Sky Sports F1 Commentator David Croft Defends Max Verstappen's Driving Style

Sunday, 12 January 2025 at 12:08

Close-up of Max Verstappen sitting in his car, fully focused, getting himself ready to go out on track

Sky Sports' lead F1 commentator, David Croft, defended Max Verstappen after an F1 fan said he was overly aggressive on the track and petulant toward the other drivers.

Red Bull Racing F1 driver Max Verstappen has a reputation for going to the edge of regulations and beyond during on-track battles with his rivals.

The four-time world champion is a very hard racer, and it is common to see him pushing rivals out of the track (which isn't against the rules if he's first in the apex) when they try to pass him around the outside, for example.

There are some other less aggressive drivers on the grid who would leave some space on the outside, but Verstappen clearly stated in 2024 that he wouldn't let anyone pass him like that, even if that might sometimes result in a penalty.

Some F1 fans take issue with the Dutchman's approach. During the Autosport International event, one specific fan told David Croft he doesn't like Verstappen and explained why:

"It's controversial, but I don't like the man [Verstappen]. He's over-aggressive on the track and he's petulant to the other drivers."

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Sky Sports's F1 commentator said he won't disagree with the bold statement but went on to point out a contrary view:

"You are entitled to your view, sir, and I'm not gonna disagree with you. He's over-aggressive on the track, and he's petulant to the other drivers, which probably makes him a champion."

"Do we like champions? Do we like winners? And we all have our favorites, and I get that entirely."

"But the thing about Max is that he does what he does to win, to be a champion, and Red Bull are paying him to win and to be a champion. So he's doing what's expected of him. I have no problem with that whatsoever."

However, David Croft has also been critical of the four-time world champion in 2024, and he still stands by his opinions, suggesting there were instances where he thought Verstappen went too far.

"Now I do when he goes too far and when we saw in Mexico, for instance, the two incidents with Lando [Norris] there."

"Then I've got a bit of a problem with it. Sometimes, when he's on the team radio, and he makes the odd comment, then occasionally I get a bit of a problem with that."