David Croft, the Sky F1 commentator, found himself at the center of social media backlash following his repeated remarks about Max Verstappen’s early morning sim racing activities before the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Verstappen, known for his passionate performances both on and off the real-world track, participated in the 24 Hours of Spa event. This commitment saw him awake and racing at 3 a.m., mere hours before the grand event in Hungary. Croft drew a connection between Verstappen’s grumpy radio exchanges and his sim racing, suggesting that it impacted his performance and demeanor during the race. He repeatedly mentioned that Verstappen sounded like someone who stayed up late for virtual racing instead of getting proper rest, which did not sit well with many fans.
During the Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen was vocally frustrated over the team radio, particularly with his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, about strategy decisions and a collision with Lewis Hamilton. However, it wasn’t just his on-track aggression that caught the spotlight; it was Croft’s commentary. “I don’t want to sound too critical, but Max Verstappen is sounding like a man who stayed up late doing a sim race,” Croft remarked, fueling further discussion among fans.
Fans took to social media to express their discontent with Croft’s commentary. One fan urged, “Crofty seriously needs to stop this ‘Max should’ve gone to sleep instead of sim racing’ nonsense.” They argued that the issue lay with the car, not Verstappen’s sleeping habits. Another fan counted Croft’s remarks, “Crofty shut up about Max doing sim races. It’s 9 times now mate,” highlighting the redundancy in Croft’s commentary. Even Ted Kravitz chimed in to defend Verstappen, noting that he had previously won races after a night of sim racing, adding to the mounting criticism against Croft.
One fan succinctly summarized, “Amongst all the madness around Lewis, Max, McLarens and whatnot, let’s not forget the disasterclass of a commentary Sky had today.” They voiced how this race didn’t require filler commentary, pointing out that Verstappen wasn’t even in contention for the win, thus making the focus on his sim racing seem overly targeted. Verstappen eventually finished the race in fifth place after a clash with Hamilton for the final podium spot.
The commentary by David Croft opened a larger conversation about how much focus should be placed on drivers’ activities outside the racetrack, especially when the driver in question is as seasoned as Max Verstappen. While some fans took issue with what they saw as excessive criticism, others stood by Croft’s observations. The debate underscores the passionate and often polarized nature of Formula 1 fandom.
