**Title: Ducati Faces Dilemma: Should Team Orders Be Enforced After Bagnaia-Marquez Clash?**

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

Podcast discussion: "Is the situation unclear because the season hasn't progressed enough to tell other Ducati riders they're out of the title race and should therefore hold back in such scenarios?"

During the Aragon MotoGP on Sunday, a contentious incident in the final stages of the race led to a collision between Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez, causing both Ducati riders to miss out on a podium finish.

This also implied that, after arriving in Spain with a five-point lead in the championship, the defending champion Bagnaia left 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, posed the following question:

"The major highlight of the race was the intense duel between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez for a spot on the podium. Bagnaia seemed poised to overtake Marquez; it appeared inevitable. But then, an unexpected event unfolded."

"What did you think? I believe it happened not too long ago. Clearly, each cyclist is accusing the other…"

“A disastrous weekend for Bagnaia. This is his worst performance since the Sprint format was introduced last year,” stated Pete McLaren, editor of Crash.net MotoGP.

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, got into a collision when it seemed inevitable that he would overtake Alex Marquez for third place.

"Clearly, Alex was competing in front of a home crowd and hoping to stand alongside Marc on the podium during his remarkable return. Understandably, he was reluctant to concede, and ultimately, there simply wasn't enough space for both of them."

"The issue boils down to who spotted whom first and who should have made space. The Stewards decided not to take any additional measures. They mentioned reviewing some technical data, but the specifics are unclear."

"The data aspect was intriguing. When Pecco later discussed the decision, he mentioned that the data indicated Alex might not have slowed down as much as one would typically anticipate from a rider involved in a collision."

"When two riders on identical bikes are part of an incident, the manufacturer can analyze data from both bikes. This is precisely what Ducati would have done. It's known they also reviewed the data after the Portimao collision between Marc Marquez and Bagnaia, where Marc made a casual remark to end the debate over who was responsible by stating, 'Ducati can see all the data…'"

"Pecco is now claiming that the data exonerates him from any fault. The question arises whether the Stewards reviewed this data too. If they had, would their decision have been different based on Pecco’s assertion? It's uncertain."

"Another helpful feature would have been the 'visor cam' perspective we saw from Alex Rins during the private Misano test, which showed where each rider was focusing!"

"A racing event with significant consequences. Pecco got fortunate as Marc prevented Martin from securing the highest points this weekend, and the most positive update is that both Pecco and Alex Marquez avoided serious injuries."

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

"I'll play devil's advocate regarding data for a moment, as the mention of data always reminds me of Honda in 2015. They were confident they had evidence showing Valentino had kicked Marc and were ready to present it to everyone!" stated MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan.

"If blame were to be assigned, I would attribute a bit more of it to Pecco. This behavior isn't new; we've observed it previously in Portugal and somewhat during the Sprint race at Jerez. Pecco appears to struggle with choosing the right moments to engage in battles."

“We observed this situation with Marc in Portugal. Even if you couldn't see him from the outside, it was clear he was going to re-enter, so why would you place your bike there? You know it will result in a collision; navigate the corner more effectively.

"At Jerez, he found himself squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder. He was faster than both, so he should have backed off instead of engaging. The same advice applies here."

“You observed that Alex didn’t check his surroundings. He was trailing Alex when Alex veered off course at Turn 12. It’s clear that he’s unaware of your presence. You understand that Turn 13 is a tight spot, especially when you have to turn right. It’s highly probable that Alex will be there.

"I believe that you need to strategize more effectively, particularly when you're competing for a championship. Alex, in my opinion, should have been more aware of his surroundings and thought, 'This is going to be close. I'll pull back and look for another opportunity to come back later.' Similarly, Pecco should have considered, 'There's still enough time. I can achieve my goal.'"

"Each time this has happened, Pecco has ended up in a worse position and has lost points because of it. In my opinion, Ducati should have a discussion with Pecco and advise him to be more strategic in his interactions with other riders. They should tell him, 'It's better to finish in 4th place than to end up with no points at all.'"

"Pecco occasionally has difficulty accepting the position available to him. In contrast, Martin has recently been content with finishing second when that's the best option, which has put him 23 points ahead in the championship standings."

Moreland responded, saying, "Pete, this situation is similar to what happened last season between Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It's unfortunate timing, especially since Martin is performing consistently and earning points."

"And this brings us to the topic we all dislike: team orders," McLaren stated. "It's inevitable to draw comparisons between Sunday and previous years when other Ducati riders understood they needed to give the championship contenders extra space."

"Currently, there's some uncertainty because the season hasn't progressed enough to tell the other Ducati riders that they're mathematically out of contention and should therefore back off in such a scenario."

"Perhaps Pecco and Martin believe that, as they lead the championship, their fellow Ducati racers will give them more space. However, those teammates are likely thinking, 'We haven't received any instructions yet; we're still competing fiercely for every spot.'"

"Next, consider what advice you would give to Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are trailing the top contenders but still have a viable shot at success."

Duncan mentioned that Ducati should consider reevaluating the situation for its benefit. He pointed out that it would be undesirable for Alex Marquez to have another mishap involving Pecco Bagnaia, which could lead to Jorge Martin gaining more points while Marc Marquez takes the lead.

"We've observed how the fan base can become extremely toxic in those scenarios, believing that 'this event occurred due to sabotage and other reasons.'"

“Ducati should take the lead and declare: ‘These are our contenders for the title. These are the riders capable of winning the championship. If you are not among them, do not compete aggressively against them’.”

"No one wants this to happen, but it's a worst-case scenario for Ducati with Martin at the top of the championship standings. They can't afford to let Martin move to Aprilia while holding the number one position."

"I found it intriguing to observe Gigi Dall’Igna's reaction once Marc finished the race. He appeared quite distressed and seemed burdened by something."

"That individual did not seem pleased. It seemed as though he observed the situation and thought: Pecco has crashed, Marc is securing victories – which was a concern about maintaining balance before permitting him to join Gresini initially – and Martin is at the forefront of the championship."

"They must consider the possibility that they could have retained both of those riders if the circumstances had been handled differently and if Marc had been willing to join Pramac."

"Ducati has a lot to address in the upcoming weeks. One key issue is the need for better management of their current situation, or they risk embarrassing themselves by the end of the season."

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