David Croft Reveals How He Got Weirded Out by His Own Voice in F1 Commentary

Anyone who watches F1 while listening to English commentary knows who David Croft is. He is one of the most recognizable voices in F1 and has been ever present in the Sky Sports commentary booth since 2012. He is the lead commentator for them in F1 and has called some of the most iconic moments in F1 in the recent past.

Crofty, as he is affectionally called by fans, is a very jovial figure, who uses his wit and humor while calling an F1 race. Being one of the most popular sports commentators in the world, it is a given that he has a great voice. During an episode of The Pitstop podcast, the hosts asked the Brit about the moment he realized he had a gifted voice.

Croft revealed that he never understood the fact that he had a good voice. He loved being a commentator but was still a bit taken aback when he heard himself speak on the radio.

Also read: “I Wish the Guys in F1 Would Continue to Have Courage”: Sebastian Vettel Has His Say on FIA’s New ‘Rubbish’ Rules

David Croft on the importance of voice in being F1’s lead commentator

Before starting his career as F1’s lead commentator, Crofty was also a part of the commentary panel of other prestigious sporting tournaments. He was part of the team that covered the 2002 FIFA World Cup & the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

In the podcast, Croft admitted that having a good voice was important in being an F1 commentator. He talked about how he has to cut over the sound of the F1 cars, the squealing tires, and also the fans. Despite starting as a commentator 11 years ago, it took him a lot of time to get used to his voice.

The 52-year-old went on to say that he found his voice to be very different because of wearing headphones during coverage. He found it especially weird during his early days in the sport. Croft also revealed an incident where he was driving his car and a trailer for the next Grand Prix came up on the radio which featured his voice. Listening to his voice on the radio felt extremely weird to him.

Also read: “Happy to Have Some Time Off”: Daniel Ricciardo Admits He’s at Peace With Not Racing in F1

Who is the GOAT of F1 for Crofty?

Crofty has been in the commentary booth for all of the most memorable races over the last decade. He has called iconic moments belonging to legends like Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. However, his list of three greatest F1 drivers of all time might surprise a few people.

Most fans would choose Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna or maybe even Sebastian Vettel in list of F1 GOATs. For Croft, however, they weren’t as good as his top three. In no particular order, he named three drivers who he thinks are the sport’s best ever.

The first name he took was that of Niki Lauda. He added to that by naming two Brits in Lewis Hamilton and Sir Jackie Stewart respectively. These three drivers according to Croft, are the best this sport has ever seen.