Post-Aragon Controversy: Should Ducati Intervene After Bagnaia-Marquez Clash?

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

Podcast: "Is there some uncertainty here because the season isn't advanced enough to tell other Ducati riders, 'you're no longer in contention, so let others take the lead in such situations'?"

On Sunday, a contentious collision towards the end of the race between Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez at the Aragon MotoGP resulted in both Ducati riders losing their chance for a podium finish.

This development also resulted in reigning champion Bagnaia, who came to Spain with a five-point lead in the title race, departing the country injured 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 fierce competition between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez for a spot on the podium. Bagnaia seemed poised to overtake Marquez; it appeared to be inevitable. But then, an unexpected incident occurred."

“What’s your perspective on the situation? It seems it happened not too long ago. Clearly, both riders are pointing fingers at each other…”

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

Nearly everything fell apart for him: dealing with two tire problems, starting from the less favorable side of the track during qualifying, and finally, a collision that occurred just as it seemed inevitable he would overtake Alex Marquez for third place.

"Clearly, Alex was eager to perform well in front of his local supporters and hoped to share the podium with Marc during his notable return. Therefore, it’s understandable that he was reluctant to concede, and ultimately, there simply wasn't sufficient space for both riders."

The issue at hand is who spotted whom and who should have made more space. The Stewards decided not to take any further measures. They mentioned reviewing some technical data, although the specifics of that data remain unclear.

"But what was fascinating about the data aspect is that when Pecco discussed the aftermath of the decision, he asserted that the data indicated Alex perhaps didn't slow down as much as one might anticipate from a rider involved in a crash."

"When an incident occurs between two riders using the same type of bikes, the manufacturer has access to the data for both. This is precisely what Ducati has done. They did the same after the Portimao collision involving Marc Marquez and Bagnaia. Marc Marquez offered a casual remark to resolve the blame issue, stating, 'Ducati can review all the data…'"

"Pecco is now asserting that the data indicates he wasn't at fault. Did the Stewards have access to this information too? If they had reviewed what Pecco claims the data reveals, would their decision have been different? It's uncertain."

"Another helpful tool would have been the 'visor cam' perspective we saw from Alex Rins during the private test at Misano, allowing us to see where each rider was focusing!"

"A racing mishap with significant consequences. Pecco was fortunate that Marc prevented Martin from securing the maximum points this weekend, and the great news is that neither Pecco nor Alex Marquez suffered any serious injuries."

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

"I’m going to challenge the data a bit here, because whenever someone mentions data, I immediately recall Honda in 2015. They were confident they had data proving that Valentino had kicked Marc and were ready to present it to everyone!" remarked MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan.

"If I were to assign blame, I would place a bit more on Pecco. This isn't the first time we've seen this behavior from him; it was evident in Portugal and somewhat during the Sprint race at Jerez. Pecco seems to struggle with choosing the right moments to engage in battles."

"We witnessed a similar situation with Marc in Portugal. Even if you couldn't see him from the outside, you knew he would re-enter the track, so why place your bike in that spot? It was clear that would result in a collision; you should navigate the corner more strategically."

"In Jerez, when he ended up squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder, he should have realized that he was faster than both of them and should have pulled back instead of engaging in the fight. The same principle applied in this situation."

"You observed that Alex didn't check his surroundings. He was trailing Alex when Alex veered off course into Turn 12. It's clear he isn’t aware of your position. You’re aware that Turn 13 is a tight spot where you switch to the right. It's very probable that Alex will be there."

"In my opinion, you need to be more strategic, particularly when you're contending for a championship. Alex might have benefited from checking his position and thinking, ‘This is going to be close. I'll pull back and try to counterattack later.’ Pecco could have taken a similar approach, realizing that there was still an opportunity to succeed later on."

"In every instance I've referred to, Pecco has ended up in a worse position and has lost points because of it. I believe Ducati should have a discussion with Pecco about being more selective in his confrontations with other riders. They should convey that securing a 4th place finish is more advantageous than ending a race without any points."

"Pecco seems to occasionally have difficulty accepting the position he can secure. For instance, Martin has consistently accepted a second-place finish in recent weeks, which was the best available to him. As a result, Martin 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 particularly unfortunate timing because Martin has been consistent and racking up points without any errors."

McLaren addressed the issue, saying, "This brings us to the dreaded topic of team orders. It's impossible not to compare Sunday's race with previous years when other Ducati riders understood they needed to allow more space for the championship contenders."

"There's some uncertainty right now since the season hasn't progressed enough to tell the other Ducati riders that they're mathematically out of contention, so they should just hold back in this scenario."

"Perhaps Pecco and Martin believe that, due to their leading positions in the championship, other Ducati riders will give them more space. However, those other riders are still operating under the mindset that, without any official instructions, they are competing fiercely for every spot."

"Next, consider what advice you would offer Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are slightly trailing the leading pair yet still have a viable opportunity."

Duncan stated, "I believe Ducati should consider this issue for its own benefit. The last thing they want is for Alex Marquez to clash again with Pecco Bagnaia, which could allow Martin to gain more points while Marc leads the race."

"We've observed just how toxic the fan base can become in these scenarios, when they believe 'this occurred, sabotage and all that'."

"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 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 with Martin currently at the top of the championship standings. They can't afford to see Martin move to Aprilia while holding the number one spot."

"I found it intriguing to see Gigi Dall’Igna's reaction after Marc finished the race. He appeared quite… distressed. It seemed like he had something heavy on his mind."

The individual in question did not seem content. It appeared as though he observed the situation and thought: Pecco has crashed, Marc is securing victories – which initially raised concerns about disrupting the balance before permitting his move to Gresini – and Martin is at the forefront of the championship.

"They need to consider that if the circumstances had been handled better and if Marc had been willing to join Pramac, we could have had both of those individuals on our team."

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

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