For all the talk about the Monaco Grand Prix being the most prestigious race on the Formula 1 calendar, the race itself is typically boring due to a lack of passing.
Despite that, the Formula 1 announcers on Sky Sports, which simulcasts on ESPN, are able to make a very fast parade sound like “must-see TV.”
That impressed NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin, who talked about watching the Monaco GP on his Actions Detrimental podcast. The NASCAR driver praised the Sky F1 commentary team and IndyCar’s Leigh Diffey for his work at the Indy 500, while pointing out that NASCAR’s commentators can sometimes be monotone.
“I have to give an absolute shout-out to the announcers,” Hamlin said. “They make you think, ‘Oh my God, this is unbelievable what Max Verstappen did in the final sector in qualifying.’ I mean, screaming in the mic, saying, ‘Cannot believe what just happened.’ And I’m like, ‘Wow, I guess this is a big moment. I should care about it.’
“And it’s just crazy when you hear kind of the monotone that we have, right? It’s just ‘dah dah dah dah dah.’ And so, man it’s, like Leigh Diffey does an amazing job. Wow. He calls IndyCar races. It is just fantastic.”
Hamlin’s comments immediately reminded me of this.
While Hamlin subtlety criticized certain unnamed NASCAR broadcasters for being monotone at times, he praised them later in the show when asked if he would want to go into broadcasting. Hamlin pointed out the professionalism, chemistry, and teamwork everyone has that makes for a great broadcast.
“Even Fox or NBC, hearing the guys have been doing this for such a long time and how good they are at leading one right to the other,” Hamlin said. “That’s what makes the guys at MRN so special. Is that one knows when one stops talking from the other ones coming, and they just got that that chemistry that works so well.”
[Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin]
