David Croft calls out F1 fans moaning about Max Verstappen’s dominance

Jamie Woodhouse 05 Aug 2023 7:30 PM

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen on the podium at the Austrian Grand Prix. Spielberg, July 2023.

Sky F1 commentator David Croft says he “can’t help” people who think Formula 1 is currently boring, other than to urge them to appreciate and marvel in the Max Verstappen and Red Bull era.

Formula 1 is now into its 2023 summer break as the teams and drivers take stock of the first-half of their respective seasons, but all those not named Red Bull or Max Verstappen do so knowing that title success is now effectively off the table.

Even a win could be at this stage, with Verstappen having won 10 of the 12 grands prix so far, including the last eight in a row, with team-mate Sergio Perez securing the other two to send Red Bull into the break undefeated.

David Croft responds to Max Verstappen dominance critics

With victory in Hungary, Red Bull made it 12 wins in a row to break the McLaren record which had stood since 1988, following that up with a one-two finish next time out in Belgium, while Verstappen won the sprint at Spa-Francorchamps too.

The fact that both title races are now effectively already over, with a 125 and 256-point lead for Verstappen and Red Bull respectively, has raised question marks over the entertainment factor of this season, with no other team having been able to lay a glove on the all-conquering Red Bull squad.

But, Croft says he can do nothing to help you if this season is boring to you.

PlanetF1.com recommends

Revealed: The five longest winning streaks by a single driver in F1

F1 points all-time rankings: Where do Hamilton, Verstappen and Alonso feature?

Speaking alongside ex-F1 racer Karun Chandhok on theSky F1 podcast, he said: “All I would say is if you think the sight of cars going at 200 miles an hour plus, or doing 170 miles an hour through Maggotts and Becketts, or showing the most supreme engineering challenge, in the hands of some of the most talented human beings ever to grab hold of a steering wheel, where we’re at tracks where you’re millimetres away from ruining your afternoon for 70-odd laps in a race, if you think that’s boring, I can’t help you. I really can’t.

“It is so so easy to run with the herd here and say ‘oh it’s boring because Max keeps winning’. Why not marvel at the record? At the excellence, at the consistency and to be that good for so long.

“I couldn’t do it. Karun couldn’t do it. You know what it takes Karun to be that good and appreciate what we’re seeing, because we’re not going to see it forever.”

Chandhok said there have been stories unfolding behind Red Bull, like Aston Martin’s surge up the order, which has injected some excitement into the season, but argued like in football and cricket, not every race can be a classic, nor has that been the case in Formula 1 before.

“Yeah, I agree, and look, there’s good stories up and down the field,” said Chandhok in response to Croft. “I think there’s been stuff going on.

“We started with all the stuff at Aston and their rejuvenation really at the start of the year and where they were. There’s stuff going on.

“I think you’d have to say there has been more boring races than others, but that’s been the case in Formula 1 since it started in 1950.

“你不可能每一个足球比赛,每个cricket match going down to the last ball or the last minute, it’s just that is sport, not every match or race is going to be exciting to the end. But on the whole, I think we’ve had a decent season.”

10 rounds of the F1 2023 campaign remain, with the season resuming at Circuit Zandvoort for Verstappen’s home race, the Dutch Grand Prix, from August 25-27.