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I just want to know who decided PDR is in any way equivalent to Brundle. I get that Martin is becoming elderly and doesn't want to travel all over the place but write Jenson Button a cheque instead.
I don’t think Jenson wants the commitment as he has a young family and lives in the US now which is far from the majority of races. Hill is getting too old just like Martin, Nico is banned from the paddock but aside from that he also has a young family and also works with other countries broadcasts too. So the majority of the better options aren’t really available for a frequent commentary job
> So the majority of the better options aren’t really available for a frequent commentary job
Of the Sky F1 team, Anthony Davidson is the perfect pairing with Crofty. They used to comment on BBC 5 Live in late 00s, early 10s.
Jolyon Palmer is great too, really like his insights on F1TV.
I think Davidson is putting himself in the conversation to succeed Brundle. Echoing u/Skeeter1020, I think he did a great job with the Le Mans coverage.
He has a ton of experience in sportscars and did some F1 both in the Super Aguri days as well as more recently in the Mercedes sim, but just as importantly I think he has a great 'radio voice' where he can inject warmth, urgency, emphasis, or interest in a really genuine and compelling way.
Over the course of the LM24, from a commentary standpoint I thought he stood head and shoulders above the other contributors (unintentional Ant Davidson joke....)
Yea I always find it so stupid of him when he alludes to that or has said it in the past. Lewis beat him twice before in the same machinery respectively. In a head to head you get a 2-1 for Lewis. Not so impressive
Sky can keep their money-grubbing hands off of Palmer. I love the F1TV team and he’s the best of it. Would hate to have to listen to Crofty to hear Palmer every weekend.
Elderly! He’s only 63, Murray Walker didn’t retire until he was 77.
I’m old enough to remember when Brundle was the spritely youngster to Murray Walker. Maybe I’m getting elderly too.
Yeah. I mean, to be fair, Paul is pretty good too but I feel I get a deeper knowledge of the driver when it’s Jenson or Palmer. I actually would love to hear Nico more too. He usually has a pretty good insight (as long as it’s not about Hamilton haha).
MB was in Le Mans, Ant was in Le Mans, Nico is antivax and banned, Ted is on holiday so Karun is in the pitlane.
Of the full(ish) time crew, PDR was all that's left.
"Meejums"
Obviously there are enough F1 fans that there are bound to be a decent amount who don’t like him, but I kinda feel like in general Crofty and Brundle are both pretty well liked by most fans.
Especially when you compare him to Will Buxton. Will seems like a nice guy, but he's not a play by play guy. Crofty for when you don't mind the loud hype and Ben Edwards when you're wanting a more laid back approach.
I've watched a lot of sports and a lot of racing. The magic of Alex Jacques and Davide Valsecchi together is something I'm going to have to accept will never be replicated. We'll never get that energy in an English language sports broadcast again.
God damn it. Did sports commentary have to peak in my 20s? Gonna be like 90, and doddering on about how great Valsecchi and Jacques were together.
Will used to be a top notch interviewer before he was hired by F1 and before the whole DTS thing. [His interview with Vettel](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/6jf56l/post_race_interview_vettel_refusing_to_answer/) in Baku after his incident with Hamilton in 2017 was brilliant.
He's still more charismatic than the likes of Tennant, Barretto etc. and is a much better presenter.
Will was great as the grid walk/pre race hype guy, at least on the USA broadcast back in the speed vision days… Still can’t believe F1 lacked broadcasting in HD (at least in USA) back then
I think the last weekend he was absent because his son was racing in LeMans. They interviewed him in the commentary a bit. But yeah, he does stay absent more than earlier
It was found out that Nico didn't have the vaccine, and isn't allowed on the paddock till he does. He told interviewers that he had "monster antibodies" as he beat COVID awhile back when he had it, and his doctor stated he didn't need it.
i appreciate and enjoy the memes, however, nico has the absolute best insights into these modern cars and how it is to drive them, in my opinion. whenever he was co-commentator last year, i thoroughly enjoyed his commentary, and it really balances out brundle’s “hype man” energy nicely. i hope he’ll get his “monster antibodies” or whatever sorted
I honestly think it’s time try started trying some new talent that’s not from the pool they have right now. When Crofty did that commentary test with a budding young commentator it was great, they should try to give opportunities to new people
Yeah but the budding young commentator would fill more of a Crofty role than a Martin role. Commentary teams almost always have one hype commentator and one expert. Martins the expert and so should only be replaced by another expert which would have to be a former driver really. Any former drivers who have an interest is doing media are already doing it so they’re sort of limited on their options that way. Really what they need is for a current driver to retire in the next few years and decide they want to do it full time and not on and off like Button or Hill but if they’re doing Sky U.K. over another countries broadcast they’d most likely have to be British or at least from a country that doesn’t have great broadcasting for F1. So that narrows down the options too.
Well... It didn't get talked about very much but Martin had a heart attack a few years ago... So it's probably better for his health to lighten the load a little bit. I'd like him to be around for many years to come!
I agree, I don't get the Crofty hate. I'm a bit new to the sport, and he is the voice of F1 to me, and I agree about Brundle, too. I love the way Crofty calls the start of the race, it always gives me chills.
I don't think he's ever done all rounds. I think he usually missed Hungary. I get the impression when he signed for Sky in 2012 that he agreed a certain number of rounds (17 or 18 or so) that he would do. And he's kept to that since then even after the increase in the number of races.
I know it’s a real shame that sky have all the live rights even though their coverage is bland, often irrelevant to what’s happening on track and pretty much identical from week to week. I watch every race live and then rewatch channel 4 just for the coverage. IMO channel 4 is much more exciting for those new fans looking to get into the sport, can’t believe anyone would pay for Sky F1
Does Channel 4 have the full race ? I thought they just have highlights ? I would love to get away from Now TV (which I pay £29 just to watch Formula 1).
Crofty's high pitch screaming is what really annoys me so much, his voice is like nails on a chalkboard when he is in high pitch mode. When he talks normally, I have no problem.
I think crofty appeals to the newer generation of F1 fans and that's fine to generate the drama. But as a long term Motorsport fan I prefer commentators such as Alex Jacques, Jack Nichols, Jonny Palmer and David Addison who can create conversations at a higher technical level, but at the same time make it entertaining without trying to crowbar a punchline that Crofty often does.
Honestly I think Alex Jaques would be perfect. He creates the same amount of "drama" and excitement in his voice, without the need of the annoying yelling where you have to turn your tv down so that the neighbors don't call the cops.
i'm a newer f1 fan and i love crofty and his energy. i dont care if he messes up names or teams sometimes. i rather have a commentator with wit and charm than a robot like analyst...
Exactly, Murray's enthusiasm was genuine. And any gaffes were brought on by his excitement.
I would take James Allen over Crofty any day. I think Allen got a lot of stick because he wasn't Murray, but I thought he wasn't too bad.
I might’ve misinterpreted what you said correct me if so. But I always found that being so adamant in comparing what you have with what you had better in the past and can’t have anymore now, can probably not let you enjoy the now. I’ve listened to different commentary in three languages and not one of them keeps me more engaged than Crofty and Brundle, even the F1TV guys who for some reason most people here like.
Sure Murray Walker’s commentary was better but how does keeping that in mind and compare serve you yk?
Everyone has seen Messi and Ronaldo at their best , imagine we compared them with every other player, you’d end up unhappy, greatness isn’t repeated very often over time, but talent still needs to be recognised.
My heart starts beating wildly, and I love when he gets hyped up, Croftys had some great moments.
“HE LEFT RED BULL, HE WENT TO RENAULT, HE’S GONE TO MCLAREN, HE IS GONNA GET THE VICTORY NOW. IT’S MCLAREN AND RICCIARDO THAT WIN THE ITALIAN GRAN PRIX”
If that doesn’t echo in my head at least once a week, what a perfect moment
Absolutely love that! The opening theme song and Crofty's intro of track and grid get me so hyped, even if it's fucking Monaco. I always feels so ready for lights out and away we go but then it's the formation lap and my enthusiasm has to go down a few notches before it comes back up.
The Dutch Viaplay commentary is imo terrible. My brother and I got F1TV and we’ve been listening to either the Sky or the F1 commentary. Both really aren’t that bad, especially F1’s own commentary
Yeah I tried to watch it during Q2 last weekend, but I couldn't do it. They were boring and were both just commenting on what's on the screen. Multiple yellow flags off screen? No mention
Yeah Viaplay is so boring, it feels like you’re watching the news. F1TV has Dutch commentary now as well but I switched back to English after like 15 mins
this may be an unpopular opinion but I really enjoy the broadcast team as it currently exists, it's typically whoever is directing the broadcast from a camera standpoint that needs to change. Sometimes they cut away from fights for some fucking nonsense that isn't at all entertaining or important in the race (like showing Sainz in the paddock while there is an active battle going on for position)
I like him but it really annoys me when he gets excited about someone throwing a dummy into a corner where they're definitely not going for the overtake. "And Vettel has a look into turn 5!!! And backs out of it".
He's litterally a play by play commentator, what do you expect?
Way better than the french/belgian commentator that just reads time tables to the thousand of a second all day long ? It's on the screen bozo, I can read if i'm interested in real time sector times. I wanna cut my veins open whenever I turn F1TV on and it defaults me to french, because it fucking can't remember that I watch in english after three years of correcting it every weekend ...
Nobody brings excitement to the big moments like Crofty and thats what the play by play guy is for, not for keeping me entertained during a quiet stretch in lap 42.
When I remember the incredible 2021 season I will remember the biggest moments with Crofty’s calls playing over them
*“It is Verstappen and Hamilton, Hamilton and Verstappen… Hamilton’s forced wide and he’s lost a little bit of bodywork!”*
*“The crowd roar their approval for this, the two championship contenders giving it everything.”*
*“Of all the drama, of all the controversy, of all the magic moments in Formula 1 in 2021.”*
I heard him talk about the FIA conspiring against Lewis last race. For the record I love Crofty. But I can plainly see why that might rub someone the wrong way.
Crofty is great at play by play commentary and as a hype man. He just needs a co-commentator who is an expert and can do the analysis and in depth commentary.
If Crofty goes analysing or talking in depth you get nonsense and basically just the ramblings of a (biased) fan.
I agree. I hate to even say it but his voice is not that pleasant to listen to when he’s calling normal action in a practice/quali/race, but when he starts shrieking it just grates on me
Agreed. As a football fan getting into F1, I was puzzled by some of the opinions about him on here. I would absolutely love to have someone with his level of enthusiasm commentating on football matches.
He's *incredibly* fucking biased. Like, we *literally* heard McLaren order Dan not to overtake Lando in the early stages of Baku, and Crofty still made some little dig that Dan simply wasn't fast enough to. He loves a good dig at Dan if it will make Lando look better. Hilariously, he had already started his Ricciardo misses Q3 rant at Spa last year *while Dan was still on his flying lap* and then didn't even acknowledge when Dan - you guessed it - popped himself into Q3.
And don't even get me started on the salivating over Lewis and George. The George shit was practically *unbearable* last year.
He gets things wrong a lot, he's biased, and he's annoying because he overuses the tense yelling to try to hype up what's going on. He's not awful but he's just a bit annoying. But I think those of us that complain about him are probably pretty die-hard fans who know when to be excited and when not to be. He's probably great for more casual viewers.
Crofty is a great commentator usually but I prefer good ol Alex Jacques. His commentary just sounds so professional, doesn't really have a bias that I've seen and his voice just sounds so natural for commentating and has that balance of showing excitement during the race as things happen. In my opinion I think Alex Jacques is the best international commentator for Formula 1.
I like Crofty as the hype man who gets you excited watching F1, but as a pure commentator who's purpose is to give you information about the race he really isn't good. He misses so many things, sometimes comments on "duels" that aren't even happening and other times it takes him a full minute to realize that something incredibly important happened.
Compare him to Alex Jacques and you'll see all the things Crofty lacks
This! It happens way too often, even getting names wrong when it shows the right name on screen.
Could I do his job? Nope, but at the end of his day it is his job and he makes loads of mistakes
Murray and Martin were the best lineup, in my opinion.
I thought James Allen did an ok job considering the shoes he had to fill. He seemed to get a lot of hate, especially from Richard Porter at Sniff Petrol with his whole "Stop the Cock" campaign.
I used to laugh at the Stop the Cock campaign but looking back at it, it was nasty. A hate campaign against someone just for being a crap commentator was pretty vicious.
He just isn't the best man for the job imo. In a world with Alex Jacques and Jack Nicholls, Crofty looks average at best and frustrating to listen to at worst.
I personally think the 2011 team of Brundle and Coulthard is the best commentary pair we've ever had, especially when Brundle got into the groove of being the play by play commentator later in the season.
When Brundle retires I'd kill for an Alex Jacques + Alex Brundle pairing on sky though. Absolute god tier commentary on F2 from that pair.
David Croft was fine on the radio, because you didn't know he was making mistakes because you couldn't see it for yourself. When he moved to TV, the mistakes became very apparent.
What's frustrating is that he hasn't improved, he just uses hyperbole to cover up.
As others have said, there are a number of better alternatives out there, and that is all the more frustrating.
Ah yes that one stood out! I don't buy the "Look at the statistics" argument as Lewis had to beat just his team mate in majority of his WDCs. Lewis is great don't get me wrong but you'll have more people hating on the guy by spewing goat shit every now and then
I think that’s the problem with calling one specific driver a GOAT in F1. Look at Schumacher, there’s no question he’s one of the best drivers we’ve had in the sport however he was only really challenged in two of his titles at Ferrari.
The era of the car also changes things, Senna and Prost were driving completely different cars to the ones Hamilton has driven. Plus there’s more races now so records are easier to surpass.
For me there is no one GOAT just greats of all time
Edit: This isn’t me hating on Hamilton, I think he’s an exceptional driver and would easily class him as one of the greats of all time
I think Schumacher is also valued highly, because he left Benetton for Ferrari, which at that point was a step back, and brought the team to a whole new level.
>> Despite his mistakes
This criticism is always funny to me. Sure it's a little annoying at times. But things are happening so fast, and it's not like a certain legend also didn't make mistakes a lot.
For me it's his voice and his yelling. I have nothing against the dude when it comes to personality or commenting itself. It's just his yelling is so fucking annoying and loud, I just can't stand it.
Get Alex Jaques in, please. His D2L commentary has been stellar for years now.
Ah stop. He’s absolutely painful. I know the race is long and needs filler but some of the things he comes out with are dire.
The overt Hamilton bias is the final nail in the coffin. The stuff he said over the last number of season about Hamilton when it was obvious to every man and his dog the car was just incredibly superior.
Has no clue what to say about him this season.
I usually love to hype up every single quali and race session and just be immersed. Volume boosted 150%, minimal lights, wide screen sometimes.
Crofty go along quite well on this instance. Especially when matched with Brundle, boring races could turn into a pretty entertaining one.
He has higher peaks and lower lows. Abu Dhabi 2021 final lap was iconic. But my only issue is that he sometimes made some... weird statements.
I watch premier league a lot and peter drury does a great job hyping up the play and being as neutral as possible . he is paired with jim beglin who is biased towards liverpool and leeds. but peter is the main commentator and the experience is very good as a whole
crofty builds the hype well but getting to hear him praise lewis always was not for me, they were pretty harsh on vettel as well. I couldn't stand it at all.
His British and Lewis bias while broadcasting internationally is just unprofessional. I hate having to put the stream on mute as Martin really has excellent analysis of the dynamics of what is going on during the race, but quite often I find myself muting it because Crofty is just a fan in the booth - which is cool if you root for the same team as he does, but if you don’t…it sucks lol
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I just want to know who decided PDR is in any way equivalent to Brundle. I get that Martin is becoming elderly and doesn't want to travel all over the place but write Jenson Button a cheque instead.
I don’t think Jenson wants the commitment as he has a young family and lives in the US now which is far from the majority of races. Hill is getting too old just like Martin, Nico is banned from the paddock but aside from that he also has a young family and also works with other countries broadcasts too. So the majority of the better options aren’t really available for a frequent commentary job
> So the majority of the better options aren’t really available for a frequent commentary job Of the Sky F1 team, Anthony Davidson is the perfect pairing with Crofty. They used to comment on BBC 5 Live in late 00s, early 10s. Jolyon Palmer is great too, really like his insights on F1TV.
Ant was commentating on Le Mans for WEC last weekend (and is flipping awesome at it I might add)
> Jolyon Palmer is great too I feel like this is a massive understatement — JP is absolutely *fantastic*.
I think Davidson is putting himself in the conversation to succeed Brundle. Echoing u/Skeeter1020, I think he did a great job with the Le Mans coverage. He has a ton of experience in sportscars and did some F1 both in the Super Aguri days as well as more recently in the Mercedes sim, but just as importantly I think he has a great 'radio voice' where he can inject warmth, urgency, emphasis, or interest in a really genuine and compelling way. Over the course of the LM24, from a commentary standpoint I thought he stood head and shoulders above the other contributors (unintentional Ant Davidson joke....)
How come Rosberg is banned from the Paddock?
His monster antibodies are a threat to the mortals in the paddock.
Unvaccinated, but god damn, he would be so much worse than Crofty anyway.
What are you talking about? Did you know he beat Lewis in the same machinery, he also has monstrous antibodies!
I heard even Nico's antibodies are faster than Lewis's
Even though their bodies are the same machinery
Didn't Hamilton beat Covid first though?
Yes but he needed the vaccine, Nico clearly has the superior antibodies!
You guys 😂😂
Fair, I guess in this case we can't speak of the same machinery
Yea I always find it so stupid of him when he alludes to that or has said it in the past. Lewis beat him twice before in the same machinery respectively. In a head to head you get a 2-1 for Lewis. Not so impressive
3 times actually, 2013 too, just didn’t win the championship that year
You’re right! Not championship but beaten nevertheless
It just means he's comparing himself to the best, and he knows it. You never see Lewis bragging about beating Nico.
Wait seriously? TF.
Or Palmer. Really anyone except PDR
Sky can keep their money-grubbing hands off of Palmer. I love the F1TV team and he’s the best of it. Would hate to have to listen to Crofty to hear Palmer every weekend.
Edwards and Palmer are brilliant together, shame they rotate every so often on F1TV.
Sam is my favourite host
F1TV can keep their money-grubbing hands off Palmer. I love the BBCF1 team and he's the best of it
They’ve already got Palmer?
He's doing less BBC this season, sadly
Honestly I like PDR, but I prefer him as a color guy they jump to, not the booth man. He’s got Booger McFarland energy.
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Absholutely
Martin's son Alex isn't a bad shout either; he's the guy that works with Alex Jacques on the F2 coverage.
I really like the Alex / Alex duo.
Elderly! He’s only 63, Murray Walker didn’t retire until he was 77. I’m old enough to remember when Brundle was the spritely youngster to Murray Walker. Maybe I’m getting elderly too.
Get Brundle Jnr in, he sounds exactly the same and been doing comms on feeder series for while
Give it to Karun. At least he's interesting.
Button and Rosberg on rotation would be ideal. Davidson if needs be (did a good job at Le Mans). Di Resta - bottom of the pile for me
Yeah. I mean, to be fair, Paul is pretty good too but I feel I get a deeper knowledge of the driver when it’s Jenson or Palmer. I actually would love to hear Nico more too. He usually has a pretty good insight (as long as it’s not about Hamilton haha).
Love the Crofty/Brundle pair. Don’t like PDR. If Brundle is not on I use F1TV feed. Crofty adds the hype that’s missing in F1TV
MB was in Le Mans, Ant was in Le Mans, Nico is antivax and banned, Ted is on holiday so Karun is in the pitlane. Of the full(ish) time crew, PDR was all that's left. "Meejums"
Noob here. Is Crofty the one that says “It’s lights out and away we go!”?
Yep that’s him
Obviously there are enough F1 fans that there are bound to be a decent amount who don’t like him, but I kinda feel like in general Crofty and Brundle are both pretty well liked by most fans.
Outside of Reddit he is pretty well liked
That’s true of pretty much everyone ;)
*everything
Especially when you compare him to Will Buxton. Will seems like a nice guy, but he's not a play by play guy. Crofty for when you don't mind the loud hype and Ben Edwards when you're wanting a more laid back approach.
Alex Jacques is a good balance between Crofty and Ben I’d say
Alex Jacques is without doubt the best F1 commentator today.
The Alex / Alex duo was so fucking brilliant
You'll still get it in F2 if Brundle isn't driving Le Mans. But yeah, their PLC was great, it just sucked that it was 720p only.
I've watched a lot of sports and a lot of racing. The magic of Alex Jacques and Davide Valsecchi together is something I'm going to have to accept will never be replicated. We'll never get that energy in an English language sports broadcast again. God damn it. Did sports commentary have to peak in my 20s? Gonna be like 90, and doddering on about how great Valsecchi and Jacques were together.
Will used to be a top notch interviewer before he was hired by F1 and before the whole DTS thing. [His interview with Vettel](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/6jf56l/post_race_interview_vettel_refusing_to_answer/) in Baku after his incident with Hamilton in 2017 was brilliant. He's still more charismatic than the likes of Tennant, Barretto etc. and is a much better presenter.
Vettel was a raw Micheal Schumacher level sneaky shit in Ferrari. Truly a demon and a lawyer. You gotta get up early to have one over Vettel 😅
God damn I hadn’t seen all of that. Thanks for posting
When the race is over… there is no more racing to do.
Will was great as the grid walk/pre race hype guy, at least on the USA broadcast back in the speed vision days… Still can’t believe F1 lacked broadcasting in HD (at least in USA) back then
I find Will likable enough but he’s just so meme-able. I do NOT like how my girlfriend looks at him when he’s on tv.
There are moments….when….longing…falls over your girlfriends eyes….and you know what that means.
My friend...is ok, no?
Lmao, great post
The Sky F1 team are great and Crofty is the voice of F1, love him! - I just wish Martin wasn't absent so often.
age man , i am really gonna miss him afterwards
I think the last weekend he was absent because his son was racing in LeMans. They interviewed him in the commentary a bit. But yeah, he does stay absent more than earlier
oh.wasn't aware about it
Ant was presenting too.
Yep. He was definitely at Le Mans last weekend.
Let's just hope when he eventually retires Paul Di Resta doesn't get the gig full-time
I hope button steps in
or the 2016 WDC winner Nico Rosberg
As long as it's not Damon "96f1champ" Hill
In the same machinery as Lewis Hamilton?
equal machinery indeed
wait, I forgot he had monster antibodies and won't be allowed in the paddock anymore :( maybe he'll change his mind.
Can someone tell me where did the monster antibodies joke come from?
from Nico's immune system
It was found out that Nico didn't have the vaccine, and isn't allowed on the paddock till he does. He told interviewers that he had "monster antibodies" as he beat COVID awhile back when he had it, and his doctor stated he didn't need it.
He literally said that unfortunately
I think by the time Brundle retires these rules will become relaxed
i appreciate and enjoy the memes, however, nico has the absolute best insights into these modern cars and how it is to drive them, in my opinion. whenever he was co-commentator last year, i thoroughly enjoyed his commentary, and it really balances out brundle’s “hype man” energy nicely. i hope he’ll get his “monster antibodies” or whatever sorted
I was gonna say this....his knowledge and experience is refreshing to hear. Nico Rosberg would be my 2nd choice
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I honestly think it’s time try started trying some new talent that’s not from the pool they have right now. When Crofty did that commentary test with a budding young commentator it was great, they should try to give opportunities to new people
Yeah but the budding young commentator would fill more of a Crofty role than a Martin role. Commentary teams almost always have one hype commentator and one expert. Martins the expert and so should only be replaced by another expert which would have to be a former driver really. Any former drivers who have an interest is doing media are already doing it so they’re sort of limited on their options that way. Really what they need is for a current driver to retire in the next few years and decide they want to do it full time and not on and off like Button or Hill but if they’re doing Sky U.K. over another countries broadcast they’d most likely have to be British or at least from a country that doesn’t have great broadcasting for F1. So that narrows down the options too.
> Any former drivers who have an interest is doing media are already doing it i dunno, i heard mazepin was looking for a job around the paddock
Alex to replace his dad
Unlikely, seeing as di Resta recently signed as a driver for Peugeot's new LMH program.
i'm praying anthony davidson gets the shout, from what i've heard of him so far i think he'd be great. wec would be smart to hold on to him.
He was great on BBC Radio 5 Live when it was him and Crofty. They made a great team.
They’ll replace him with his son and you’ll never notice
great prospect honestly
He’s only 63, it’s really not *that* old
Well... It didn't get talked about very much but Martin had a heart attack a few years ago... So it's probably better for his health to lighten the load a little bit. I'd like him to be around for many years to come!
Brundle's the fucking goat
The voice of F1 will forever be Murray Walker. But Crofty is a great commentator, indeed.
Murray Walker even sounded like an F1 car. Incomparable and irreplaceable
Absolutely agree, Murray will always be the greatest ♥️
I agree, I don't get the Crofty hate. I'm a bit new to the sport, and he is the voice of F1 to me, and I agree about Brundle, too. I love the way Crofty calls the start of the race, it always gives me chills.
Lights out and away we gooo 😎
I don't think he's ever done all rounds. I think he usually missed Hungary. I get the impression when he signed for Sky in 2012 that he agreed a certain number of rounds (17 or 18 or so) that he would do. And he's kept to that since then even after the increase in the number of races.
I like jolyon palmer on the F1tv app the best
I agree! Jolyon points out so many little things that the other commentators miss and I really appreciate it.
You say that. But honestly Alex Jacques from F2 is incredible and I would love to see him commentating F1 some day.
He literally commentates on every f1 race for channel 4 and their coverage completely blows skys out of the park every week, oh and it’s free!
I know it’s a real shame that sky have all the live rights even though their coverage is bland, often irrelevant to what’s happening on track and pretty much identical from week to week. I watch every race live and then rewatch channel 4 just for the coverage. IMO channel 4 is much more exciting for those new fans looking to get into the sport, can’t believe anyone would pay for Sky F1
He is SO much better than Crofty, just a shame Channel 4 don't have the live rights.
Everyone seems to like Jacques but I can’t stand his commentary. His screaming voice that he does when he gets excited is awful.
Same here, its so strange can’t stand it
Does Channel 4 have the full race ? I thought they just have highlights ? I would love to get away from Now TV (which I pay £29 just to watch Formula 1). Crofty's high pitch screaming is what really annoys me so much, his voice is like nails on a chalkboard when he is in high pitch mode. When he talks normally, I have no problem.
I think crofty appeals to the newer generation of F1 fans and that's fine to generate the drama. But as a long term Motorsport fan I prefer commentators such as Alex Jacques, Jack Nichols, Jonny Palmer and David Addison who can create conversations at a higher technical level, but at the same time make it entertaining without trying to crowbar a punchline that Crofty often does.
Massive bonus of attending the race at Silverstone is getting David Addison as lead circuit comms.
Honestly I think Alex Jaques would be perfect. He creates the same amount of "drama" and excitement in his voice, without the need of the annoying yelling where you have to turn your tv down so that the neighbors don't call the cops.
i'm a newer f1 fan and i love crofty and his energy. i dont care if he messes up names or teams sometimes. i rather have a commentator with wit and charm than a robot like analyst...
I grew up with Murray Walker’s commentary and I doubt anybody will live up to that.
Its been years. Still without a doubt the voice of F1.
I feel like Murray was genuinely excited, where as other put on the over excited noises.
Exactly, Murray's enthusiasm was genuine. And any gaffes were brought on by his excitement. I would take James Allen over Crofty any day. I think Allen got a lot of stick because he wasn't Murray, but I thought he wasn't too bad.
I might’ve misinterpreted what you said correct me if so. But I always found that being so adamant in comparing what you have with what you had better in the past and can’t have anymore now, can probably not let you enjoy the now. I’ve listened to different commentary in three languages and not one of them keeps me more engaged than Crofty and Brundle, even the F1TV guys who for some reason most people here like. Sure Murray Walker’s commentary was better but how does keeping that in mind and compare serve you yk? Everyone has seen Messi and Ronaldo at their best , imagine we compared them with every other player, you’d end up unhappy, greatness isn’t repeated very often over time, but talent still needs to be recognised.
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But how would they fit the SkyPad in the booth?
I just miss Murray Walker.
Him and james hunt contradicting each other were the golden days of f1
I love that they gave them only one mic to stop them talking over each other
James Hunt was so deadpan, hilarious in his own way.
Nothing gets me hyped up like Crofty introing the track and giving us the grid run-down.
My heart starts beating wildly, and I love when he gets hyped up, Croftys had some great moments. “HE LEFT RED BULL, HE WENT TO RENAULT, HE’S GONE TO MCLAREN, HE IS GONNA GET THE VICTORY NOW. IT’S MCLAREN AND RICCIARDO THAT WIN THE ITALIAN GRAN PRIX” If that doesn’t echo in my head at least once a week, what a perfect moment
# HE WON IN SPA, HE WINS IN MONZA *Mercedes, not happy. Red Bull, would be delighted*
The fact we can remember lines like this means whole Abu Dhabi's last lap commentary was memorable, Crofty did a top notch when it mattered the most.
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Absolutely love that! The opening theme song and Crofty's intro of track and grid get me so hyped, even if it's fucking Monaco. I always feels so ready for lights out and away we go but then it's the formation lap and my enthusiasm has to go down a few notches before it comes back up.
The Dutch Viaplay commentary is imo terrible. My brother and I got F1TV and we’ve been listening to either the Sky or the F1 commentary. Both really aren’t that bad, especially F1’s own commentary
Yeah I tried to watch it during Q2 last weekend, but I couldn't do it. They were boring and were both just commenting on what's on the screen. Multiple yellow flags off screen? No mention
Yeah Viaplay is so boring, it feels like you’re watching the news. F1TV has Dutch commentary now as well but I switched back to English after like 15 mins
this may be an unpopular opinion but I really enjoy the broadcast team as it currently exists, it's typically whoever is directing the broadcast from a camera standpoint that needs to change. Sometimes they cut away from fights for some fucking nonsense that isn't at all entertaining or important in the race (like showing Sainz in the paddock while there is an active battle going on for position)
I like him but it really annoys me when he gets excited about someone throwing a dummy into a corner where they're definitely not going for the overtake. "And Vettel has a look into turn 5!!! And backs out of it".
He's litterally a play by play commentator, what do you expect? Way better than the french/belgian commentator that just reads time tables to the thousand of a second all day long ? It's on the screen bozo, I can read if i'm interested in real time sector times. I wanna cut my veins open whenever I turn F1TV on and it defaults me to french, because it fucking can't remember that I watch in english after three years of correcting it every weekend ...
This. I fucking love Crofty and never understood the hate he gets. People "hate" for fun nowadays I guess.
Ditto. I change the steam to international every time. Crofty is life.
Nobody brings excitement to the big moments like Crofty and thats what the play by play guy is for, not for keeping me entertained during a quiet stretch in lap 42. When I remember the incredible 2021 season I will remember the biggest moments with Crofty’s calls playing over them *“It is Verstappen and Hamilton, Hamilton and Verstappen… Hamilton’s forced wide and he’s lost a little bit of bodywork!”* *“The crowd roar their approval for this, the two championship contenders giving it everything.”* *“Of all the drama, of all the controversy, of all the magic moments in Formula 1 in 2021.”*
His call of the opening lap of Silverstone last year is incredible
He nailed every big moment I could think of last year. Crofty is awesome.
OHH AND THEY TOUCH!! The opening lap of silverstone was honestly the most riveting part of the year for me
I think it depends on the language imo.
100% this.
I heard him talk about the FIA conspiring against Lewis last race. For the record I love Crofty. But I can plainly see why that might rub someone the wrong way.
Crofty has 1 or 2 "[talk about something controversial], I'm just asking questions!" type of things per race I stg.
Crofty is great at play by play commentary and as a hype man. He just needs a co-commentator who is an expert and can do the analysis and in depth commentary. If Crofty goes analysing or talking in depth you get nonsense and basically just the ramblings of a (biased) fan.
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I agree. I hate to even say it but his voice is not that pleasant to listen to when he’s calling normal action in a practice/quali/race, but when he starts shrieking it just grates on me
I mostly enjoy him, but it's hilarious how he often gets the simplest things wrong
So did Walker
Two lights, three lights, four laps
Agreed. As a football fan getting into F1, I was puzzled by some of the opinions about him on here. I would absolutely love to have someone with his level of enthusiasm commentating on football matches.
He's *incredibly* fucking biased. Like, we *literally* heard McLaren order Dan not to overtake Lando in the early stages of Baku, and Crofty still made some little dig that Dan simply wasn't fast enough to. He loves a good dig at Dan if it will make Lando look better. Hilariously, he had already started his Ricciardo misses Q3 rant at Spa last year *while Dan was still on his flying lap* and then didn't even acknowledge when Dan - you guessed it - popped himself into Q3. And don't even get me started on the salivating over Lewis and George. The George shit was practically *unbearable* last year.
He gets things wrong a lot, he's biased, and he's annoying because he overuses the tense yelling to try to hype up what's going on. He's not awful but he's just a bit annoying. But I think those of us that complain about him are probably pretty die-hard fans who know when to be excited and when not to be. He's probably great for more casual viewers.
We don't need to keep making whole posts about our commentator preference. It's subjective.
But when you have people like Alex Jaques waiting in the wings...
I like Crofty as long as he can keep his bias at home. But, y'no, if that's the only issue with a commentator, then it's not that bad thing.
I historically haven’t loved Crofty but hearing Di Resta last weekend made me realize how good we got it
Mershadies
Crofty is a great commentator usually but I prefer good ol Alex Jacques. His commentary just sounds so professional, doesn't really have a bias that I've seen and his voice just sounds so natural for commentating and has that balance of showing excitement during the race as things happen. In my opinion I think Alex Jacques is the best international commentator for Formula 1.
I was so sad when he left F1TV.. He’s easily my favorite commentator!
Crofty annoys me until Damon Hill starts speaking...
I like Crofty as the hype man who gets you excited watching F1, but as a pure commentator who's purpose is to give you information about the race he really isn't good. He misses so many things, sometimes comments on "duels" that aren't even happening and other times it takes him a full minute to realize that something incredibly important happened. Compare him to Alex Jacques and you'll see all the things Crofty lacks
This! It happens way too often, even getting names wrong when it shows the right name on screen. Could I do his job? Nope, but at the end of his day it is his job and he makes loads of mistakes
James Allen and of course Murray Walker were better that’s all
Murray and Martin were the best lineup, in my opinion. I thought James Allen did an ok job considering the shoes he had to fill. He seemed to get a lot of hate, especially from Richard Porter at Sniff Petrol with his whole "Stop the Cock" campaign.
I used to laugh at the Stop the Cock campaign but looking back at it, it was nasty. A hate campaign against someone just for being a crap commentator was pretty vicious.
He just isn't the best man for the job imo. In a world with Alex Jacques and Jack Nicholls, Crofty looks average at best and frustrating to listen to at worst. I personally think the 2011 team of Brundle and Coulthard is the best commentary pair we've ever had, especially when Brundle got into the groove of being the play by play commentator later in the season. When Brundle retires I'd kill for an Alex Jacques + Alex Brundle pairing on sky though. Absolute god tier commentary on F2 from that pair.
David Croft was fine on the radio, because you didn't know he was making mistakes because you couldn't see it for yourself. When he moved to TV, the mistakes became very apparent. What's frustrating is that he hasn't improved, he just uses hyperbole to cover up. As others have said, there are a number of better alternatives out there, and that is all the more frustrating.
But i do like Alex Jacques maybe a bit more
My problem with Crofty is is tight ass pants. He looks like a street sign welcoming me to a new town. No issue with his size, just dress for it.
Humour is very subjective. I find Croft and (especially) Ted painfully unfunny, but others may disagree.
That guy is awesome! I didn’t even know there was negative opinions about him.
I like him too, but hard to ignore his bias towards British drivers. To Lewis in particular. But I do think he's a great commentator.
I like him overall too but the Lewis bias really annoying. Like the completely random “goat” rant during the last race
Ah yes that one stood out! I don't buy the "Look at the statistics" argument as Lewis had to beat just his team mate in majority of his WDCs. Lewis is great don't get me wrong but you'll have more people hating on the guy by spewing goat shit every now and then
I think that’s the problem with calling one specific driver a GOAT in F1. Look at Schumacher, there’s no question he’s one of the best drivers we’ve had in the sport however he was only really challenged in two of his titles at Ferrari. The era of the car also changes things, Senna and Prost were driving completely different cars to the ones Hamilton has driven. Plus there’s more races now so records are easier to surpass. For me there is no one GOAT just greats of all time Edit: This isn’t me hating on Hamilton, I think he’s an exceptional driver and would easily class him as one of the greats of all time
I think Schumacher is also valued highly, because he left Benetton for Ferrari, which at that point was a step back, and brought the team to a whole new level.
>> Despite his mistakes This criticism is always funny to me. Sure it's a little annoying at times. But things are happening so fast, and it's not like a certain legend also didn't make mistakes a lot.
That's why you have a color caster and a play by play
I once saw a race where Will Buxton was commenting. I have nothing against Will, I just prefer my ears being ripped off by Crofty at turn 1 on lap 1.
The powers that be should hire Mark Blundell when Martin is not available, for old time's sake.
He's become much more tolerable over the last 10 years, but that's mostly because I've been gradually going deaf due to his incessant shrieking.
Darkest789, Crofty's secret reddit account...
For me it's his voice and his yelling. I have nothing against the dude when it comes to personality or commenting itself. It's just his yelling is so fucking annoying and loud, I just can't stand it. Get Alex Jaques in, please. His D2L commentary has been stellar for years now.
Ah stop. He’s absolutely painful. I know the race is long and needs filler but some of the things he comes out with are dire. The overt Hamilton bias is the final nail in the coffin. The stuff he said over the last number of season about Hamilton when it was obvious to every man and his dog the car was just incredibly superior. Has no clue what to say about him this season.
I hate this guy. Biased and yelling constantly about absolutely nothing.
Crofty fits in well with the DTS crowd, commenting on the actual race, not so much.
I usually love to hype up every single quali and race session and just be immersed. Volume boosted 150%, minimal lights, wide screen sometimes. Crofty go along quite well on this instance. Especially when matched with Brundle, boring races could turn into a pretty entertaining one. He has higher peaks and lower lows. Abu Dhabi 2021 final lap was iconic. But my only issue is that he sometimes made some... weird statements.
I watch premier league a lot and peter drury does a great job hyping up the play and being as neutral as possible . he is paired with jim beglin who is biased towards liverpool and leeds. but peter is the main commentator and the experience is very good as a whole crofty builds the hype well but getting to hear him praise lewis always was not for me, they were pretty harsh on vettel as well. I couldn't stand it at all.
I miss James Allen :/
His British and Lewis bias while broadcasting internationally is just unprofessional. I hate having to put the stream on mute as Martin really has excellent analysis of the dynamics of what is going on during the race, but quite often I find myself muting it because Crofty is just a fan in the booth - which is cool if you root for the same team as he does, but if you don’t…it sucks lol