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

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

Podcast: “Is there some uncertainty since it's still early in the season to tell other Ducati riders that they have no mathematical chance and should hold back in such situations?”

A contentious incident late in the race on Sunday at the Aragon MotoGP saw Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez collide, resulting in both Ducati riders losing their spots on the podium.

This also implied that reigning champion Bagnaia, who came to Spain with a five-point lead, departed the country injured and trailing Jorge Martin by 23 points.

In the most recent episode of the MotoGP podcast on Crash.net, host Jordan Moreland inquired:

"The race was abuzz with excitement over the intense duel between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez for a spot on the podium. Bagnaia seemed poised to overtake Marquez—it felt inevitable. But then, the unexpected occurred."

“What did you think about the situation? I believe it happened not too long ago. Clearly, both cyclists are accusing each other…”

Crash.net MotoGP editor Pete McLaren commented on Bagnaia's disastrous weekend, noting that it was his worst performance since the introduction of the Sprint format last year.

"Nearly everything went awry for him, from experiencing two tire problems to starting on the less favorable side of the track during qualifying. To top it all off, he got into a collision just when it seemed inevitable that he would overtake Alex Marquez for 3rd place."

"It's clear that Alex was competing in front of his local supporters and was aiming to possibly stand alongside Marc on the podium during his remarkable return. Therefore, it's understandable that he was reluctant to relinquish his position, and ultimately, there simply wasn't sufficient space for both of them."

The issue now is, who noticed the other first? And who was responsible for making more space? The Stewards decided not to take any additional steps. According to them, they reviewed some technical data, but the specifics are unclear.

"The data aspect was intriguing because Pecco later mentioned that the information suggested Alex might not have slowed down as much as one would typically anticipate in a crash situation."

"When two riders from the same team are involved in an accident, the manufacturer can analyze the data for both bikes. This is precisely what Ducati has done. They conducted a similar review after the Portimao incident, where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia collided. To clarify who was responsible, Marc casually mentioned, 'Ducati has access to all the data…'"

"Pecco is now claiming that the data indicates he wasn't at fault. Did the Stewards review this information too? Would their decision have been different if they had seen what Pecco refers to in the data? It's uncertain."

"Another helpful addition would have been the 'visor cam' footage we saw from Alex Rins during the private test at Misano, which showed us exactly where each rider was focusing their attention!"

"A racing event with significant consequences. Pecco caught a break when Marc prevented Martin from securing the highest points this weekend, and the most positive update is that both Pecco and Alex Marquez avoided serious injuries."

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

“I’ll play the role of Devil's advocate regarding data for a moment. Whenever data is mentioned, my mind goes straight to Honda in 2015. They confidently claimed they had data proving 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 hold Pecco more responsible. This isn't the first time we've observed this behavior. It happened in Portugal and we noticed it again during the Sprint race at Jerez. Pecco appears to struggle with choosing the right moments to engage in conflicts."

"We witnessed a similar situation involving Marc in Portugal. Even if it wasn't immediately visible, it was clear that he would re-enter the track. So, why would you position your bike there? It's obvious that would lead to a collision; you should navigate the corner more strategically."

"In Jerez, when he ended up squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder – you were faster than both of them, so just back off. There's no need to engage in the battle. This situation was similar to that one."

"You observed that Alex didn't check his surroundings. He was trailing Alex when Alex veered off course at Turn 12. You've noticed that he's unaware of your presence. You know that Turn 13 is a constricted spot, especially when you switch to the right. It's very likely that Alex will be there."

"In my opinion, strategic gameplay is crucial, particularly for those competing for a championship. I believe Alex should have been more aware of his surroundings and thought, 'This is going to be close. I'll pull back and look for another opportunity to make my move.' Similarly, Pecco should have considered, 'There's still enough time left. I can make my move later.'"

"Each time this has happened, Pecco has ended up suffering the most and losing points as a result. In my opinion, Ducati should have a conversation with Pecco and advise him to be more strategic when interacting with other riders. They should tell him, ‘If we end up in 4th place today, it's still better than finishing without any points’."

"Pecco often seems to have a hard time accepting the position he can secure. In contrast, Martin, over the past few weeks, has consistently taken second place when it was available to him. As a result, he now leads the championship by 23 points."

Moreland responded by saying, "Pete, this situation is similar to what happened last season with Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans. It's especially unfortunate now because Martin is performing flawlessly and scoring consistently."

"And this brings us to the topic we all dislike: team orders," stated McLaren. "It's hard not to draw parallels between Sunday and previous years when other Ducati riders understood they needed to provide the title contenders with a bit more space."

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

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

"Another point to consider is what advice you would give to Marc Marquez and Bastianini. Although they trail the leading duo, they still have a credible opportunity."

Duncan suggested that Ducati should examine the situation for its benefit. He expressed concern that another collision between Alex Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia could result in Martin scoring more points, while Marc remains in the lead.

"We've witnessed how toxic the fan base can become in such scenarios, believing things like 'this was sabotage' and so on."

"Ducati must take the lead and declare: 'These are our contenders for the title. These are the riders capable of winning the championship. If you are not among them, do not compete aggressively against them.'"

"It's a scenario Ducati wants to avoid at all costs: Martin is currently leading the championship, and they can't afford to let him switch to Aprilia while holding the top spot."

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

"He didn't seem pleased at all. It was as though he saw the situation and thought: Pecco is down, Marc is securing victories – which they had concerns about disrupting the balance before permitting him to join Gresini initially – and Martin is at the top of the championship standings."

"They need to consider that they could have had both of those individuals on their team if the circumstances had been handled differently and if Marc had been willing to join Pramac."

"In my view, Ducati has a great deal to address in the upcoming weeks, and one critical aspect is that they need to handle the current circumstances much more effectively, or they risk facing significant embarrassment by the end of the season."

Discover More

Breaking News

Breaking News

Website Navigation

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

It is prohibited to reproduce text, photos, or illustrations, either in whole or in part, in any manner.