FORMULA 1 legend Martin Brundle has branded his famous grid walk interviews “car crash TV” and admits he’s walking a career tightrope.
The racing driver-turned-broadcaster, 65, prowls the racing grids in the moments before each race looking for superstar VIPs to interview.
Over the years, many have gone viral – from Ozzy Osbourne rambling at him incoherently to a very awkward exchange with Machine Gun Kelly about his music career.
Sometimes celebs refuse to engage altogether like when Cara Delevingne controversially shunned him at the 2023 British GP, and he’s even been bundled from the race track by security.
The chaotic, unscripted nature of his interviews has left him terrified it could all come crashing down on him live on air.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun at F1 75 Live at London‘s O2 Arena, he said: “I’m one sentence away from the end of my career at all times, or being cancelled.
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“I’m terrified of the whole thing, because it’s live and it’s just pure car crash television.
“Machine Gun Kelly, Megan Thee Stallion, I don’t know, getting knocked about by security guards. They’re the ones that people like.
“And then I meet some really lovely, fascinating, world-class people, politicians and royalty and movie stars, and I’m very privileged with the people I meet on the grid.”
Often celebrity guests admit to knowing nothing about the sport, something that drives die-hard fans who could only dream of being amongst the drivers on race day up the wall.
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“I understand that,” said Brundle. “Because we watch Formula 1 year in, year out, racing ourselves, and they’re on the grid and they actually don’t know anything about it, and quite clearly don’t really want to be there.
“They’re just selling a movie or something. I get that, but for Formula 1, they are A-listers.”
The racing veteran, who spent 12 years as an F1 driver from 1984 to 1996, said that there are occasions when many lucky enough to be on the guest list don’t even turn up, with the new Las Vegas track a particular victim of no shows.
He said: “I get a list through on it, race morning, with 70 people on it. Half of them don’t turn up, but you get through and you’re like, ‘I’ve not heard of many of those’. Oh, 65 million followers on Instagram. Oh, 140 million followers on Instagram.
“How did I not hear of these people? Clearly somebody has. I think it’s all part of the incoming tide, all the boats float higher. That’s part of why something like this works today, and it hasn’t happened in the past.”
Last night’s celebration of the sport’s 75th anniversary saw all 10 F1 teams unveil their 2025 liveries ahead of the new season.
A spectacular production gave each team their moment in the spotlight to show off their driver partnerships and new look cars.
Host Jack Whitehall brought the laughs, while the likes of Machine Gun Kelly, Kane Brown and Take That provided music.
The most anticipated moment of the night was the chance to see Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari red for the first time.
He certainly looked the part and Martin believes the move from Mercedes will reinvigorate the seven-time world champion.
He said: “I think Lewis will be energised completely. He’s faster. Think back to Silverstone last year, think back to Las Vegas last year.
“Lewis was fast as, and I think he’ll want to show everybody he’s made yet another good decision.
“He’s got his hands full because Charles Leclerc is very fast. All the youngsters there, they’re barely half his age, some of them, and they’re fast and they’re fearless.
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“I think he’s got a lot of hard work ahead, but I would never write Lewis out of my mind.”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
