Martin Brundle was brutally honest about the downside of his iconic grid walks, leaving him disappointed and forced into awkward situations.
Before switching his focus to F1 punditry, Brundle was a Formula 1 driver who achieved nine podiums. However, the former F1 driver never could’ve predicted that his post-driving career could project him to more fame than he had as a driver.
Now, he holds the famed responsibility of his grid walk. Armed with a microphone, Brundle walks down the grid, finding anyone and everyone to interview. The walk is live and has brought a range of hilarious and memorable moments over the years. From MGK to Cara Delevingne, there has been no shortage of A-listers for the Brit.
However, despite producing consistent and cohesive interviews with drivers and celebrities alike, Brundle admits that it isn’t as easy as it seems.
He admitted, “I’m one sentence away from the end of my career at all times, or being cancelled. I’m terrified of the whole thing because it’s live and it’s just pure car crash television.”
Celebrities and changes
Brundle has yet to find himself cancelled for any comments made in his walks. Instead, the heat settles on those he interviews.
Brundle himself recognised that many of the celebrities he passes during his grid walks don’t have much knowledge of F1, something that has changed significantly over the years. When Brundle started the segment, he was one of the only people on the grid and had free access to the teams and drivers because of it.
Now he finds himself fighting his way through a sea of A-listers, fans and other broadcasts. “It was so easy back in those days, so easy, because there was nobody else to compete with. Drivers would stop by and have a good old chat. I remember talking once to Michael Schumacher and Gerhard Berger at the same time. And could do what I wanted and go where I wanted to. The grid was deserted, generally speaking, back then.”
“But the grid now has, what, it looks like it’s got 2000 people on it from what I can work out.”
Expectations
Despite the growing numbers on the grid, Brundle keeps his aims for the segment high. He said, “A good grid walk adds a little bit of important information about the day, the race, the cars, or one of the cars, or one of the drivers in particular. Talk to a celeb or two. Must talk to some drivers.”
However, with how busy the teams are in the lead-up to the race and the constant commotion on the grid, pinning down a driver for an interview can prove challenging. Brundle especially noted that many leave the grid until it is time for them to get in the cars.
“A lot of them, like Lewis [Hamilton] and George [Russell], go back to the stations in the garage and do a debrief, I mean, on headphones.“
“And a lot of the drivers do. They get off the grid, if it’s hot especially. They need to go and drink, they need to go to the bathroom. And they don’t want to be bothered on the grid.”
This shift in drivers’ schedules and attitudes to being interviewed often leaves Brundle feeling dejected, “I am really disappointed if I don’t get to see some drivers, which is getting near impossible, actually, to find a driver on the grid.”
Featured Image Credit: Formula 1 via X
