Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft was forced to issue a telling-off to co-commentator Karun Chandhok during the FP2 broadcast at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after the former HRT driver used blasphemous language. Croft and Chandhok were discussing the commitment of a Williams fan in the grandstands at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit after the TV cameras panned to a supporter holding up a handmade sign reading: “I flew 10,000km to see Carbono’. This was a reference to the fan-made nickname for Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon.
Lead commentator Croft used the sign to pivot to a fact about both Williams drivers having undergone appendectomies since graduating from F1, while also noting that their replacements, Oliver Bearman and Nyck de Vries, both scored points on their debuts.
“I need to call Anthony Davidson to find out if he had a more tenuous link, because I can’t remember it,” Chandhok replied, unimpressed by Croft’s statistics. The commentator then replied: “I’m just backing up their efforts. I applaud that fan.”
Chandhok was not satisfied, and continued: “Why don’t we just say that? ‘I applaud that fan, ‘ rather than the world’s most tenuous link. Jesus Christ! Amazing. Crofty has officially lost it. [He] needs to go to bed.”
Croft was then forced to interject, demanding an apology from his partner in the booth. “And I know it’s Easter, but watch your language,” he stated. Chandhok replied: “What do you mean? This prompted the response: “Your exclamation of my tenuous link there. Apologies, ladies and gentlemen, if anyone was offended by that.”
The FP2 drama wasn’t limited to the commentary booth, either. With the clock in single digits, Yuki Tsunoda made an error at the final corner, clipping the inside wall. The ensuing damage broke his steering, sending him head-on into the outside barriers.
With debris and shards of carbon fibre strewn across the circuit, the marshals were forced to wave the red flag. “I just turned in too much and clipped the inside wall and had damage,” Tsunoda explained in the media pen. “After that, [I had] just no control, so yeah, apologies to the team. Pace was looking good, so [it is a] shame.”
He added: “I mean, the confidence level is pretty good. I mean, the last soft run was a bit compromised with the warm-up and everything, but so far, pretty okay. I mean, I got limited time with the long run, which I caused by myself, so I can’t really complain. I definitely wanted to end it in a nicer way, for sure.”
