Formula 1 broadcaster David Croft publicly apologized to Sky Sports viewers following the inadvertent airing of profanity by a driver during the live broadcast of the Italian Grand Prix qualifying session. The incident occurred when Isack Hadjar, fresh off his first F1 podium finish in Zandvoort, expressed frustration during an interview after a disappointing qualifying performance at Monza.
Hadjar, unexpectedly among the bottom five qualifiers, vented his anger towards Carlos Sainz for obstructing his lap, attributing his poor performance to Sainz’s actions on the track. The Racing Bulls driver criticized Sainz’s tactics and questioned his motives, leading to a heated exchange captured by the broadcast team.
Croft promptly issued an on-air apology for the explicit language used by Hadjar, also informing viewers that Hadjar would start the race from the back of the grid due to impending penalties for exceeding the allowed number of engine components.
The mishap further entailed Hadjar’s team-mate, Liam Lawson, securing the last spot on the timesheets, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen clinched pole position. Lando Norris will join Verstappen on the front row, outpacing his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will start fourth and tenth respectively in the forthcoming race at their home circuit in Italy.
The incident highlighted a challenging qualifying session for Racing Bulls, setting the stage for an intriguing race day scenario at the Italian Grand Prix. Fans can follow all the F1 action live with the new Sky Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle, which also features a wide array of TV channels and complimentary subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.