F1 pundit names his FAVOURITE MOMENT in the sport
F1 pundit names his FAVOURITE MOMENT in the sport
Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft has listed the last lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021 as his favourite moment as a commentator.
The broadcaster has been commentating on Formula 1 for Sky Sports since 2012, and has seen so much drama and so many brilliant world championship battles, but 2021 was surely the best.
An up-and-down season in which seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and the young, supremely talented Max Verstappen traded race win after race win resulted in them going into the final race of the season level on points, both needing simply to finish ahead of the other.
In the end, the race was decided on the very last lap of the season, with Verstappen overtaking Hamilton and claiming his first world championship title, cruelly snatching away what would have been a record eighth title for Hamilton.
READ MORE: Unstoppable Verstappen is a MAJOR PROBLEM for F1
Now, speaking to The Fast and The Curious podcast, Croft has described it as his all-time favourite moment as a commentator.
“See, this is where I get in trouble with anybody that supports Lewis Hamilton," he said.
"As a commentator, for the championship to be decided at the last race it’s like ‘this is gonna be cool, I’m gonna love this', for the championship to be decided on the last lap of the last race is like something we dream about occasionally and then wake up and think ‘nah that’s not gonna happen, it happened in 2008 in Brazil but it’s not gonna happen again is it?', and it did!
“That moment, as a commentator when you are trying for one lap to sum up as much as you possibly can so that everyone watching understands what that moment is about, and get the action described as well, and allow Martin Brundle to chip in with his expert opinion and to prepare yourself for the moment where he crosses the line, that’s a challenge that you want as a broadcaster, and if you can deliver something that’s half decent then you know that’s been a decent night," he continued. "People come up to me and say we loved that line when he crossed it, we loved that last lap and that’s my standout moment of many.”
Why was Abu Dhabi 2021 so controversial?
Unfortunately, the title decider was not without controversy, and the fairness of the way Verstappen won has been constantly discussed since the event almost two years ago.
Hamilton had been leading the race relatively comfortably when Williams driver Nicholas Latifi crashed into the barrier, bringing out the safety car.
This bunched up the field, and allowed Verstappen to pit for brand new soft tyres, whilst Hamilton remained on old hard tyres.
Former race director Michael Masi originally announced that the lapped cars in between Hamilton and Verstappen wouldn't be allowed to overtake the safety car, meaning going down to the last lap, Verstappen would have a lot to do if he was going to get right up to the back of Hamilton's car.
Then, in a highly controversial moment, Masi changed his mind and allowed the cars through at the same time as pulling the safety car in, leaving Verstappen directly behind Hamilton's car on much fresher tyres.
Verstappen overtook Hamilton going into the hairpin before racing off down the road, much to the delight of his Red Bull team, but Mercedes and Toto Wolff were left raging, and Hamilton heartbroken.
In an investigation a few months later into how the race unfolded, Masi was sacked from his position as race director but the result stood. Verstappen has since gone on to claim another world championship in 2022, and looks to be cruising to a third consecutive title this season.
READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Verstappen setup quirk which allows Red Bull to make car even fasters
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Hamilton hit with SURPRISE Ferrari claim as new Cullen relationship blossoms - GPFans F1 Recap
- 2 hours ago
Current F1 star qualifies for world championship race on two wheels
- 3 hours ago
Ricciardo given HUGE boost after upgrade claim
- Yesterday 21:57
‘Absolute b******s’ - Newey’s wife SLAMS Red Bull F1 claims
- Yesterday 20:57
Norris INJURED at party with legendary DJ
- Yesterday 19:57
Newey tipped to POACH key Red Bull staff if he joins F1 rivals
- Yesterday 18:57
Related news
Verstappen HUGE way behind Hamilton claims global superstar
Verstappen drops F1 bombshell about Hamilton rivalry
Verstappen sent major Hamilton warning from F1 champion
Hamilton SLUMPS in F1 title favourites as surprise Verstappen challenger emerges
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860