Don't think it was a dud.
My opinion is the Ducati was destined to struggle around Phillip Island because the circuit pretty much forces the bikes to be leaned over continually from the Doohan Corner all the way through turn 12. The Gardner Straight is the only real time the bike stays on the tire center for any sustained time to let the heat dissipate from the tire. The rest of the circuit is constantly loading the tire, something that does not play well to the Ducati at all because they haven't figured out how to design a chassis that works well with their engine configuration. Though I suspect had Stoner ridden the GP17, he would have done as well as he ever did at Phillip Island since it would have probably been extremely loose, something that does not play to any of their rider's strengths. Hence where the winglets come in most everywhere else, they provide much needed stability to cover up the chassis deficiencies that I mentioned in the MM GOAT topic.
No one really wants to admit Dovizioso is only where he is because of the winglets. He'll be fine at Malaysia next weekend because there is plenty of time to cool down the outside of the tire carcass unlike at Phillip Island. It's why they do great at drag strip circuits like the Red Bull Ring and not so good now at PI where it's all about cornering speeds. Engineering sacrifices were made in favor of the winglets, and well, also with the hopes Yamaha and Honda would cannibalize each other enough. Gigi practically was praying for MM to crash out of races, and he may still get his wish at Sepang. But the nice thing is MM doesn't need to win the grand prix there. He can ride to P2 or even less depending on where Dovizioso goes. Though the stronger the Yamaha's are, the better that is for MM since he can just ride to position rather than take excessive risks.
Whether Jum is trolling or not with his 'Dovi is better than MM' comments as of late, it's hilarious to read since everyone knows MM was given for 2 years running the worst of the three major factory bikes. I still remember that wheel spin coming out of the final corner at Losail in 2015 and 2016 that people have forgotten about. HRC didn't get the RC213V sorted out till this summer. You do what you have to do to win. Ducati wants to continue with their 90° V4 with Desmodromic valves, and that is fine. But to win at this level consistently, it's not the right package. You guys are too caught up in the artisanal Ducati ......... That line of thinking was what led the Scuderia Ferrari teams of yore to hold onto their V12's well into the 1990s when the engines were liabilities due to weight and fuel consumption penalties.
Dovizioso is not an alien. He's a nice likable guy who people want to see win a title. He could still win in spite of the points deficit, but if he wins it's not going to be because he was somehow more talented than MM. I've already said MM is of another level of talent altogether. He pretty much ...... with the entire field today with his pace. Dovizioso doesn't have the requisite ability to do anything like that unless it is in the rain. It's the sort of thing Vale used to do once upon a time when we were all much younger and the competition wasn't what it was now. Phillip Island is great for giving an idea of what talent is, and yes you still need a halfway decent machine underneath you. I think it showed us more than anything what the reality of the Ducati is and regardless of what the title outcome is, they need to seriously consider their engine configuration for the future IMO if they want to be a serious threat to the Japanese hegemony in this series.
