David Croft made a major blunder when commentating on Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 title win

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Lewis Hamilton’s first title win in 2008 was one of the most dramatic in Formula 1 history. He snatched the championship away from Felipe Massa on the final lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Hamilton only needed to finish in the top five to seal the title but entered the final lap in sixth. When Ferrari driver Massa won the race, the adoring home crowd thought he was champion.

But as conditions worsened, Hamilton passed the struggling Toyota of Timo Glock at turn 12 out of 15. Glock was still on the dry tyres, while McLaren had called their driver in for intermediates.

Prove me wrong: The 2008 British Grand Prix remains Lewis Hamilton’s best win in F1

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The last-gasp overtake sparked extraordinary scenes as the wild celebrations in the Ferrari garage were halted. Massa felt he had been ‘perfect’ during the race, which made the outcome easier to accept as there was nothing more he could have done.

David Croft didn’t notice that Lewis Hamilton had passed Timo Glock

Martin Brundle, who was commentating on the race for British broadcaster ITV, delivered one of the most iconic lines the sport has ever seen when he shouted: “Is that Glock?”

At the time, Brundle was alongside James Allen in the ITV commentary box. Meanwhile, David Croft was covering the race for BBC radio.

Croft was so focused on Sebastian Vettel’s BMW Sauber, the car Hamilton had been chasing, that he didn’t notice the overtake on Glock. He mistakenly declared Massa the champion before the timing screens alerted him to the mistake.

“Massa’s won, we know that,” said Croft. “He’s the world champion if Lewis Hamilton can’t get past Sebastian Vettel. Vettel goes round into Juncao, he’s three, four, five car lengths ahead and there’s absolutely no chance for Hamilton to get back.

“They’re throwing their hats into the air in the crowd here at Interlagos because Felipe Massa, with Lewis Hamilton coming home to take sixth place, is world champion…

“No! Lewis Hamilton is up to fifth. Lewis Hamilton has made it up to fifth by the end of the line! Ferrari think they’ve won it! Our timing screens say that Lewis Hamilton is fifth and Timo Glock is sixth.

“There’s confusion at Ferrari, but I tell you what the times say Lewis Hamilton is the winner, the McLaren garage say Lewis Hamilton is the winner, Felipe Massa doesn’t know what’s happened there!”

What did David Croft say when Lewis Hamilton won his seventh world championship?

Croft regards Hamilton as the greatest F1 driver ever, having commentated on all seven of his championship-winning seasons.

The conclusion to the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, where Hamilton won by half a minute to equal Schumacher’s benchmark, was far less dramatic.

As he rounded the final few corners, Croft said: “Off the track, Lewis Hamilton has found his voice and on it, once again, he’s found his groove. Now, he finds himself, alongside Michael Schumacher, at the top in the record books.

“The world championship record is equalled. Lewis Hamilton wins the Turkish Grand Prix and is a seven-time champion of the world!

“Just take a moment to think about what this man has achieved in this sport. He is the greatest of all time. Statistically, he can share that with Michael Schumacher in terms of championships, but he’s made a mark on this sport in such an impressive way.”