**Title: Ducati’s Dilemma: Managing Intra-Team Rivalries After Bagnaia-Marquez Clash at Aragon MotoGP**

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

Podcast Discussion: “Is there some uncertainty because it's too early in the season to tell other Ducati riders, 'you're out of the running mathematically, so hold back in such situations’?"

On Sunday, a contentious collision in the final stages of the Aragon MotoGP between Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez resulted in both Ducati riders missing out on a podium finish.

This also implied that reigning champion Bagnaia, who had come with a five-point lead in the title race, departed Spain 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 main highlight of the race was the intense competition between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez for a podium finish. Bagnaia seemed poised to overtake Marquez; it appeared inevitable. But then, an incident occurred.

"How did you perceive the situation? It seems to have happened not too long ago. Clearly, both riders are pointing fingers at each other…"

Crash.net MotoGP editor Pete McLaren commented that Bagnaia had a disastrous weekend, marking his poorest performance since the introduction of the Sprint format last year.

"Practically everything went awry for him — from the two tire problems to qualifying on the less favorable side of the track. To top it all off, he had a collision right when it seemed inevitable that he would secure third place from Alex Marquez."

"Clearly, Alex was competing in front of his local supporters and hoping to possibly share the podium with Marc during his remarkable return. As expected, Alex was reluctant to concede his position, and ultimately, there simply wasn't sufficient space for both racers."

The issue now is, who noticed the other first? And who was supposed to provide more space? The Stewards concluded that no additional measures were needed. They mentioned reviewing some technical data, though the specifics remain unclear.

"The data aspect was intriguing because, following the decision, Pecco mentioned that the data indicated Alex might not have slowed down as much as one would anticipate from a rider involved in a crash."

When two riders on identical motorcycles are involved in an accident, the manufacturer can access and review the data from both bikes. Ducati has certainly done this. They also analyzed the data after the Portimao incident, where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia crashed. Marc made a casual remark to end the debate about who was responsible, stating, ‘Ducati can see all the data…’

"Pecco is now claiming that the data exonerates him. But the question remains: did the Stewards have access to this information? And if they did, 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 Misano test, allowing us to see where each rider was focusing their attention!"

"A significant event occurred on the racetrack, with major consequences. Pecco was fortunate that Marc prevented Martin from securing the highest points this weekend. The most positive update is that both Pecco and Alex Marquez escaped without serious injuries."

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

“I’m going to challenge the data somewhat, as whenever data is mentioned, I immediately recall Honda in 2015. They were firmly convinced they had data proving Valentino had kicked Marc and planned to reveal it publicly!” stated MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan.

"If I had to assign blame, I would attribute a bit more to Pecco. We've witnessed similar behavior from him previously, like in Portugal and somewhat 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. Even if you couldn't see him from the outside, it was clear he would return to the inside. So why place your bike there? It's obvious that would result in a collision. Handle the corner more skillfully."

In Jerez, when he found himself caught between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder – you were faster than both of them, so pull back. Don’t engage in a battle. The same advice applies to this situation.

"You noticed Alex didn't check his surroundings. When Alex veered off course at Turn 12, he was trailing behind. It's clear he wasn't aware of your position. Turn 13 is a tight spot when you make the sharp right turn, and it's very likely Alex will be there."

"I believe you need to be more strategic, particularly if you're competing for a championship. Alex should have checked his rear and thought, 'This is going to be close. I'll pull back and try to counter later.' Similarly, Pecco should have realized, 'There's still time. I can make my move later.'"

"On each of those instances I've discussed, Pecco has ended up in a worse position and has lost points as a result. I believe Ducati should have a conversation with Pecco and advise him to choose his battles wisely when interacting with other riders. Sometimes, securing a 4th place finish is preferable to ending 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 he can achieve, which has allowed him to take a 23-point lead in the championship."

Moreland responded, “Pete, this situation is similar to last season’s issue with Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It’s unfortunate timing since Martin is performing flawlessly and consistently earning points.”

“That brings us to the dreaded topic of team orders,” McLaren remarked. “It's hard not to draw comparisons between Sunday’s race and previous years when it was clear that other Ducati riders would create more space for the title contenders.”

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

"It’s possible that Pecco and Martin, as they lead the championship, believe other Ducati racers might give them more space on the track. However, those other riders are likely thinking, ‘We haven’t received any instructions yet, so we’re still competing fiercely for every spot.’"

Another consideration is what advice you would give to Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are slightly trailing the leading duo but still have a viable opportunity.

Duncan mentioned that Ducati should evaluate the situation for its benefit. He expressed concern about the potential risk of Alex Marquez having another collision with Pecco Bagnaia, which could inadvertently allow Martin to gain more points, especially if Marc is leading the race.

"We've observed how extremely toxic the fan base can become in those scenarios, when they believe ‘this occurred, sabotage and so on’."

“Ducati must 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, do not compete aggressively against them’.”

"We certainly don't want that scenario, but it's a terrible situation for Ducati with Martin currently at the top of the championship. They can't afford to let Martin switch to Aprilia while holding the number one position."

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

The man did not seem pleased at all. It was as though he observed the situation and thought: Pecco is off track, Marc is securing victories—which had initially caused some concern about disturbing the balance before they permitted him to join Gresini—and Martin is at the top of the championship standings.

"They need to consider that they could have kept both of those riders under their team if the circumstances had been handled in another way and if Marc had been willing to join Pramac."

"Ducati has a good deal to consider over the coming weeks, and one crucial aspect is that they must handle the circumstances more effectively, or they might face embarrassment by the season's end."

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