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

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

Podcast discussion: "Is there some uncertainty because the season hasn't progressed enough to tell other Ducati riders that they have no mathematical chance and should therefore back off in such situations?"

During Sunday’s Aragon MotoGP, a contentious collision in the closing stages of the race involving Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez resulted in both Ducati riders losing their positions on the podium.

This also signified that Bagnaia, who came to Spain with a five-point advantage in the championship standings, departed not only physically injured but also 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 fierce competition between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez for a spot on the podium. Bagnaia seemed poised to overtake Marquez; it appeared inevitable. But then, an unexpected event took place.

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

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

"Nearly everything went awry for him: two tire problems, starting the race from the less favorable side of the track, and, to top it all off, a crash when it seemed inevitable that he would overtake Alex Marquez for 3rd place."

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

"The issue now is, who noticed whom first? And who was responsible for creating more space? The Stewards decided not to take any additional measures. They mentioned reviewing certain machine data, but the specifics remain unclear."

"The data aspect was intriguing, as Pecco later mentioned after the ruling that the data indicated Alex might not have slowed down as much as one would typically expect a rider to do in a crash."

"When two riders on identical motorcycles are involved in a mishap, the manufacturer can access data for both. That's precisely what Ducati would have done. It was evident after Portimao, where Marc Marquez and Bagnaia had a collision. Marc downplayed the blame issue by remarking, 'Ducati has access to all the data…'"

"Pecco is now claiming that the data indicates he wasn't at fault. But did the Stewards have access to this information too? If they had reviewed what Pecco asserts was evident in the data, would it have made a difference? It's uncertain."

Another helpful addition would have been the 'visor cam' perspective we saw from Alex Rins during the private Misano test, which showed where each rider was looking.

"A collision on the track had significant consequences. Fortunately for Pecco, Marc prevented Martin from securing the highest points this weekend. The most important update is that both Pecco and Alex Marquez escaped without major injuries."

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

MotoGP journalist Lewis Duncan remarked, “I’m going to challenge the data a bit here, because whenever data is mentioned, I immediately recall Honda in 2015. They were confident they had data proving that Valentino had kicked Marc and were prepared to present it to everyone!”

"If I were to assign blame, I would place slightly more of it on Pecco. We've witnessed similar behavior from him previously, such as in Portugal and during the Sprint race at Jerez. Pecco appears to struggle with choosing the right moments to engage in battles."

"We observed a similar situation with Marc in Portugal. Even if you couldn't see him from the outside, it was clear he would return to the racing line, so placing your bike there was unwise. It was inevitable that there would be contact. Navigating the corner more strategically would have been better."

In Jerez, he found himself squeezed between Bezzecchi and Brad Binder. He was faster than both of them, so he should have just pulled back instead of engaging in the fight. The same thing happened this time.

"It was clear that Alex didn't check his surroundings. He was trailing Alex when the latter veered off course at Turn 12. It's evident he wasn't aware of your presence. You also know that Turn 13 is a tight spot when you make the right turn. It's highly probable that Alex will be there."

"In my opinion, players need to strategize more effectively, particularly when they are competing for a championship. Alex might have benefited from glancing behind and considering, 'This is going to be close. I'll step back now and look for another opportunity to make my move.' Similarly, Pecco could have thought, 'There's still plenty of time to make this happen.' "

"In every instance I've referred to, Pecco has ended up with the short end of the stick, losing valuable points. I believe Ducati should have a discussion with Pecco about choosing 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 appears to occasionally have difficulty accepting the position he can achieve. In contrast, Martin has consistently secured second place in recent weeks when that was the best possible result for him. As a result, Martin now leads the championship by 23 points."

Moreland responded, “Pete, this situation is similar to the one involving Bagnaia and Vinales at Le Mans last season. It’s unfortunate timing since Martin has been performing flawlessly and consistently scoring points."

McLaren pointed out, “This brings us to the topic we all dislike: team orders. It's hard not to draw parallels between Sunday's race and previous years when other Ducati riders understood they needed to leave more space for the championship contenders.”

“There’s some uncertainty right now, as it’s still early in the season to tell the other Ducati riders that they’re out of contention and should hold back in such scenarios.”

"Perhaps Pecco and Martin believe they will receive extra leeway from fellow Ducati riders since they are leading the championship race. However, those other riders are under the impression that no instructions have been issued, so they continue to compete fiercely for every spot."

"Next, consider what advice you would give to Marc Marquez and Bastianini, who are just behind the leading duo but still have a feasible opportunity."

Duncan commented, "I believe Ducati needs to consider 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 while Marc leads the race."

"We've observed how the fan base can become rather toxic in such scenarios, believing things like 'this occurred due to sabotage and so on.'"

Ducati should take a proactive stance and declare: ‘These are our contenders for the title. These are the riders who can clinch the championship. If you're not among them, don't compete aggressively against them.’

"We definitely don't want this scenario, but it's a worst-case situation for Ducati with Martin at the top of the championship standings. They absolutely can't allow Martin to 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… distressed. There seemed to be something heavily burdening him."

"He did not seem pleased at all. It was as if he had seen the situation and thought: Pecco has crashed, Marc is claiming victories – a concern they had about disrupting the balance before letting him join Gresini – and Martin is at the top of the championship standings."

"They need to 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 on our team."

"There are numerous issues that Ducati must address in the upcoming weeks. One key aspect is improving their management of the current situation, or they risk facing significant embarrassment by the end of the season."

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