**”Tensions at Ducati: Analyzing the Bagnaia-Alex Marquez Clash and Its Championship Implications”**

Should Ducati intervene following the Bagnaia-Alex Marquez clash?

Podcast discussion: "Is there some uncertainty due to the early stage of the season, making it difficult to tell other Ducati racers, 'you're no longer in contention, so hold back in such scenarios'?"

Sunday's contentious collision late in the race between Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez at the Aragon MotoGP resulted in both Ducati riders losing their chance at a podium finish.

As a result, reigning champion Bagnaia, who came to Spain with a five-point lead in the championship, departed the country injured and trailing Jorge Martin by 23 points.

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

The race was abuzz with excitement as Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez fought hard for a spot on the podium. Bagnaia seemed poised to overtake Marquez; it appeared to be only a matter of time. Then, the unexpected occurred.

“What did you think about the situation? It seems to have happened not too long ago. Clearly, both riders are holding the other responsible…”

"It was a disastrous weekend for Bagnaia, marking his worst performance since the Sprint format was introduced last year," said Pete McLaren, editor at Crash.net MotoGP.

"Nearly everything went awry for him: two tyre problems, qualifying on the less favorable side of the track, and to top it all off, a crash when it seemed inevitable that he would secure 3rd place from Alex Marquez."

"Clearly, Alex was competing in front of his local supporters and aimed to possibly share the podium with Marc in celebration of his remarkable return. Therefore, it's understandable that he was reluctant to yield, and ultimately, there simply wasn't enough space for both of them."

The issue now is, who noticed whom first, and who was supposed to make more space? The Stewards decided not to take any further steps. They mentioned reviewing some technical data, though the details of that remain unclear.

"The data aspect was intriguing since, after the decision, Pecco mentioned that the data indicated Alex might not have slowed down as much as one would anticipate in a collision scenario."

"When two riders have a collision and they're using the same brand of motorcycles, the manufacturer can access the data from both bikes. That's precisely what Ducati would have done in this situation. We are aware that they conducted a similar analysis after the incident at Portimao, where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia crashed. Marc made a brief remark to address the blame by stating, 'Ducati can review all the data…'"

"Pecco now claims that the data proves he wasn't at fault. Did the Stewards have access to this data too? If they had seen what Pecco refers to, would it have altered their decision? It's uncertain."

"Another helpful feature would have been a 'visor cam' perspective like the one we saw from Alex Rins during the private test at Misano, to see where each rider was focusing their attention!"

"A racing incident occurred that could have significant consequences. Pecco benefited from Marc preventing Martin from securing the most points this weekend, and the positive takeaway is that both Pecco and Alex Marquez did not sustain serious injuries."

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

"I’m going to challenge the data perspective a bit, because whenever data is mentioned, I immediately recall Honda in 2015. They were convinced they had evidence proving that Valentino had kicked Marc and were prepared to present it to everyone!" stated MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan.

“If I were to assign responsibility, I’d place a bit more on Pecco. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen such behavior from him. It happened in Portugal and also during the Sprint race in Jerez. Pecco appears to struggle with choosing the right moments to engage in battles.”

"We witnessed it with Marc in Portugal. Regardless of whether he was visible on the outside, it was clear he would re-enter, so why place your bike there? It was obvious contact would occur; you should navigate the corner more skillfully."

"In Jerez, he found himself squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder – you’re faster than both of them, so pull back. Don’t engage. The situation was the same this time."

"You noticed that Alex didn't check his surroundings. He was trailing Alex when he veered off at Turn 12. It's clear he isn't aware of your presence. You are aware that Turn 13 is a tight spot when you make a right turn. It's very probable that Alex will be there."

"In my opinion, you need to be more strategic, particularly when you're competing for the championship. I believe Alex should have checked his rear and thought, 'This is going to be close. I'll pull back for now and try to regain position later.' Similarly, Pecco should have considered, 'There's still enough time. I can make my move later.'"

"In all the instances I've referred to, Pecco has ended up in the worst position and lost valuable points. I believe Ducati should have a conversation with Pecco and advise him to be more strategic when interacting with other riders. They should emphasize that securing a 4th place finish is preferable to ending up with no points at all."

"Pecco seems to have a hard time accepting the positions available to him at times. For instance, in recent weeks, Martin has consistently taken second place when it was achievable, and as a result, he now holds a 23-point lead in the championship."

Moreland responded, saying, "Pete, this situation is similar to last season's event with Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It's also unfortunate timing since Martin is performing flawlessly and earning points."

McLaren continued by addressing the dreaded topic of team orders. He pointed out that it's hard not to draw parallels between Sunday's race and previous seasons when other Ducati riders were aware they needed to allow more space for the title contenders.

"There's some uncertainty right now because the season hasn't progressed enough to tell the other Ducati riders, 'you're mathematically eliminated, so back off in this scenario'."

"Perhaps Pecco and Martin believe that, being the frontrunners in the championship, other Ducati riders will give them more space on the track. However, the other riders are still under the impression that they haven't received any instructions to hold back and are fiercely competing for every position."

"Another issue to consider is what advice should be given to Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are trailing the leading two but still maintain a feasible opportunity."

Duncan commented, "In my opinion, Ducati should review this situation for its own benefit. The last thing they need is another clash between Alex Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia, which could allow Martin to gain more points while Marc leads the race."

“We’ve observed how extremely toxic the fan base can become in such scenarios, 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 secure the championship. If you're not among them, don't compete aggressively against them.'"

“We hope to avoid this scenario, but it would be a nightmare for Ducati if Martin, who is leading the championship, were to switch to Aprilia while holding the number one position. They can’t afford to let that happen.”

"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."

"He did not seem content. It appeared as though he observed the situation and thought: Pecco has crashed, Marc is back to winning races – a concern they had about maintaining balance before letting him join Gresini – and Martin is at the top of the championship standings."

“They must consider that both of those individuals could have been part of our team if circumstances had been handled differently and if Marc had been willing to join Pramac.

In the coming weeks, Ducati has several issues to address, and a key concern is improving their management of the current situation. If they fail to do so, they risk facing significant embarrassment by the end of the season.

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