Ducati’s Dilemma: The Impossible Task of Enforcing Team Orders in a Turbulent MotoGP Season

The harsh reality is that Ducati lacks the ability to impose team orders.

In MotoGP, Ducati's factory orders are essential at this point, but making them effective will be unattainable.

The Marquez siblings have given MotoGP plenty to be grateful for this week. Marc and Alex Marquez each captured significant attention in Aragon, albeit for distinct reasons.

Marc Marquez's overwhelming performance at the Aragon event ended four years of struggles and doubt for the eight-time world champion. Although achieving the same result at Misano this week seems improbable, it's hard to imagine he won't be victorious again in one of the upcoming eight rounds.

The news has been dominated by the contentious crash involving Alex Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia during the latter stages of the Aragon Grand Prix. Bagnaia has pointed the finger at Marquez for causing the incident and claims that data indicates Marquez accelerated at the moment they collided.

The younger Marquez sibling strongly refuted these allegations, addressing them in a separate social media post. This followed both brothers' candid discussions with the media on Sunday afternoon at Aragon.

Race Direction summoned both individuals to its office but decided that no further steps were needed.

Numerous individuals have seized the chance to reignite the tensions from 2015, when a major dispute erupted between Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi, who is also Bagnaia’s mentor. They argue that this recent incident is evidently a direct extension of that past controversy.

As soon as the two racers completed their gravel sections, conspiracy theorists on social media quickly voiced their concerns. Despite this, and the fact that Rossi has not yet commented, it is unlikely that any significant developments will occur between Alex Marquez and Bagnaia.

In general, the main reason is that Bagnaia and Alex Marquez rarely compete directly against one another. Bagnaia's predicament at Aragon was unlucky, but it could have been prevented if he had chosen a better moment than he eventually did.

He has faced the consequences, as Jorge Martin secured second place, extending his lead in the championship to 23 points. Historically, the rider leading the championship after the Aragon GP often claims the title, suggesting a promising outlook for Martin. For Ducati, the prospect of Martin transferring the #1 plate to Aprilia next year becomes increasingly concerning with each setback Bagnaia encounters.

Bagnaia is likely to have his own take on the matter, but, just like last year, he arrives at the San Marino Grand Prix not in peak physical condition. Consequently, the repercussions from Aragon might further jeopardize his standing in the championship points race.

Will Ducati riders follow directives?

Bagnaia is currently in a fragile mental state. He has faced his most challenging weekend of the season, whereas his upcoming teammate, Marc Marquez, has experienced his most successful one. This shift in dynamics could significantly influence the outcome of the 2024 world championship and might also establish the atmosphere for 2025 when both riders will be part of the official Ducati team.

Bagnaia is determined to return to his recent winning form from Austria, aiming for a dominant performance to restore balance within the Ducati team.

Discussions need to now include Ducati's factory orders, a topic the company has frequently avoided in recent times. Bagnaia has also expressed his disapproval, stating he does not want to achieve championships through such means.

In 2022, Ducati informed their riders who were not in contention for the championship that they could aim for race victories, but they should do so without taking excessive risks when competing against Bagnaia.

However, it's likely that more action is required this year. Alex Marquez didn't need to battle so intensely with Bagnaia for third place, a struggle that resulted in their collision. This incident could have abruptly ended Bagnaia’s season.

Although each rider can be held accountable for their actions, clear guidelines from Ducati before the race might have prevented the incident entirely.

However, here's the catch: Ducati is in greater need of factory orders now than before, but it has created a scenario where its riders feel neither interested nor obligated to heed instructions.

Throughout last year, when questioned about factory orders, Alex Marquez was swift to clarify that Ducati had not communicated with him. He emphasized that he was not under contract with the Italian company. In other words, he stated, "Gresini is my employer, and my priority is to act in the best interest of my team."

Moreover, if Marc Marquez narrows the points difference, Alex, being a Ducati rider himself, is unlikely to concede easily to his fellow Ducati teammates in that situation.

Ducati might exert some influence over its satellite teams to comply with directives. However, Gresini lacks factory backing, Pramac is transitioning to Yamaha next year, and VR46 is unlikely to persuade Marco Bezzecchi to heed instructions now that he's heading to Aprilia.

Even Ducati's factory team can't compel Enea Bastianini to follow team directives. Currently, he remains a contender for the championship, trailing by just 71 points. Furthermore, Bastianini has already committed to joining KTM in 2025. It's worth noting that even in the latter part of the 2022 season, he often ignored team orders during his races against Bagnaia.

Ducati has lost its grip on the majority of its team, a direct result of Marc Marquez's strategic maneuver to join the factory team in 2025.

Interestingly, Marc Marquez might end up assisting Ducati in this situation. As long as he remains in contention for the championship, there won't be any team orders given to him. However, if he maintains his strong performance like at Aragon, he could play a crucial role in minimizing the points loss for Bagnaia against Martin in the standings whenever the current world champion has an off day.

Looking ahead, Ducati will need to take a step back and hope that fortune smiles upon them, allowing them to avoid any further embarrassment throughout the remainder of 2024.

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