David Croft, lead commentator for Sky Sports Formula 1, has recently questioned Lewis Hamilton‘s driving after a series of errors deemed ‘sloppy’ in the latest races. The claims come after the penalties the Ferrari driver has accumulated in recent races.
After a complicated debut with Ferrari in the 2025 season, Hamilton has experienced a remarkable recovery this year, currently sitting second in the standings with 169 points, 50 points behind the championship leader, Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes. In addition, he achieved his first victory with the team at the Barcelona-Catalonia Grand Prix in June.
However, his potential was limited at the recent Hungarian Grand Prix, where he finished fifth and suffered two penalties during the weekend. On the Sky Sports F1 Show, Croft analyzed the difficulties Hamilton faced in this race.
‘His second stint wasn’t particularly good. I realize that it may have been due to being behind the Racing Bulls, which could have affected his tires,’ Croft commented, reflecting on the Briton’s competition on the track.
He also noted that the difficulties worsened with another ‘sloppy’ error from Hamilton. Croft listed a series of recent penalties that include: a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane in Monaco, another similar penalty at Silverstone for moving before the start signal, and a three-place grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri during qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Although Ferrari acknowledged responsibility for the Hungary penalty, claiming they warned Hamilton about Piastri’s approach too late, Croft asserted that he should have been more aware of what was happening around him. ‘He should have been watching his mirrors himself. He was the first driver to start a lap, so he should know that other drivers would also be starting their lap while he finished,’ he added.
Croft concluded that Hamilton should not squander positions in such a demanding competition. ‘I don’t want to be too hard on Lewis; I think he’s the greatest of all time. But these aren’t mistakes that a driver with his ability and experience should be making,’ he said in his final comment.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
