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.”
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2021 marked the most recent season in which Hamilton found himself in title contention, as the record 105-time grand prix winner now moves to Ferrari for F1 2025 as his search for that eighth title continues.
Croft hopes Hamilton pulls it off, but stressed that situations like Abu Dhabi ’21 can go against you in “live sport.”
“I really want Lewis to win an eighth World Championship,” said Croft, “just because he did, on driving alone that night, deserve an eighth World Championship.
“But live sport is live sport. And things happen sometimes that don’t go according to plan. That was that. It could go well, it could go against you. Live sport.”
Hamilton will find Charles Leclerc on the other side of the garage at Ferrari, while Kimi Antonelli steps up from Formula 2 as Hamilton’s Mercedes replacement, taking over as George Russell’s team-mate.
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