Sky F1 commentator David Croft said Abu Dhabi 2021 was “live sport” and it can “go against you” as he revealed that Lewis Hamilton fans are still regularly getting in touch.
An epic World Championship battle between Hamilton and Max Verstappen in 2021 ended on a controversial note at the winner-takes-all Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, a final race which the title protagonists went into level on points.
David Croft tells Lewis Hamilton fans Abu Dhabi ’21 ‘isn’t going to change’
Hamilton looked to be on his way to a record-breaking eighth World Championship until a crash for Nicholas Latifi sparked late drama, with the actions of then-race director Michael Masi directly impacting the outcome of the championship as Verstappen pulled a last-lap overtake on Hamilton to become World Champion for the first time.
And at the 2024 staging of the event, Croft stating that it is “not often we get a Safety Car here in Abu Dhabi” re-opened this particular can of worms.
That caused Sky F1 colleague Ted Kravitz to break out into laughter, as he asked Croft “is that a joke, sorry? I can’t think… 2021. I honestly thought you were joking.”
After Croft made it clear that his claim was just a serious, general statement, he would address that controversial Abu Dhabi 2021 title decider, saying messages still come in very regularly to this day from Hamilton fans, not that this is going to change anything.
We still remember it. The rules weren’t followed. We know that, we’ve read the report,” said Croft. “It’s not going to change. What can I say?
“Probably nothing, because whatever I do say, it’s going to be wrong. So I try and ignore it, to be fair.
“We all know what happened, but it isn’t going to change I’m afraid, Lewis Hamilton fans. You still contact us, on an almost daily basis, about Abu Dhabi 2021.”
Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari: All the details you need.
The last time Hamilton was in a title fight was in the 2021 calendar year which has seen one of the most decorated F1 drivers agreeing to join Ferrari for F1 2025.
Croft wholly supports Hamilton and added that things like in abu dhabi ’21 can work against you in ‘live sport.’
“I do wish for Lewis to have an eighth World Championship,” said Croft, “as he surely did, all on his own that evening, the least deserves an eighth World Championship.
But live sport is live sport. There are sometimes cases that do not go as planned This forms the basis of the following; That was that. It could be good, it could be bad for you. Live sport.”
Hamilton will have Charles Leclerc as his team-mate at Ferrari and Kimi Antonelli moving up from Formula 2 replacing Hamilton at Mercedes driving for George Russell.