### Ducati’s Dilemma: Should the Factory Intervene After Bagnaia-Marquez Clash at Aragon MotoGP?

Should Ducati intervene following the incident between Bagnaia and Alex Marquez? In a podcast discussion, it was mentioned that there might be some uncertainty because it's too early in the season to tell other Ducati riders to back off since they aren't mathematically out of contention yet.

Sunday's disputed last-lap collision involving Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez at the Aragon MotoGP resulted in the removal of both Ducati racers from contention for the final podium spot.

This also signified that the reigning champion, Bagnaia, who came 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 MotoGP podcast from Crash.net, Jordan Moreland, the host, posed the 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 Marquez; it appeared inevitable. However, an unexpected incident occurred."

"How did you see the situation? It seems to have happened not too long ago. Clearly, both riders are pointing fingers at each other…"

"A disastrous weekend for Bagnaia. This is the fewest points he has earned at an event since the Sprint format was introduced last year," said Pete McLaren, editor at Crash.net MotoGP.

"Almost everything went awry for him – from the two tire problems to starting on the less favorable side of the track during qualifying. To top it all off, he got into a collision right when it seemed certain he would overtake Alex Marquez for third place."

It was clear that Alex, motivated by the support of his local fans, aimed to share the podium with Marc during his remarkable return. As you might expect, Alex was reluctant to relinquish his position, and ultimately, the track space proved insufficient for both competitors.

The issue now is, who noticed whom first? And who was responsible for providing more space? The Stewards decided not to take any additional measures. They mentioned examining some technical data, though the specifics are 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 expect a rider to do in a crash."

"When two riders on identical motorcycles are involved in an accident, the manufacturer has access to data from both bikes. This is precisely what Ducati has done. We are aware that they took similar steps following the Portimao incident, where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia crashed, and Marc casually remarked that Ducati could review all the data to determine who was responsible."

"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 the data Pecco is referring to, would it have altered their decision? It's uncertain."

"Another helpful feature could have been the 'visor cam' perspective we saw from Alex Rins during the private test at Misano. This would show us exactly where each rider was focusing their attention."

"A racing event with significant consequences. Pecco was fortunate that Marc prevented Martin from securing the most points this weekend, and the positive news 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 perspective a bit here. Every time data is mentioned, I immediately recall Honda in 2015 firmly believing they had evidence that Valentino kicked Marc and were prepared to reveal it to everyone!”

"If I were to assign blame, I would attribute a bit more to Pecco. We've observed similar behavior previously, such as in Portugal and to some extent during the Sprint race in Jerez. Pecco appears to struggle with choosing the right moments to engage in battles."

"In Portugal, we observed this situation with Marc. Even if you couldn't see him from the outside, you knew he would re-enter. So, why position your bike there? It was bound to lead to a collision; handle the corner more strategically."

In Jerez, when he found himself squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder, he was actually faster than both of them. He should have pulled back instead of engaging in the fight. The situation here was similar.

"Alex didn't check his surroundings. He was behind Alex when Alex veered off course at Turn 12. You noticed that he wasn't aware of your presence. You also know that Turn 13 is a tight spot, especially when you switch to the right. It's very likely that Alex will be there."

"In my opinion, you need to be more strategic, especially if 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 look for another opportunity to make a move’. Similarly, Pecco should have considered, ‘There’s still plenty of time. I can achieve it later’."

"In every instance I've talked about, Pecco has ended up in the worst position, losing valuable points. I believe Ducati should have a discussion with Pecco about being more strategic when interacting with other riders. They should remind him that securing a 4th place finish is preferable to ending up with no points at all."

"Pecco seems to occasionally have difficulty accepting the best possible outcome available to him. In contrast, Martin has been content with securing second place in recent weeks, which has now put him 23 points ahead in the championship standings."

Moreland responded by saying, "Pete, this situation is similar to what happened between Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans last season. It's unfortunate because it happens when Martin is performing flawlessly and consistently scoring points."

"And this brings us to the topic we all dislike: team orders," McLaren commented. "It's impossible not to think about Sunday in comparison to previous years when the other Ducati riders understood they needed to allow the title contenders some extra space."

"Currently, there is some uncertainty because the season hasn't progressed enough to tell the other Ducati riders to step aside, as they aren't yet mathematically eliminated from contention."

"Perhaps Pecco and Martin, being frontrunners in the championship, believe that other Ducati riders will give them more leeway. However, those other riders are of the mindset, 'We haven't received any instructions, so we're still competing fiercely for every spot.'"

"Another consideration is what advice you would give Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who aren't quite at the level of the leading pair but still have a viable shot at success."

Duncan remarked, “Ducati really should consider addressing this issue for its benefit. The last thing you want is a repeat of an incident between Alex Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia, which could allow Martin to gain more points while Marc leads the race.”

"We've witnessed how toxic the fan base can become in those instances, when they believe 'this occurred, sabotage and so on'."

"Ducati should take the initiative and declare, 'These are our contenders for the title. 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 worst-case situation for Ducati with Martin currently at the top of the championship. Allowing Martin to switch to Aprilia while holding the number one position is something they can't really permit."

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

“That individual did not seem pleased. It appeared as though he observed the situation and thought: Pecco is off-track, Marc is securing victories – a scenario that initially raised concerns about disrupting the balance before his move to Gresini was approved – and Martin is at the top of the championship standings.

"They must consider that if circumstances had been handled differently and Marc had been willing to join Pramac, they could have secured both of those riders."

“There are many issues Ducati must address in the upcoming weeks. One key area is improving their management of the current situation, or else they risk facing significant embarrassment by the end of the season.”

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