Ducati’s Dilemma: Should They Intervene After Bagnaia-Marquez Clash?

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

Podcast Discussion: "Is there some uncertainty because the season hasn't progressed enough to tell other Ducati riders that they're out of championship contention and should therefore hold back in such situations?"

On Sunday, a contentious last-lap collision between Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez at the Aragon MotoGP resulted in both Ducati riders losing their chance at a podium finish.

The reigning champion Bagnaia, who came to Spain with a five-point lead in the title race, left the country battered, bruised, and trailing Jorge Martin by 23 points.

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

"The race's main highlight was the intense fight between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez for a podium finish. Bagnaia seemed poised to overtake Marquez; it appeared to be only a question of when. But then, an unexpected incident occurred."

“What did you think about it? It seems like it happened not too long ago. Clearly, both riders are pointing fingers at each other…”

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

"Nearly everything fell apart for him: he faced two tire problems, qualified on the less favorable side of the track, and to top it all off, he was involved in a collision just when it seemed inevitable that he would secure 3rd place from Alex Marquez."

"Clearly, Alex was eager to perform well in front of his home crowd and had hopes of sharing the podium with Marc, who was making a notable return. Naturally, he wasn't willing to back down, and the situation ultimately boiled down to a lack of space for both competitors."

"The key issue is: who noticed whom first? And which party should have provided more space? The Stewards decided not to take any further steps. They mentioned reviewing certain machine data, though the specifics remain unclear."

"The data aspect was intriguing because, after the decision, Pecco mentioned that the information indicated Alex might not have decelerated as much as one would typically anticipate following a collision."

When two riders on the same team have an incident, the manufacturer can access the data for both bikes. This is precisely what Ducati did. It's known that they also reviewed the data after the Portimao incident involving Marc Marquez and Bagnaia. Following the collision, Marc Marquez made a remark that essentially ended the debate over who was responsible by stating, 'Ducati has access to all the data…'.

"Pecco is now claiming that the data indicates he wasn't at fault. But did the Stewards have access to this data too? And if they did, would it have altered their decision? It's uncertain."

"It would have also been helpful to have a 'visor cam' perspective like the one Alex Rins provided during the private test at Misano, so we could see where each rider was focusing!"

"A racing mishap occurred, carrying significant consequences. Pecco benefited from Marc preventing Martin from securing the maximum points this weekend. The most reassuring update is that both Pecco and Alex Marquez escaped serious injuries."

Moreland asked, "What's your opinion on this, Lewis?"

“I'll take a contrarian stance using data for a moment. Whenever someone mentions data, I can't help but recall Honda's stance in 2015. They were insistent that their data proved Valentino had kicked Marc and were ready to present it to everyone,” stated MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan.

"If I were to assign blame, I would attribute more of it to Pecco. We've witnessed similar behavior from him previously. It happened 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 with Marc. Even if you couldn't see him from the outside, you knew he was going to re-enter the track, so why position your bike there? It was inevitable that there would be contact; you should navigate 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 and avoided the confrontation. The same advice applies to this situation.

"You observed that Alex didn't glance around. He was trailing Alex when Alex veered off course at Turn 12. You've noticed that Alex isn't aware of your presence. You understand that Turn 13 is a critical juncture, especially when making the right turn. It's highly probable that Alex will be there."

"In my opinion, when you're competing for a championship, you need to be more strategic in your gameplay. Alex could have been more aware of his surroundings and thought, 'This is a close call. Let me pull back and try to regain the lead later.' Similarly, Pecco should have considered that there was still plenty of time to make his move and secure the win."

"In each of those instances I brought up, Pecco has ended up in the worst position and has lost points because of it. I believe Ducati should have a discussion with Pecco and advise him to be more strategic when engaging with other riders. They could tell him that finishing in 4th place is preferable to ending up with no points at all."

"In my opinion, Pecco occasionally finds it difficult to accept the best possible outcome available to him. On the other hand, if we consider Martin's recent performances, he has consistently secured second place when it was achievable. As a result, he now holds a 23-point advantage in the championship standings."

Moreland responded, saying, “Pete, this situation is similar to what happened last season with Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It’s particularly unfortunate now since Martin is performing flawlessly and accumulating points."

"And this brings us to a topic everyone dislikes: team orders," remarked a representative from McLaren. "It's inevitable to draw parallels between Sunday's race and previous years, where the other Ducati riders understood they needed to allow the title 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 are mathematically out of the running and should therefore step back in such situations."

“Perhaps Pecco and Martin believe that their position at the forefront of the championship will earn them some leeway from their fellow Ducati racers. However, those teammates are under the impression that, since no directives have been issued, they should continue to compete fiercely for every spot.”

"The next issue to consider is what advice you would give to Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are trailing the leading two but still possess a feasible opportunity."

Duncan commented, “In my opinion, Ducati should really consider this for their benefit. The last thing you want is for Alex Marquez to clash with Pecco Bagnaia again, resulting in Martin gaining more points while Marc leads the race."

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

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

"We're hoping to avoid that scenario, but it's a worst-case situation for Ducati with Martin currently at the top of the championship standings. They can't afford to have Martin switch to Aprilia while holding the number one spot."

"I found it fascinating to see Gigi Dall’Igna's reaction after Marc finished the race. He appeared very… concerned. He seemed burdened by something."

"The man did not seem content. It appeared as though he noticed Pecco in the gravel and Marc winning races, which initially raised concerns about disturbing the balance before permitting him to join Gresini. Moreover, Martin was at the forefront of the championship."

"They must consider that, if things had been handled differently and if Marc had agreed to join Pramac, they could have had both of these riders in their team."

In my opinion, Ducati has several issues to address in the upcoming weeks. They must handle these matters more effectively, or they risk facing significant embarrassment by the end of the season.

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