F1 commentator David Croft has taken some of the gloss off Jennifer Lopez‘s head-turning appearance at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix by hitting TV viewers with an awful joke about the singing and acting superstar.
Lopez, 55, cut a striking figure in a figure-hugging, Barbie-pink one-piece as she walked through the paddock and pits at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, chatting to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and popping in to visit the Ferrari team in their garage.
While JLo was posing for photos, Croft quipped, ‘I’m surprised she’s here at the moment – I thought she was waiting for tonight.
‘JLo fans would’ve got that.’
The TV star’s groan-worthy joke was a riff on Lopez’s 1999 hit ‘Waiting for Tonight’.
Lopez’s performance after qualifying – which saw her joined by Party Next Door, Major Lazer and Usher – was her first performance at an F1 event in 11 years, after she previously headlined at the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix.
Jennifer Lopez turned heads as she stepped out in a daring one-piece outfit at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (pictured)
The 55-year-old superstar strolled through the paddock in Jeddah and met the Ferrari team in their pit garage – before becoming the subject of a groan-worthy joke
F1 commentator David Croft (pictured right) proved comedy isn’t his strong suit with a gag that riffed on JLo’s 1999 hit Waiting for Tonight
On the track, world champion Max Verstappen snatched his second straight pole position with a stunning lap that put him just in front of Australia’s Oscar Piastri.
But the real story of qualifying was the shocking blow to Lando Norris’s bid to become world champion, which saw the McLaren star crash into the wall in Q3.
The Briton will now start from 10th on the grid as he tries to protect the three-point lead he has over teammate Piastri in the driver standings.
Norris he called himself a ‘f****** idiot’ as he assured the team he was physically unharmed while still in the cockpit.
Norris’s contribution ended when he lost control through the chicane and travelled over the kerbs. He tried to wrestle his car back but there was no catching it, and he was sent into the left-hand wall. Turns 4 and 5 of the 27, and he was out of the reckoning at the start of Q3.
McLaren chief executive Zak Brown has not given up hope of a Norris revival. ‘Just focus on the race,’ he said of their approach. ‘It will probably be a one-stop, but we can’t rule out a safety car.
‘He’ll certainly be faster than he qualified.’
George Russell took third for Mercedes with another impressive effort that he described as ‘a little mixed’ in his own post-session verdict.
Pictured: Lando Norris’s stricken McLaren is removed from the track after he put it into the wall during qualifying. The Briton will start from 10th
The 2025 season got a bit more difficult for struggling Ferrari star Lewis Hamilton (pictured) who will start from seventh on the grid
Lewis Hamilton another bewilderingly bad evening. He was only seventh quickest, nine-tenths off the pace.
He has now been outqualified by Leclerc – who will start from fourth in Jeddah – four-to-one this season, sprint qualifying in China excluded.
The story in the drivers’ standings is not quite as bleak, as Hamilton trails Leclerc by just seven points. The former also won the sprint race in Shanghai, proving he is still a formidable force over a race distance.
Speaking after qualifying in Jeddah, Hamilton cut a tired look as he delved into the same old story about his qualifying struggles, which extend back to his final season at Mercedes.
George Russell out-qualified him 19 to five in grands prix and five to one in sprint races in 2024.
Hamilton said: ‘It [Qualifying] was challenging as always for me. I’ve been nowhere all weekend – 13th in almost every session.
‘Honestly, I feel grateful to have got to Q3 and P7. It was not a spectacular last lap but we’ve been making improvements all weekend. Needed a better lap at the end but, as I said, I’m grateful to be there or thereabouts.’
A reporter then noted that Hamilton’s race performance has often bettered his lacklustre showings in qualifying. When asked if he thinks that will be the case again on Sunday in Jeddah, the 40-year-old laughed: ‘Praying, more like.’
He then added: ‘Trying to bond with this car over a single lap is something that I’m finding very difficult at the moment.
‘But we don’t give up. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. We keeping pushing and keep trying. We’ve got some amazing support, so we just [need to] keep working hard.’
Hamilton has logged the most pole positions in Formula One history (104), which makes his struggles even more perplexing.
His last pole came at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, where he went on to finish P4.
Hamilton currently sits seventh in the drivers’ standings, already 52 points behind championship leader Norris.
