Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft has revealed that Ferrari star Lewis Hamilton saved both he and broadcasting legend Martin Brundle from an axe from the upcoming F1 movie release.
Croft and Brundle’s iconic voices are used in the movie to describe some dramatic events, and some of their real-life commentary has also been used for the trailer for the new film.
The pair have been working for Sky Sports F1 since they gained rights to show the sport in the UK back in 2012, but both have been working in the sport for a lot longer than that with different companies, with Brundle conducting his first grid walk back at the 1997 British Grand Prix with ITV.
That grid walk feature has become an iconic part of F1 races, and the 66-year-old has had his fair share of awkward moments in that segment over the years.
Hamilton is receiving a production credit for the new F1 movie, and his role has been praised by the film’s makers Joseph Kosinski and Jerry Bruckheimer, as they tried to maintain a real-life feel to the Hollywood release.
Part of that, according to Croft, was to ensure that the film’s makers used real-life commentators, rather than an actor, with Croft thanking the seven-time champion for that decision.
“If it wasn’t for Lewis, I wouldn’t be in the film,” Croft told Sky Sports at the new film’s premiere.
David Croft is heard commentating in the new film
“He sat down with Jerry Bruckheimer and Joe Kosinski and said ‘if you want to make it authentic in terms of the commentary, don’t get an actor, get Crofty and Martin to do it because they’re the voice.’
“So I’m really glad to say that the producers agreed with Lewis on that, and I thanked him for it a couple of years ago and he said ‘you don’t have to thank me for it,’ and I said ‘no, you said a really nice thing and I really appreciate it.'”
What is the plot of the F1 movie?
Croft and Brundle will be heard commentating on the fierce battle between Sonny Hayes and Joshua Pearce at APX GP.
Hayes is played by Hollywood A-lister Brad Pitt, while Pearce is played by British actor Damson Idris in a film that also stars Kerry Condon and Javier Bardem.
Pitt’s Hayes is a retired F1 racer who’s encouraged to come out of retirement to race for the newly-formed APX GP team alongside rookie Pearce, and the pair embark in a huge rivalry.
A number of real-life F1 stars also feature in the film that was shot at a number of race weekends across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
When will the F1 movie be released?
The 2025 grid have already been treated to their own private viewing of the movie, and the first critics’ reviews of the blockbuster have already begun to roll in, but when can you go and watch it?
The new film is set for international release on Wednesday, June 25, which is when it will hit UK cinemas. The long-awaited spectacle will then be released on June 27 in North America.
