According to Martin Brundle, Lewis Hamilton ignores him on the F1 grid before races. Hamilton “used to talk a lot,” according to the Sky Sports F1 commentator, but has since “stopped.” Brundle was referring to his famous pre-race grid walks.
The Sky Sports pundit, Brundle, emphasised that other drivers are eager to be interviewed ahead of the race and will even make special requests to be featured.
As Brundle stated in an interview with GQ Magazine: “A few of them will just shake their heads and then even apologize later on.”
“Or some come up to me in the paddock and go, ‘You haven’t seen me on the grid for ages. Just come and talk to me on the grid. And then others will never talk. Lewis used to talk to me a lot and then stopped. So, we take it as it comes. “
Lewis Hamilton acknowledged Brundle for a Sky Sports F1 feature commemorating the history of the grid walk. He stated: “Martin, I think, has a great history in the sport; his character, his energy.
“He’s got such a recognisable voice that people respect and admire. I hope that he stays around for a long time because I think he is today’s Murray Walker.
“Over the past 25 years, Brundle has been involved in some comical pre-race moments with drivers.
His most iconic moments include Kimi Raikkonen telling Brundle he was “having a s***” when Brundle asked why he missed the pre-race presentation at the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix.
Brundle was also once ignored by Mika Hakkinen, with the McLaren driver saying he didn’t want to talk when approached for an interview.
The 63-year-old also comically stole Michael Schumacher’s cap while chatting to Gerhard Berger on the grid. Brundle was asked if he was afforded some extra trust among drivers due to his background in the sport.
Martin Brundle speaking to GQ Magazine said: “Yeah, I think so,” They know you’ve been there, you’ve done it, you’ve seen it, you’ve crashed the car, and you’re going to ask something relevant or personal.
“I never tried to dropkick them or get clever with the questions. I think that would be unfair. So it tends to be quite happy and smashy and nice conversation. I’m not really going to be hitting them with an ‘I heard your contract is up soon,’ or something like that. It’s going to be relevant to the race, but generally speaking, they trust me. “
