**Title: “Ducati’s Dilemma: Analyzing the Bagnaia-Marquez Clash and its Impact on Championship Dynamics”** —

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

Podcast discussion: "Is there some uncertainty because the season isn't advanced enough to tell other Ducati riders that they're no longer in contention and should back off in such scenarios?"

During Sunday’s Aragon MotoGP, a contentious incident late in the race involving Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez resulted in both Ducati riders being eliminated from the contest for the final podium position.

This also implied that after coming to Spain with a five-point lead in the championship, the defending champion Bagnaia departed 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 highlight of the race was the intense duel between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez for a spot on the podium. It seemed inevitable that Bagnaia would overtake Marquez; it was only a question of when. Then, the unexpected occurred.

“What did you think about that situation? It seems to have happened not too long ago. Clearly, both riders are pointing fingers at each other…”

“A disastrous weekend for Bagnaia. It's the worst performance he's had at an event since the introduction of the Sprint format last year,” said Pete McLaren, the MotoGP editor at Crash.net.

"Almost everything went awry for him, from the two tire problems and starting on the less favorable side of the track during qualifying, to ultimately getting into a collision when it seemed inevitable that he would overtake Alex Marquez for third place."

"Clearly, Alex was competing in front of his local supporters and aiming to possibly stand alongside Marc on the podium during Marc's 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 key issue revolves around who spotted whom first, and who was responsible for allowing more space. The Stewards decided not to take any additional measures. They mentioned reviewing some technical data, but the specifics of that data remain undisclosed.

"The data aspect was intriguing, as Pecco later mentioned that the information indicated Alex didn't reduce his speed as much as one would typically anticipate during a crash."

"When two riders have an accident and are using the same bikes, the manufacturer can access data from both bikes. Ducati has definitely analyzed this data. We are aware they did the same after the Portimao incident, where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia crashed. Marc Marquez diffused the blame game by remarking, 'Ducati can review all the data…'"

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

"Another helpful feature could have been a 'visor cam' perspective, similar to what we saw from Alex Rins during the private test at Misano, to see exactly where each rider was focusing!"

"A racing incident with significant consequences occurred. Pecco was fortunate that Marc prevented Martin from securing the maximum points this weekend. Additionally, it is reassuring to know that both Pecco and Alex Marquez did not suffer any 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 confident they had data proving that Valentino had kicked Marc and planned to reveal 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 witnessed this behavior. It happened in Portugal and again during the Sprint race in Jerez. Pecco appears to struggle with choosing the right moments to engage in battles."

"We observed it happen with Marc in Portugal. Even if you couldn't see him on the exterior, you knew he would return, so why place your bike there? You should handle the corner more effectively, knowing it will lead to a collision."

"At Jerez, when he found himself squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder – you're faster than both of them, so ease off. Don't engage in the battle. It was the same situation this time."

"You observed that Alex didn't check his surroundings. He was trailing Alex when he veered off course at Turn 12. It's clear he is unaware of your presence. You are aware that Turn 13 is a tight spot where you need to make a sharp right turn. It's highly probable that Alex will be there."

"In my opinion, you need to strategize more effectively, particularly if you're competing for a championship. I'd say Alex should have checked his rear and thought, 'This is going to be close. I'll pull back and try to regain position later.' Similarly, Pecco should have considered, 'There's still plenty of time. I can make my move later.'"

"Each time this has happened, Pecco has ended up worse off and has lost points because of it. I believe Ducati should have a conversation with Pecco to advise him on choosing his battles wisely when interacting with other riders. Sometimes, securing a 4th place finish is more advantageous than ending up with no points at all."

"Pecco occasionally seems to have difficulty accepting the best possible outcome available to him. On the other hand, Martin has been content with finishing in second place in recent weeks, which has been enough for him. As a result, Martin is now leading the championship by 23 points."

Moreland responded by saying, "Pete, this situation brings to mind what happened last season between Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It's particularly unfortunate timing because Martin is performing flawlessly and consistently scoring points."

McLaren addressed a topic that everyone dislikes: team orders. He pointed out that Sunday’s race inevitably draws comparisons to previous years when other Ducati riders understood they needed to allow more space for the title contenders.

"There's some uncertainty right now because we're not far enough into the season to tell the other Ducati riders that they're mathematically out of contention and should therefore step aside in such scenarios."

“Perhaps Pecco and Martin believe that, since they are leading the championship, other Ducati riders will give them more space on the track. However, those other riders are still under the impression that they haven't received any instructions and are continuing to compete fiercely for every spot.”

"Next, we need to consider what advice should be given to Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are slightly trailing the leading pair but still have a viable shot at success."

Duncan commented, "In my opinion, Ducati should consider this issue for its own benefit. The last thing they need is another clash between Alex Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia, which could result in Martin gaining 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 have a shot at winning the championship. If you're not among them, avoid competing aggressively against them’.

"We hope to avoid this scenario, but it is a worst-case situation for Ducati as Martin is currently leading the championship. Allowing Martin to move to Aprilia while holding the number one spot is not an option for them."

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

"He didn't seem pleased at all. It was like he saw the situation and thought: Pecco's crashed out, Marc is back to winning races – a concern they had about shaking things up before letting him join Gresini – and Martin is now at the top of the championship standings."

"They need to consider that they could have retained both individuals in their team if the scenario had been handled differently and if Marc had been willing to join Pramac."

“There are several issues Ducati must address in the upcoming weeks. One crucial aspect is improving their management of the current situation, or they risk facing significant embarrassment by the end of the season.”

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