So the question is then did he choose the wrong tyre or was he riding too aggressively on the correct tyre?
Tyre choice. It may be as simple as that. However, it was interesting to hear [last year] the tyre gm mention a 2.00 bar for the front and 1.70 to 1.80 bar for the rear. And when he said 'for any track' they go to, I learned a little about the black art. Experience wise, just a change in pressure brings back a different pattern on the tyres. Things like gumballing all around the tire, and not at the edge. A Cheese Grader pattern with no gumball present. Rainbow burns or a shine to the surface. All those are tyre pressure induced. 0.138 bar is a huge jump in wear patterns. Divide the bar in half and look at the range between the two. So it's back to the black art and things like tyre pressures between manu's. Some call for another bar for front and rear settings. Compound choices are the other hurtles you cross. So the pressure variable at the front says if the tire would have lasted? We'll never know. I'm just guessing at it, empirically.
Riding styles become the standard more or less. The boot edges being ground away before the pegs hit. The bike remains more upright so the knee down becomes the feelers. The 'elbows' out and Spies comes to mind. Now the elbow tucked in and MM's style becomes the standard. The next sort of standard started with the rear backing in. Now we are witnessing the front and rear simultaneously drifting together, and are we calling this aggressive riding or following the standard?
If you want to see this done correctly, try and find the 2013 Jerez race of the stk600 WSB race. That or watch the WSB race this weekend and check Kyle Smith's style. That standard is now 6 years old. Not many can do it. Zarco can and follows the standard.
In my opinion take this variable out of the picture and get everyone on the same rubber. Then the best rider/bike combination shines through.
(cough) If you watch the press conference, check out the hats they are wearing. We might say the cream came to the top. Well, sort of. Dovi doesn't hold the records like the other two, but he's stuck it out for a long time and I'll give him that. Oh'shit I did it again. That's going to leave a bad taste we have rubber in place and guess who showed up to your 'everybody on the same tires' party?
I recall this being the second year for mich to be motogp's tire sponsor. For how many more years I don't recall. Now that you mention it, everyone should be on bar without pressure breakouts. So the front ends run 2.00 bar, etc. But do you really think they all run the same factory recommend bar no matter the track?
