and they're both using the same type of bikes, the manufacturer can review the data from each bike. That's precisely what Ducati has done. We are aware that they did this following the Portimao incident where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia collided. Marc Marquez dismissed the debate about who was responsible by stating, 'Ducati has access to all the data…'"

"Pecco now claims that the data indicates he was not at fault. Did the Stewards review this 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, which showed where each rider was focusing!"

An incident during the race had significant consequences. Fortunately for Pecco, Marc's actions prevented Martin from earning the highest points this weekend. The most positive update 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'm inclined to challenge the data perspective here. Whenever someone mentions data, my mind immediately goes back to Honda in 2015. They were absolutely convinced they had data proving that Valentino had kicked Marc and were eager to present it to everyone!"

"If I were to assign blame, I would direct a bit more of it towards Pecco. We've witnessed similar behavior from him previously, in Portugal and somewhat during the Sprint race at Jerez. Pecco appears to struggle with choosing the right moments to engage in battles."

"We witnessed a similar situation with Marc in Portugal. Even if you couldn't see him from the outside, you knew he would re-enter, so why place your bike there? It was inevitable that this would lead to a collision; you should navigate the corner more strategically."

In Jerez, when he found himself squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder, he should have backed off since he was faster than both of them. The same advice applies to this situation.

"You observed that Alex didn't check his surroundings. He was trailing Alex when Alex veered off course at Turn 12. It's clear that he isn't aware of your presence. You're aware that Turn 13 is a tight spot when you switch to the right. It's highly probable that Alex will be in that area."

"In my opinion, you need to be more strategic, especially when you're competing 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 make a move later.’ Similarly, Pecco should have taken the same approach, thinking, ‘There's still time to make this happen.’"

"In each of the instances I referred to, Pecco has ended up worse off and has lost points because of it. I believe Ducati should have a discussion with Pecco and advise him to choose his battles wisely when interacting with other riders. For example, finishing in 4th place is preferable to finishing with no points at all."

"Pecco appears to occasionally have difficulty accepting the results available to him. For instance, if you observe Martin in recent weeks, he has consistently secured second place when that was the best possible outcome. 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 since Martin is performing flawlessly and consistently earning points."

“This brings us to the topic we all dislike: team orders,” McLaren stated. “It’s inevitable to draw comparisons between Sunday’s race and previous years when other Ducati riders understood they needed to allow more space for the title contenders.”

"Currently, there's some uncertainty because we haven't progressed far enough into the season to tell the other Ducati riders that they have no mathematical chance, and therefore should step aside in such scenarios."

"Perhaps Pecco and Martin believe that their lead in the championship will result in other Ducati riders giving them more space on the track. However, those other riders are still under the impression that they haven't received any specific instructions and are continuing to compete fiercely for every spot."

"Another point to consider is what advice would you give Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are just behind the leading pair but still have a credible opportunity."

Duncan commented, “I believe Ducati should consider this issue for its own benefit. The last thing they want is for Alex Marquez to clash with Pecco Bagnaia again, leading to a situation where Martin gains more points while Marc stays ahead.”

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

Ducati should take a proactive approach and declare: ‘These are our title contenders. These are the riders capable of winning the championship. If you are not among them, do not compete aggressively against them’.

"It's a scenario Ducati dreads: Martin is leading the championship, and they can't afford to let him 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 quite… distressed. It seemed like he was burdened by something."

"He did not seem pleased. It was as though he observed the situation and thought: Pecco has crashed, Marc is securing victories—which had initially raised concerns about disrupting balance before permitting his move to Gresini—and Martin is at the top of the championship standings."

“They need to consider that, had the circumstances been handled differently and Marc had been willing to join Pramac, we could have had both of those individuals on our team.”

A lot of things need to be addressed by Ducati in the upcoming weeks, and one crucial aspect is improving their management of the current situation. Failure to do so could result in significant embarrassment by the season's end.

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