Fractured Ranks: Should Ducati Intervene After Bagnaia and Alex Marquez’s Aragon Clash?

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

Podcast Discussion: "Is there some uncertainty since the season hasn’t progressed enough for Ducati to tell their other riders, 'your chances are mathematically over, so back off in such situations'?"

On Sunday, a contentious collision in the final stages of the Aragon MotoGP race involving Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez cost both Ducati racers their spots on the podium.

This also resulted in reigning champion Bagnaia, who had come to Spain with a five-point lead in the title race, departing with injuries and trailing Jorge Martin by 23 points.

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

"The main highlight of the race was the intense fight between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez for a podium finish. Bagnaia seemed poised to overtake Marquez, and it appeared inevitable. However, an unexpected incident occurred."

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

"It's been a disastrous weekend for Bagnaia, marking his poorest performance in an event since the introduction of the Sprint format last year," commented Pete McLaren, editor at Crash.net MotoGP.

Nearly everything turned against him—he faced two tire problems, started qualifying on the less favorable side of the track, and to top it all off, he was involved in a collision just when it seemed he was poised to overtake Alex Marquez for third place.

Certainly!

Alex was clearly eager to perform well in front of his local supporters and was aiming to possibly share the podium with Marc, who was making a notable return. As a result, he was unwilling to concede his position, and ultimately, there simply wasn't enough space for both riders.

The issue now is, who noticed whom first? And who was supposed to make more space? The Stewards decided not to take any additional measures. They mentioned reviewing some data from the machines, but the specifics remain unclear.

"The data aspect was intriguing, as Pecco later mentioned post-decision that the information indicated Alex might not have slowed down as much as one would typically expect in a crash scenario."

When both racers in a crash are riding the same type of motorcycle, the manufacturer can assess the data from both bikes. Ducati has definitely done this. They also reviewed the data following the Portimao incident, where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia collided. To resolve the dispute over who was to blame, Marc Marquez casually remarked, "Ducati can see all the data…"

"Pecco is now claiming that the data indicates he wasn’t at fault. Did the Stewards have access to this data too? If they had seen the information Pecco mentions, would their decision have been different? It’s uncertain."

Another helpful feature could have been a 'visor cam' perspective, similar to the one Alex Rins provided during the private test at Misano, which would show where each rider was focusing their attention.

"A racing event with significant consequences. Pecco was fortunate that Marc prevented Martin from securing the maximum points this weekend. The most positive aspect is that both Pecco and Alex Marquez escaped without serious injuries."

“What’s your opinion on the matter, Lewis?” Moreland asked.

MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan commented, "I'll play devil's advocate with data for a moment. Whenever data is mentioned, I immediately recall Honda in 2015. They firmly believed they had data proving that Valentino kicked Marc and were prepared to present it to everyone!"

"If I were to assign fault, I would place slightly more on Pecco because this isn't the first time we've seen this behavior. Similar instances occurred in Portugal and during the Sprint race at Jerez. Pecco appears to struggle with choosing the right moments to engage in battles."

In Portugal, we witnessed it with Marc. Even if you couldn't see him from the outside, you knew he would re-enter, so why place your bike in that spot? You were aware it would result in a collision; handle the corner more strategically.

In Jerez, when he found himself squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder, he was faster than both of them. He should have pulled back and avoided the confrontation. The same applies to this situation.

“It’s clear that Alex didn’t check his surroundings. He was positioned behind Alex when Alex veered off course at Turn 12. It’s evident that he’s unaware of your presence. You’re aware that Turn 13 is a tight spot, especially when you make the right turn. It’s highly probable that Alex will be in that spot.”

"I believe it's important to be more strategic, particularly when you're competing for a championship. In my opinion, Alex should have checked his surroundings and thought, 'This is going to be close. I should pull back and look for another opportunity to overtake.' Similarly, Pecco could have considered, 'There's still time left. I can make my move later.'"

"Every time I've referred to, Pecco has ended up suffering the most and losing points. I believe Ducati should have a conversation with Pecco about being more strategic in his interactions with other racers. They should advise him that securing a 4th place finish is preferable to ending up with no points at all."

"It seems that Pecco occasionally has difficulty accepting the best possible outcome. In contrast, take Martin's recent performances as an example; he's consistently secured second place when it was available to him. As a result, Martin now leads the championship by 23 points."

Moreland responded: “Pete, this situation is reminiscent of last season's event involving Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It’s unfortunate timing as Martin is performing flawlessly and accumulating points."

McLaren addressed the issue that everyone dislikes: team orders. He pointed out that it's hard not to compare Sunday's race to previous years when other Ducati riders knew they needed to give the title contenders more space.

"There's some uncertainty right now because we're still early in the season. We can't tell the other Ducati riders to step aside yet since it's not mathematically clear that they're out of the running."

"Perhaps Pecco and Martin believe that, being leaders in the title race, the other Ducati riders will give them more space on the track. However, those other riders might be thinking, 'We haven't received any instructions to hold back, so we're still competing fiercely for every spot.'"

Another point to consider is what advice you would give Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who, despite trailing the top two slightly, still have a viable shot.

Duncan commented, "Ducati should really examine this issue for its own benefit. The last thing they need is another collision between Alex Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia, which could result in Martin accumulating more points while Marc leads the race."

"We've observed how the fan base can become quite toxic in those circumstances, believing things like 'this happened, sabotage, and so on'."

"Ducati should take the lead and declare: 'These are the contenders for the title. These are the riders who have a chance to win the championship. If you're not among them, don't compete aggressively against them.'"

"It’s a scenario Ducati dreads: Martin is currently leading the championship. Allowing him to switch to Aprilia with the number one plate is something they can’t afford to happen."

"I found it intriguing to observe Gigi Dall’Igna’s reaction after Marc finished the race. He appeared quite… distressed. It seemed as though he was burdened by something."

"He didn't seem pleased at all. It looked like he saw Pecco crash, Marc winning races – a situation they were concerned about before letting him join Gresini – and Martin leading the championship."

"They need to consider that, with different management and Marc's willingness to join Pramac, they could have had both of those riders on their team."

"Ducati has several issues to address in the upcoming weeks. One critical aspect they must improve is their ability to handle the situation effectively, or they risk facing significant embarrassment by the end of the season."

Explore Further

Recent Updates

Recent Updates

Website Map

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

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