David Croft interrupted his broadcast of the Singapore Grand Prix on lap 37 to send a heartwarming message to Will Macintyre. The GB3 Championship racer was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer last month.
Macintyre had been competing in his sophomore season of the GB3 Championship and sat fifth in the standings, 11 points behind Deagen Fairclough in fourth. However, his diagnosis forced him to step away from the series and pause his racing plans as he continues his recovery process.
“Hi everyone,” Macintyre posted on Instagram. “This is a very different post to usual, but I’ll just spit it out. Over the past few months, I haven’t quite felt myself, and now it’s starting to make a bit more sense as to why.
“I’ve been diagnosed with both brain and lung cancer. Sadly, it’s as serious as it sounds! The amazing team at Milton Keynes Hospital have already been incredible in helping put a plan together for how I’m going to fight this.
“Unfortunately, this does mean I won’t be racing for the foreseeable future. But rest assured, the second I’m able to, I’ll be back behind the wheel where I belong. A massive thank you goes to my family and friends for their support and to everyone who continues to back me through this unexpected detour.”
At the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, Sky Sports F1 commentator Croft took a moment to send the 18-year-old a message during a tense battle between Isack Hadjar and Fernando Alonso on lap 37 – the lap corresponding to Macintyre’s preferred racing number.
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“I tell you what, there’s a young lad called Will Mac – Will MacIntyre – who is going to be really enjoying that, and all that of this racing. GB3 racer… He’s a good friend of mine, Will Mac 37, he has got a battle off track at the moment that he is fighting, and had some pretty bad news a couple of weeks ago.
“And the motorsport community has sent a lot of love and support to him, and we do that as well as he continues his recovery back at home. We’ll see you down the gym soon, Will. You can fight this one mate, you really can.”
Macintyre received an outpouring of support after revealing his diagnosis to the world. F1 stars Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli both sent messages to the teenager, while several of his GB3 competitors also showed their feelings in the comments of his Instagram post.