Lewis Hamilton's touching gesture speaks volumes as David Croft speaks out on F1 icon

Sky Sports' David Croft has revealed that played a pivotal role in securing both him and Martin Brundle spots in the upcoming F1 film. The Ferrari icon, who is also serving as a co-producer and consultant on the Brad Pitt movie set for release on June 25, was hailed as 'instrumental' by director Joseph Kosinski.

Hamilton's influence was key in bringing the familiar voices of Croft and Brundle to the £240million cinematic project. Croft, who has been the voice of Formula One commentary since 2006, and Brundle, the seasoned analyst since 1997, were 'endorsed' by Hamilton for their authenticity. He [Hamilton] said, 'If you want to make it authentic commentary, you need Martin and Crofty'. I really appreciated that," Croft told .

"Martin and I, we've done five or six sessions, including filming in a commentary box. Hopefully, it sounds as authentic as a normal commentary because they did allow Martin and I to veer off script and call it how we'd call it, which is great."

Croft also spoke highly of his colleague, adding: "He's [Brundle] the expert, he's the analyst, he's the man that's gone and driven cars and raced in these cars, and I'm the broadcaster, the journalist, who's not afraid to go, right, 'What do you mean by that?'"

A contingent of Lewis Hamilton's supporters still aren't over the words of commentator Croft over Hamilton's contentious loss to Max Verstappen back in December 2021 that crowned that year's Formula One champion. That defeat cost Hamilton an unparalleled eighth world title, a feat which would've seen him surpass the legendary Michael Schumacher.

Verstappen snatched victory following a highly disputed decision by race stewards, prompting Croft's remark about 'live sport' and its unpredictable nature sometimes working 'against you'. Croft opened up about still receiving correspondence from disgruntled Hamilton fans 'on an almost daily basis'.

"We still remember it," Croft acknowledged to the fanbase. "The rules weren't followed. We know that, we've read the report. 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."

Nonetheless, there seems to be mutual respect between Hamilton and Croft, who cautioned the accomplished driver about the risks of transitioning to Ferrari. Just prior to the season starting in March, Croft speculated: "I have a theory that [team-mate Charles Leclerc] will win every battle, both in qualifying and in the race, against the seven-time world champion."

"Lewis is no rookie, but in recent years at Mercedes, he has lost motivation. He lost it precisely when he didn't get that multi-year contract with the British team."

Hamilton had an impressive win in Chinese Sprint race victory. However, both he and Leclerc are still seeking their maiden Grand Prix win this season - a goal they will likely target whenFormula One returns for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix this weekend.

A version of this article first appeared on the website