**Title: Ducati in Crisis: Should They Intervene After Bagnaia and Alex Marquez’s Aragon Clash?**

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

Podcast: "Is there some uncertainty because it's still early in the season to tell other Ducati riders that they are no longer in the running, so they should back off in such situations?"

On Sunday, a contentious collision late in the race between Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez at the Aragon MotoGP resulted in both Ducati racers losing their spots on the final podium.

This result also signified that reigning champion Bagnaia, who had come into the event with a five-point lead in the standings, departed from Spain injured and trailing Jorge Martin by 23 points.

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

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

“What are your thoughts on the situation? I believe it happened not too long ago. Clearly, both riders are pointing fingers at each other…”

“A dreadful weekend for Bagnaia, marking his worst performance since the introduction of the Sprint format last year,” responded Pete McLaren, the MotoGP editor at Crash.net.

Almost nothing went right for him: he faced two tire problems, had to qualify on the less favorable side of the track, and to top it all off, he was involved in a collision just when it seemed inevitable that he would secure 3rd place from Alex Marquez.

"Clearly, Alex was competing in front of his local supporters and aiming to possibly stand alongside Marc on the podium for his remarkable return. Understandably, he was reluctant to relinquish his position, and ultimately there just wasn't sufficient space for both of them."

"The issue now is, who noticed the other first? And who was responsible for creating more space? The Stewards decided not to take any additional measures. They mentioned they reviewed certain technical data, but the specifics remain unclear."

"The data aspect was intriguing because, according to Pecco, when he discussed the decision afterward, the information indicated that Alex might not have slowed down as much as one would anticipate from a rider involved in a crash."

"When two riders on identical bikes are involved in an incident, the manufacturer has access to the data for both. This is precisely what Ducati would have reviewed. We are aware that they performed a similar analysis after the Portimao collision between Marc Marquez and Bagnaia. Marc defused the blame game by casually stating, 'Ducati can see all the data…'"

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

"Another helpful aspect could have been the 'visor cam' perspective we saw from Alex Rins during the private test at Misano, which shows where each rider is focusing their gaze!"

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

Moreland asked, "Lewis, how do you feel about this?"

"I'll play the role of Devil's advocate regarding data, as the mention of data always reminds me of Honda in 2015. At that time, they were confident they had data proving that Valentino had kicked Marc, and they intended to present it publicly," stated MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan.

“If I had to assign blame, I’d place a larger share on Pecco. This behavior isn’t new; it happened in Portugal and also during the Sprint race at Jerez. Pecco appears to struggle with choosing the right moments to engage in battles.”

“We observed a similar situation with Marc in Portugal. Even if you couldn't see him from the outside, you knew he would re-enter, so why position your bike there? It was inevitable that there would be contact; you should navigate the corner more skillfully."

"At Jerez, when he found himself squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder, he should have realized he was faster than both of them and pulled back instead of engaging. The same principle applied in this situation."

Alex didn't check his surroundings. He was trailing Alex when Alex veered off course at Turn 12. It's clear he isn't aware of your presence. You understand that Turn 13 is a tight spot, especially during the right-hand turn. It's highly probable that Alex will be in that spot.

"In my opinion, you need to be more strategic, particularly when you're in contention for the championship. I believe Alex should have been more aware of his surroundings and thought, 'This is going to be close. I'll ease off and try to regain my position later.' Similarly, Pecco should have adopted the same mindset, thinking, 'There's still time. I can make my move later.'"

In each instance I've referred to, Pecco has ended up in the worst position and has lost points as a result. I believe Ducati should have a discussion with Pecco, advising him to be more selective in his confrontations 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 occasionally have difficulty accepting the best available outcome. For instance, in recent weeks, Martin has consistently secured second place when it was achievable, and as a result, he now leads the championship by 23 points."

Moreland responded by saying, "Pete, this situation brings to mind last year's event involving Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It’s particularly unfortunate timing since Martin is performing flawlessly and accumulating points."

“That brings us to a topic we all dislike, which is team orders,” McLaren stated. “It’s hard not to compare Sunday with previous years when the other Ducati riders were aware they needed to give the title contenders a little more space.

"There's some uncertainty right now since the season hasn't progressed enough to tell the other Ducati riders that they're out of the running and should hold back in certain situations."

"Perhaps Pecco and Martin believe that their leading positions in the championship will make other Ducati riders give them more space. However, those other riders are actually thinking, 'We haven't received any instructions yet; we're still competing fiercely for every spot.'"

"Another point to consider is what advice you would give to Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are trailing slightly behind the leading pair but still have a viable opportunity."

Duncan noted that Ducati should consider evaluating the situation for its own benefit. He pointed out that it would be problematic if Alex Marquez had another collision with Pecco Bagnaia, leading to Jorge Martin gaining more points while Marc Marquez remains in the lead.

"We've observed how extremely toxic the fan base can become in these scenarios, when they believe 'this happened, sabotage, etc.'"

"Ducati should take the lead and declare: ‘These are our contenders for the title. These are the riders who have a shot at winning the championship. If you are not among them, refrain from competing aggressively against them’."

"Ducati is facing a worst-case scenario with Martin at the top of the championship. They can't afford to let Martin take the championship title to Aprilia."

"I found it fascinating to observe Gigi Dall’Igna's reaction as Marc finished. He appeared quite… distressed. It seemed as though something was heavily on his mind."

"He didn't seem pleased at all. It was as if he saw the situation and thought: Pecco's off the track, Marc is securing victories – something they were concerned might disrupt the balance before giving him permission to join Gresini – and Martin is at the top of the championship standings."

"They need to consider that if things had been handled differently and Marc had been willing to join Pramac, they could have had both of those riders on their team."

"Ducati has a lot to consider in the coming weeks. One key aspect is that they need to handle the situation more effectively, or they might face embarrassment by the end of the season."

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