David Croft of Sky Sports F1 was compelled to issue an apology when audio purporting to show Lewis Hamilton cursing was discovered during the Spanish Grand Prix broadcast.
Hamilton, a past world champion, placed third in Catalunya and made his podium debut in 2024. Max Verstappen emerged victorious once more, maintaining his lead atop the drivers’ standings, though pole-sitter Lando Norris gave the defending champion a tough race.
After a rough start to the season, Hamilton has been making up ground. He said that this will be his final season with Mercedes before switching to Ferrari in 2025. Hamilton’s season was summed up in one event: the race in Barcelona. He had a tough beginning but worked his way up through the pack.
After the race, Hamilton expressed regret for his “s*** start” and hinted that he could have placed even higher. The language used by Hamilton took Sky Sports, which was live-broadcasting the footage from the cooling room, off guard. Croft apologized to viewers at home.
George Russell, Hamilton’s teammate, got out to the fastest start, passing both Verstappen and Norris to take the lead after the first lap. But in the third lap, Verstappen took the lead, and Russell ended up finishing fourth, behind his teammate.
“It’s been a fantastic day, an excellent weekend,” Hamilton remarked following his podium position. “The squad has been practicing so hard that I must extend my sincere gratitude to them. The pit stops and the strategy were spot on.
“Unfortunately, I had a terrible start and had to fight to catch up to the Ferraris. I don’t know whether we could have kept up with the guys ahead, but I don’t think we would have fallen as far behind with a stronger start.”
Not just Hamilton was left feeling remorseful over a sluggish start. The McLaren driver finished in second place for the fourth time this year, although he was unable to build on his Miami success. “Should have won, not could have,” remarked the 24-year-old. “It was just a poor start for me.
“I am uncertain,” he continued. “I must reflect and reassess. I don’t know if I was just a little off or what I did wrong. Max and I didn’t really lose each other; it wasn’t like he was by my side all the time; rather, it was more like George came outside and kind of took over.
It’s unfortunate that we lost it at the same moment, which is a little irritating, but fair play to Red Bull and Max—another job well done for them. We’ll address it in the future.
