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

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

Podcast discussion: "Is there some uncertainty because it’s still early in the season to tell other Ducati racers, ‘you’re no longer in contention, so hold back in such scenarios’?"

Sunday's contentious incident late in the race between Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez at the Aragon MotoGP resulted in both Ducati riders losing their spots on the final podium.

This also implied that, despite starting with a five-point lead in the title race, the defending champion Bagnaia 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, posed the question:

"The main highlight of the race was the intense duel between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez for a podium finish. Bagnaia seemed poised to overtake Marquez, appearing to be just a matter of time before he did. However, an incident then 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 disastrous weekend for Bagnaia, marking his worst performance since the introduction of the Sprint format last year," stated Pete McLaren, the MotoGP editor at Crash.net.

"Virtually 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, there was 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 was eager to possibly share the podium with Marc during his remarkable return. Therefore, it’s understandable that he was reluctant to concede, ultimately resulting in insufficient space for both riders.”

"The issue now is, who noticed the other first? And who was responsible for making space? The Stewards decided not to take any additional measures. They mentioned reviewing some technical data, though the specifics are unclear."

“The data aspect was intriguing because, after the decision was made, Pecco mentioned that the data indicated Alex might not have slowed down as much as one would typically expect from a rider involved in a collision.

"When two riders experience a crash while riding identical bikes, the manufacturer can review data from both vehicles. Ducati definitely did this. We are aware they did the same after the Portimao incident involving Marc Marquez and Bagnaia. In that case, Marc Marquez made a brief statement suggesting that Ducati could analyze the data to determine who was responsible."

"Pecco is now claiming that the data exonerates him. But did the Stewards have access to this information too? If they had reviewed the data Pecco refers to, could it have influenced their decision? It's uncertain."

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

A racing accident occurred with significant consequences. Fortunately for Pecco, Marc prevented Martin from securing the highest points possible this weekend. The most positive aspect is that neither Pecco nor Alex Marquez sustained serious injuries.

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

"I'll take a contrarian view concerning data, because every time someone mentions data, I immediately recall Honda in 2015. They were confident they had evidence that Valentino had kicked Marc and planned to reveal it to everyone," stated MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan.

"If I had to assign blame, I would place a bit more on Pecco. We've observed this behavior from him before, notably in Portugal and somewhat during the Sprint race at Jerez. Pecco doesn't appear to have a clear sense of when to engage in battles."

"In Portugal, we observed the situation with Marc. Even if you couldn't see him from the outside, it was clear he would re-enter the track. So, why place your bike there? It's obvious that would lead to a collision. Tackle the corner more skillfully."

"In Jerez, when he found himself squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder, it was clear that he was faster than both of them. He should have eased off and not engaged in the fight. The same principle applied in this situation."

“It’s clear that Alex didn’t check his surroundings. He was trailing Alex when Alex went off track at Turn 12. It’s evident that he’s unaware of your presence. You’re aware that Turn 13 is a critical spot where you make a right turn. And Alex is most likely going to be in that position.

"In my opinion, when you're competing for the championship, you need to be more strategic. Alex should have checked his surroundings and considered stepping back to find another opportunity to overtake. Similarly, Pecco should have realized there was still time to make a move and played it safe."

"During each of the instances I've referred to, Pecco has ended up in the worst position and lost points as a result. I believe Ducati should have a conversation with Pecco to advise him on choosing his battles more wisely when interacting with other riders. They might suggest that securing a 4th place finish is preferable to ending the race without any points."

"I believe Pecco occasionally has difficulty accepting the position he's in. In contrast, Martin has recently been consistently securing second place when that's what's available, and as a result, he's now leading the championship by 23 points."

Moreland responded, saying, "Pete, this situation is reminiscent of last season's incident involving Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It's especially unfortunate timing because Martin is performing flawlessly and consistently earning points."

"And this brings us to the topic we all dread: team orders," McLaren remarked. "It's inevitable to draw comparisons between Sunday's race and previous years, where other Ducati riders understood they needed to allow more space for the championship contenders."

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

"Perhaps Pecco and Martin believe that, being frontrunners in the championship, other Ducati riders will give them more space on the track. However, those other riders are actually thinking, 'We haven’t received any instructions to hold back, so we’re still competing fiercely for every spot.'"

"Additionally, there's the matter of what advice you would offer to Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are slightly trailing the leading pair but still possess a viable opportunity."

Duncan mentioned, "In my opinion, Ducati should evaluate this situation for its benefit. The last thing they need is a repeat collision between Alex Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia, which could allow Martin to gain more points while Marc leads the race."

"We've observed how toxic the fan base can become in those circumstances, when they believe 'this happened, sabotage, and so on'."

"Ducati should take the initiative and identify the main title contenders, stating: 'These are the riders who can compete for the championship. If you aren't among them, don't push them too hard in races.'"

"We hope to avoid this scenario, but it's a troubling situation for Ducati with Martin currently ahead in the championship. They can't afford to let Martin switch to Aprilia while holding the top position."

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

"He did not seem pleased at all. It was like he saw the situation and thought: Pecco has crashed, Marc is back to winning races—which they were concerned might disrupt the balance before letting him join Gresini—and Martin is at the top of the championship standings."

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

"In my opinion, Ducati has a number of issues to address in the coming weeks. One major concern is their need to improve how they handle the current situation, or they risk facing significant embarrassment by the end of the season."

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