**Ducati’s Dilemma: Should Team Orders Come Into Play After Bagnaia-Marquez Clash in Aragon?**

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

Podcast host: "Is there some uncertainty because the season hasn't progressed far enough to tell the other Ducati riders, 'you're out of the championship contention, so hold back in such scenarios'?"

Sunday saw a contentious late-race incident between Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez at the Aragon MotoGP, which resulted in both Ducati riders losing their spots on the final podium.

This also implied that the reigning champion Bagnaia, who had come 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, 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 spot on the podium. Bagnaia seemed poised to overtake Alex; it appeared to be only a question of when. Then, unexpectedly, an incident occurred.

“What did you think about the situation? I believe it happened not too long ago. Clearly, both riders are accusing each other…”

“A disastrous weekend for Bagnaia. He received his lowest points total from an event since the Sprint format was introduced last year,” commented Pete McLaren, editor at Crash.net MotoGP.

“Nearly everything went awry for him: he faced two tire problems, qualified on the unfavorable side of the track, and to top it all off, got into a collision just when it seemed inevitable he would overtake Alex Marquez for 3rd place.”

Alex was clearly eager to perform well in front of his local supporters and had his sights set on potentially sharing the podium with Marc, who was making a remarkable return. However, the situation ultimately boiled down to there simply not being enough space for both riders.

The issue now is, who noticed whom first? And who ought to have made more space? The Stewards decided not to take any further steps. They mentioned reviewing some technical data, though the specifics remain unclear.

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

"When two riders on identical motorcycles are part of an incident, the manufacturer can access data from both bikes. This is precisely what Ducati did. They also reviewed the data after the Portimao incident, where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia collided. Marc Marquez made a brief comment to address the issue of blame by stating, '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 information too? If they had seen what Pecco claims is evident in the data, would it have altered their decision? It's uncertain.

"Another helpful feature could have been a 'visor cam' perspective similar to what we saw from Alex Rins during the private test in Misano, allowing us to see where each rider was focusing their attention."

"An incident during the race had significant consequences. Pecco benefited from Marc preventing Martin from securing the most points this weekend. The most positive update is that both Pecco and Alex Marquez avoided serious injuries."

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

MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan remarked, "I'm going to challenge the data a bit here, because whenever someone mentions data, I immediately recall Honda in 2015, when they were confident they had evidence that Valentino had kicked Marc and were prepared to reveal it to everyone!"

"If I were to assign blame, I'd place a bit more on Pecco. We've witnessed similar behavior from him previously. It was evident in Portugal and somewhat noticeable during the Sprint race at Jerez. Pecco appears to have difficulty choosing the right moments to engage in battles."

"We observed 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 position your bike there? It's bound to result in a collision; you need to navigate the corner more effectively."

“At Jerez, he found himself caught between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder. You’re faster than both of them, so just ease off. Don’t engage in a battle. The same advice applies to this situation.”

"You've observed that Alex didn’t check his surroundings. He was trailing Alex when Alex veered off course at Turn 12. It's clear he’s unaware of your presence. You know Turn 13 is a tight spot as you make the right turn. And it's highly probable that Alex will be in that area."

In my opinion, when you're vying for a championship, you need to be more strategic in your gameplay. I believe Alex should have checked his surroundings and thought, "This is going to be close. I’ll pull back and look for another opportunity to counter." Similarly, Pecco should have considered that there was still plenty of time left to make his move.

"In each of the instances I've referred to, Pecco has ended up in the worst position and has lost points because of it. I believe Ducati should have a conversation with Pecco to advise him on choosing his battles wisely when interacting with other riders. For example, securing a 4th place finish is preferable to ending the race with no points at all."

“Pecco occasionally has a hard time accepting the position he can achieve. On the other hand, Martin has recently 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 with Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It's also unfortunate timing since Martin is performing flawlessly and consistently earning points."

“And that brings us to the topic we all dislike, which is team orders,” McLaren stated. “It’s hard not to compare Sunday’s race with previous years when other Ducati riders understood they needed to allow more space for the title contenders.”

"Currently, there is some uncertainty since we haven't progressed far enough into the season to tell the other Ducati riders that they are mathematically out of contention and should therefore hold back in such scenarios."

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

"Furthermore, what advice would you give to Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are not quite at the level of the top two competitors, but still have a viable opportunity?"

Duncan commented, "In my opinion, Ducati should reassess the situation 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 leads the race."

"We have witnessed how extremely toxic the fan community can become in such scenarios, especially when they believe things like 'this occurred, sabotage, etc.'"

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

"We hope to avoid this scenario, but it's a worst-case situation for Ducati as Martin is 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 quite… distressed. It seemed like something was heavily on his mind."

"He didn't seem pleased at all. It was like he saw the situation and thought: Pecco is out of the race, Marc is securing victories—which was a concern before they let him join Gresini—and Martin is at the top of the championship standings."

"They must consider that, with better management and if Marc had agreed to join Pramac, they could have retained both riders in their team."

"Ducati has several issues to address in the upcoming weeks. One crucial aspect is improving their management of the situation, or they risk facing significant embarrassment by the season's end."

Explore Further

Recent Updates

Recent Updates

Site Index

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

It is prohibited to fully or partially copy text, images, or drawings in any manner.