Martin Brundle reveals secrets behind F1’s famous gridiron ride and ‘car crash TV’

Martin Brundle has revealed that three producers communicate with him in his ear during his famous F1 grid walks.

Sky Sports broadcaster Brundle, a former F1 driver, is known for his hilarious and sometimes awkward encounters with drivers and celebrities on the grid ahead of races.

The 65-year-old has now revealed some of the secrets of his walk on the grill, including how the producers communicate and let him know where to be for certain conversations.

“So I’ve got three people in my ear, I can’t always hear them,” Brundle said in a Sky Sports Reddit Q&A.

“Someone turned off my radio once, I have that on my belt behind me because they thought it was funny in the Monaco grid, and I heard absolutely no one.

“So I try to see people out of the corner of my eye and stumble – it’s gridiron car crash TV. I don’t know what’s going to happen next and I think the feedback I get is that people quite like the chaos of this

“Basically, yes, three people are talking to me about schedules and who’s where and what might happen next, but I try to do as much as I can!”

Brundle also revealed his favorite moments from walking the grid, including conversations with Ozzy Osbourne, Kimi Raikkonen and Mika Hakkinen.

“Well, Ozzy Osborne was funny in his day in Canada,” he said. “Kimi Raikkonen was quite rude, not to me, but with the word he chose on the grid once in Brazil, but very funny.

“Obviously I’ve been run over by a few security guards and things like that, but overall, I love talking to the people at the network. It’s a unique experience and opportunity, and the atmosphere, the energy that’s there down and then share it with the drivers, the teams and all sorts of people.

“So, I especially love talking to the drivers on the grid. Probably the best moment was talking to Mika Häkkinen, literally while he was putting on his balaclava, he’s at the front of the grid, Suzuka, and I say, ‘You can win the world championship Mika?” And he says, “Yes, I can.” He gets out, gets in the car, becomes world champion 90 minutes later.

“And I love that access when everyone is full of adrenaline.”

More recently, Brundle told Kylian Mbappe’s bodyguard in Monaco: “I’m in charge here” when he tried to conduct an interview with the France and Real Madrid star in May.

In Brazil last November, Brundle bumped into American rapper Machine Gun Kelly and a strange interview ensued, in which the American rapper played with Brundle’s poppy, asked him to play air guitar and that he put his thumb on the camera at the end.

Brundle also briefly met Shaquille O’Neal in Las Vegas, with the NBA legend simply saying “Lewis Hamilton baby”.

Brundle also endured hilarious run-ins with DJ Khaled and Pharrell Williams in Miami in 2022, as well as a slightly frosty exchange with Cara Delevingne at Silverstone last year, in which the model refused to speak to the station.

Brundle will be back on the grid this weekend when F1 returns with the US Grand Prix in Austin (October 18-20).