**Title: Ducati’s Dilemma: Should They Intervene After Bagnaia-Marquez Clash?**

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

Podcast Discussion: "Is there some uncertainty because we're still early in the season, making it premature to tell other Ducati riders that they're no longer in contention and should therefore hold back in such scenarios?"

The contentious incident involving Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez during the final stages of Sunday’s Aragon MotoGP resulted in both Ducati riders losing their chance to finish on the podium.

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, with the outcome appearing inevitable. Then, unexpectedly, an incident occurred.

“What’s your perspective on the situation? It seems to have happened not long ago. Clearly, both riders are pointing fingers at one another…”

"A disastrous weekend for Bagnaia, marking his poorest performance in an event since the introduction of the Sprint format last year," commented Pete McLaren, editor at Crash.net MotoGP.

"Nearly everything went haywire for him: he had two tire problems, started qualifying on the less favorable side of the track, and to top it all off, got into a collision when it seemed he was poised to take third 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. Consequently, you can understand he was reluctant to concede, and ultimately, there simply wasn't enough space for both of them."

The issue at hand is determining who observed whom and who should have allowed more space. The Stewards decided not to take any additional measures. They mentioned reviewing some technical data, though the specifics remain unclear.

"The data aspect was intriguing because when Pecco later commented on the decision, he asserted that the data indicated that Alex might not have slowed down as much as one would typically anticipate in the event of a collision."

"When two riders are involved in an accident and are using the same type of motorcycle, the manufacturer has access to the data for both bikes. This is precisely what Ducati would have reviewed. We are aware that they conducted a similar analysis following the incident at Portimao, where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia crashed. Marc tried to defuse the blame game by mentioning that 'Ducati can see all the data…'"

"Pecco now claims that the data proves he wasn't at fault. Did the Stewards have access to this information too? If they had seen the data Pecco mentions, would their decision have been different? It's uncertain."

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

"A racing incident with significant consequences. Pecco got lucky because Marc prevented Martin from earning the maximum points this weekend. The best part is that neither Pecco nor Alex Marquez suffered serious injuries."

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

MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan mentioned, "I’ll take a contrarian stance on the topic of data. Whenever data is mentioned, I immediately recall Honda in 2015. They were confident they had evidence showing Valentino kicking Marc and planned to reveal it to everyone!"

"If I were to assign blame, I would allocate a bit more to Pecco. We've witnessed similar situations previously—in Portugal and somewhat during the Sprint race at Jerez. It appears that Pecco struggles with choosing the right moments to engage in battles."

In Portugal, we observed Marc. Even if you couldn't spot him from the outside, you knew he would re-enter. So, why would you place your bike there? It's clear that would result in a collision; you should maneuver the corner more effectively.

In Jerez, when he found himself squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder, it was clear he had more speed than both of them. The advice was to pull back and not engage in the battle. The same principle applied in this situation.

"Observing Alex, it’s clear he didn’t check his surroundings. He followed Alex closely as he veered off course at Turn 12. It's evident that Alex was unaware of his presence. You’re aware that Turn 13 is a critical spot where you need to make a quick right turn. It’s highly probable that Alex will be in that area."

"In my opinion, you need to be more strategic, particularly when you're in contention for the championship. I'd say Alex should have checked his position and thought, 'This is going to be close. I should pull back and try to make a move later.' Similarly, Pecco should have considered that there was still time and thought, 'I can still make it happen.'"

"Pecco has ended up on the losing side and lost points in all the instances I've referred to. I believe Ducati should have a conversation with Pecco about being more strategic in his interactions with other riders, emphasizing 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 results available to him. In contrast, Martin, over the past few weeks, has consistently secured second place when it was achievable. As a result, he now leads the championship by 23 points."

Moreland responded, stating, "Pete, this situation is similar to what happened last season with Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It's unfortunate timing, especially since Martin has been performing consistently without errors and accumulating points."

McLaren commented, “This brings up the issue we all dislike: team orders. It's hard not to compare Sunday’s events with previous years, when other Ducati riders were aware they needed to allow more 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 have no chance mathematically, so they should stand down in that scenario."

"Perhaps Pecco and Martin believe that, given their leading positions in the championship, other Ducati riders will give them more space on the track. However, those other riders are operating under the notion that, since no instructions have been given, they are still competing fiercely for every spot."

Additionally, one must consider what advice to offer Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are trailing slightly behind the leading duo yet remain within reach of contention.

Duncan stated that Ducati should review the situation for its benefit. He stressed the importance of avoiding another confrontation between Alex Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia, which could lead to Martin earning more points while Marc remains in the lead.

“We've observed how toxic the fan community can become in these 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 can secure the championship. If you're not among them, don't compete aggressively against them.'"

"We hope to avoid this scenario, but it is a troubling situation for Ducati with Martin at the top of the championship standings. They can't afford to let Martin switch to Aprilia while holding the number one spot."

"I found it intriguing to observe Gigi Dall’Igna's reaction after 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 as though he saw the situation and thought: Pecco is off the track, Marc is securing victories—which was a concern initially about disrupting the balance before letting him join Gresini—and Martin is at the top of the championship standings."

"They must consider that if the circumstances had been handled differently and if Marc had been willing to join Pramac, we could have had both of those riders with us."

"Ducati has a lot to consider in the upcoming weeks, particularly how they handle the current situation. If they don't manage it well, they might face embarrassment by the end of the season."

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