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Sky Sports lead commentator David Croft, has shared a message with Max Verstappen fans, expressing that he has a 'good relationship' with the Dutch driver, contrary to popular belief. The Briton made this comment in reply to criticism he received from fans online after a question he posed to Verstappen at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
David Croft, or Crofty, as he is known to the fans, asked Max Verstappen about his future at Red Bull Racing during the Thursday press conference ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP. This came amid a statement from Helmut Marko that they fear that the 27-year-old could potentially be on his way out of Red Bull soon.
Speaking to The Times, Crofty revealed that he received backlash from a few Verstappen fans online, after he tried to get an answer out of Max Verstappen, and the driver jokingly told him to 'focus on commentating'. The 54-year-old claims that some of Verstappen's fans 'attacked him' for the question, but explained that he actually has a good relationship with the 4x F1 world champion.
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"Max and I have a really good relationship, I’ve known him from the outset. We’ve never rowed about anything, he’s never come to me and gone, ‘I don’t like what you said’." said Crofty.
“[But] some of the Max fans pick up on that and then just blame me for the question. That’s my job — people just choose to attack me. Fine. You can attack me as much as you want. I’ll be there at the next press conference, and it’s not going to put me off asking the question." he added.
Croft first began commentating on F1 back in 2006, as he joined BBC Radio 5's live coverage as the commentator. But the Briton has been the Sky Sports lead commentator from 2012 onwards, and has risen to become the voice of F1 in his time covering the sport.
David Croft ranks 2021 Abu Dhabi shootout between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton as his most memorable moment
David Croft ranked the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton went head to head for the drivers' title, as his most memorable moment in his career. The Briton expressed that narrating the race where the championship changed hands on the last lap unexpectedly was a huge challenge.
Speaking to The Times, the Sky commentator shared the challenges he faced while covering the controversial event.
“Being in the thick of it, entrusted to deliver a commentary that everyone could follow. I’m not expecting it, because ten laps from the end Lewis was cruising to an eighth world title. said Crofty.
“We must have handled it well, we won a Bafta for it. What an adrenaline moment." he added.
Croft also provided a glimpse into his thinking while covering a historic moment such as the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as he shared that he has to deliver a line which will be 'replayed over and over again'. He also mentioned that many iconic moments in recent F1 history will have his voice attached to them, which he claims to find 'weird'.
