Sky F1 Presenter Responds To Adrian Newey's Accusations Of Demonizing Max Verstappen

Saajan Jogia | Sep 17, 2024

Jos And Max Verstappen / Red Bull Content Pool

Sky Sports F1 presenter and lead commentator David Croft has addressed accusations from Red Bull's chief technical officer, Adrian Newey, who claimed that Sky F1 had demonized Max Verstappen and exhibited a nationalistic bias in its coverage.

Newey recently revealed crucial details on the High Performance podcast that went live on the day of his Aston Martin signing, where it was announced that he would take on the role of managing technical partner and shareholder from March 2025.

Having worked closely with two of Formula 1's most successful drivers, Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel, the aero guru gained deep insights into their personalities. This prompted him to criticize Sky F1 for its negative portrayal of both champions. He said:

“I think from the outside I’m not sure people fully appreciate and understand Max, just like they didn’t with Sebastian.

“First of all, there’s this sort of demonisation both of them suffered at times, which I think is very unfair, and maybe that’s also a little bit of the British media, if I’m honest.

“Sky have a huge influence around the world, their viewing is truly international, but their coverage is quite nationalistic dare I say, and that can have an influence.

“It’s this thing that now with journalism typically, there is that trend to sort of either put people on a pedestal or knock them down.”

Sky Sports F1, a British broadcaster with international reach, has held the broadcasting rights for Formula 1 in the UK and Ireland since 2012, with the contract running until 2029. Its coverage is also sold to English-speaking markets worldwide, including the USA, and its commentary is frequently featured on Formula 1’s official social media channels.

However, Croft defended himself, saying he always tries to be as impartial as possible in his commentary. He told Speedcafe.com:

“I will try and follow the story, it’s as simple as that.

“You try and follow the story wherever that story might be, and Formula 1 is unique in that there are many different stories that happen during the course of the race.

“You’ve also got to talk to the pictures, which we have no control over, on Sky, at all – they’re all from a world feed – so you’re reacting to what that director wants to put out there.

“I try to be as impartial as I can.

“It’s really difficult to prove whether you’re impartial or not because we all watch with a bias.

“We all watch with our own bias and our own perceptions of a comment or a statement that somebody makes.

“And when you’re trying sometimes to be neutral, someone will perceive that in a completely different way."

He added:

“Do I get more excited when a British driver wins? Possibly – you might think so, I don’t know because I’m in that moment.

“Do I get more excited when it’s been a thrilling race? Yes.

“Do I get more excited when there’s a great story to go with it? Yes. Do I get excited about whoever wins? I try to.”