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

Should Ducati intervene following the Bagnaia and Alex Marquez clash?

Podcast: "Is there some uncertainty because the season hasn't progressed enough to tell other Ducati riders, ‘you're not in contention anymore, so you should just hold back in such situations’?"

A contentious incident late in the race on Sunday at the Aragon MotoGP resulted in both Ducati racers, Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez, missing out on a podium finish.

This also implied that the reigning champion, Bagnaia, who came to Spain with a five-point lead in the title race, 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 main focus of the race was the intense competition between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez for a spot on the podium. Bagnaia appeared to be on the verge of overtaking Marquez, seemingly only needing a bit more time. However, everything changed when an incident occurred.

"What did you think about the situation? It seems to have happened not too long ago. Clearly, both cyclists are accusing each other…"

"A disastrous weekend for Bagnaia, marking his worst performance since the Sprint format was introduced last year," commented Pete McLaren, editor at Crash.net MotoGP.

"Almost nothing went right for him: he encountered two tire problems, started qualifying on the less favorable side of the track, and to top it all off, he got into a collision just when it seemed inevitable he would overtake Alex Marquez for 3rd place."

"Alex was clearly eager to perform well in front of his local supporters and had hopes of sharing the podium with Marc, who was making a notable return. However, there simply wasn't enough space for both racers."

The issue now is who noticed whom first and who was responsible for providing more space? The Stewards decided not to take any additional measures. They mentioned reviewing certain technical data, though the specifics remain unclear.

"The data aspect was intriguing because, following the decision, Pecco mentioned that the information 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 motorcycles are involved in a collision, the manufacturer has access to the data from both bikes. This is precisely what Ducati would have reviewed. We are aware that they conducted a similar analysis after the Portimao incident, where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia crashed. Marc defused the blame game by stating, 'Ducati can view all the data…'"

"Pecco now claims that the data indicates he wasn't at fault. Did the Stewards review this data too? If they had, would their decision have been different based on what Pecco says the data reveals? It's uncertain."

Another helpful feature would have been a 'visor cam' perspective, similar to what we saw from Alex Rins during the private Misano test, 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 maximum points this weekend. The most positive aspect is that neither Pecco nor Alex Marquez suffered serious injuries."

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

MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan remarked, "I'll take a contrarian stance regarding data, as I always recall Honda in 2015. They were insistent that their data proved Valentino had kicked Marc and were ready to present it to everyone!"

"If I were to assign blame, I would place a slightly larger share on Pecco. We've witnessed similar behavior from him in the past, such as in Portugal and somewhat during the Sprint race at Jerez. Pecco appears to lack discernment in choosing his battles."

In Portugal, we witnessed it with Marc. Even if you couldn't see him from the outside, you knew he was going to re-enter, so why would you position your bike there? It's clear that it would result in a collision; you should navigate the corner more skillfully.

In Jerez, when he found himself squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder, he should have pulled back because he was faster than both of them. There was no need to engage in that battle. The same principle applied in this situation.

"You noticed that Alex didn’t check his surroundings. He was trailing behind Alex when Alex veered off course at Turn 12. It's clear that he’s unaware of your presence. You’re aware that Turn 13 is a tight spot, especially when you switch to the right. It's very likely that Alex will be in that area."

"I believe you need to be more strategic, particularly if you're aiming for the championship. In my opinion, Alex should have been more aware of his surroundings and thought, 'This is going to be close. I'll pull back and try to make a comeback later.' Similarly, Pecco should have considered, 'There's still plenty of time. I can make my move later.'"

"Every time this has happened, Pecco has ended up losing out, costing him points. I believe Ducati should have a talk with Pecco about being more strategic in his racing decisions. They should advise him that securing a 4th place finish is preferable to ending up with no points at all."

"In my opinion, Pecco occasionally has difficulty accepting the position available to him. For instance, Martin has consistently accepted second place in recent weeks when it was achievable. As a result, he currently leads the championship by 23 points."

Moreland responded, saying, “Pete, this situation is reminiscent of last year's event with Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It’s particularly unfortunate now since Martin is performing flawlessly and consistently earning points.”

"And this brings us to the dreaded topic of team orders," stated McLaren. "It's inevitable to draw comparisons between Sunday and previous years when other Ducati riders were aware of the need to make some space for the title contenders."

"There's some uncertainty right now because the season hasn't progressed enough to tell the other Ducati riders that they're out of the running statistically and should back off in this scenario."

It’s possible that Pecco and Martin believe they’ll get extra space from fellow Ducati racers since they’re leading the championship. However, the other riders are still under the impression that they haven’t received any orders to ease up, so they’re continuing to compete fiercely for every spot.

The next issue involves what advice you would give to Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are slightly trailing the leading pair but still have a viable opportunity.

Duncan commented, "In my opinion, Ducati should consider reviewing this issue for its own benefit. The last thing they want is for Alex Marquez to clash with Pecco Bagnaia again, which could result in Martin gaining more points as Marc leads the race."

“We've observed how the fan base can become quite toxic in such scenarios, believing things like 'this was sabotage' and similar accusations.”

"Ducati should take initiative 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, don't compete aggressively against them.'"

"Ducati is in a tough spot with Martin at the top of the championship standings. It's a worst-case scenario for them, as they can't allow Martin to move to Aprilia while holding the number one position."

"I found it intriguing to observe Gigi Dall’Igna's reaction once Marc finished. He appeared quite… distressed. It seemed like he was carrying a heavy burden."

"He didn't seem pleased at all. It was as though he saw the situation and thought: Pecco is out of the race, Marc is securing victories – which initially caused some concern about disrupting the balance before they let him join Gresini – and Martin is ahead in the championship standings."

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

"Ducati has quite a bit to consider in the coming weeks, and one crucial aspect is their need to improve how they handle the current situation. If they don't, they risk embarrassing themselves by the season's end."

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