To be clear, Valentino’s imo frankly delusional view of MM and the events of 2015, and inability to let go nigh on 10 years after having the 2015 title “stolen” (reminds me of someone else come to think of it) again imo pretty much invalidates anything he says about MM, and rather than backing his own riders who haven’t been in any way disregarded by Ducati as I said, I see this differently than you and as yet another petty minded shot at MM, of a pattern with similar digs he continues to make given the most casual of opportunities. When is the last time MM felt the need to mention Valentino Rossi ?.
Whatever Ducati’s rider recruitment policy is, and to me it would seem to be whatever Gigi decides it is at at any given point in time, I am not aware of them committing in blood to only having young riders they have developed themselves forever, and as above don’t see how any of Valentino’s riders have been disregarded. Ducati have signed one rider, the status of whom only one other rider on the current grid can match even given 4 seasons including this one to do so, rather than abandoning any youth policy they might have in general in any case, they already have Aldeguer in the pipeline and have made the VR46 team their main satellite team apparently significantly because of the pipeline to the VR 46 academy. Whatever Yamaha’s policy was, and I would regard it as having been somewhat fluid as Gigi’s is, Valentino objected to them signing a young prospect in Jorge Lorenzo whom they had absolutely correctly rated very highly, and had no trouble occupying a factory Yamaha seat himself when well past his best as I also said. Hence I still see hypocrisy in him criticising Ducati for signing MM with the implication it is partly political/based on his status in the sport and past achievements, particularly given that MM took a leap into the kdark in going to Gresini, and that Gigi /Ducati had rather comprehensive data on the basis of which to evaluate his performance vs other Ducati riders.
In addition, some of the “more neutral” parties as you put it who have criticised MM’s signing are also clearly influenced by VR’s narrative about 2015, the Pramac guy/Campinoti for one, who straight out said there was widespread dislike of MM among those associated with Ducati because of the events of 2015. I wonder why MM didn’t want to sign with Pramac ?. I reject that narrative about 2015 as I have made rather clear and it does indeed trigger me, or again as you put it “get my hormones pumping” when it is brought up yet again, as Crash did in the article in which Valentino was quoted.
To what degree MM will justify being signed to the factory seat I agree is uncertain, even I as a fan am not sure how much he retains of the ability he had at his peak, or how much of that ability he can employ if he does still have it on a bike fairly specifically designed to negate that ability. As far as the riders they have “lost”, I rightly or wrongly don’t see Martin as quite having all time great potential, and they have obviously kept one rider who fairly clearly does have such potential in Bagnaia. If they have let another such rider go it is more likely to be Bastianini than Martin imo, but circumstances particularly injuries and perhaps a Ducati which didn’t suit him in the GP23 have conspired against him.
As an aside, I had my own theory about Jorge Lorenzo being signed and VR leaving Yamaha back in the day, and you are I am sure better informed than I was. I always wondered whether Valentino more or less told Yamaha he was leaving to go car racing, then changed his mind and decided to pursue the magical 8th/10th title. I recall some statements from VR which suggested this, such as a remaining ambition being to beat Casey Stoner 2 times out of 3.
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