Martin Brundle sets Lewis Hamilton target as grid walk snub reason revealed
Martin Brundle interviewing Lewis Hamilton.
Former F1 driver turned pundit Martin Brundle said he will speak to Lewis Hamilton on a grid walk eventually, joking his Abu Dhabi grid chats proved he does not always curse drivers into crashing, as has been portrayed to Hamilton.
Brundle has become one of the most well-recognised and respected voices in Formula 1, with his ‘grid walk’ segment a particular highlight of pre-race coverage.
Armed with a live microphone, Brundle is sent off to wander the grid, searching for drivers, celebrity faces and everyone in between for a chat, his endeavours more successful at times than others.
Martin Brundle sets out to interview Lewis Hamilton
Some drivers are more willing than others to speak with Brundle during the race build-up, though Hamilton is a driver pretty much off limits.
Brundle has made it his mission though to chat with Hamilton during his grid walk before the seven-time World Champion calls it quits some time down the line in F1, saying someone has convinced Hamilton that he crashes anytime he has spoken to Brundle on the grid.
Responding in a Sky Sports F1 fan Q&A after being asked if he thinks he will speak to Hamilton on the grid walk before he retires, Brundle replied: “Yeah, I do, and I will.
“But then also, somebody convinced Lewis that every time he talked to me on the grid, he crashed.”
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Brundle has some evidence from the F1 2023 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix though to counter that theory.
Max Verstappen capped off his dominant third World Championship-winning campaign with a 19th grand prix win, as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate George Russell joined the Dutchman on the podium.
Brundle pointed out that none of them crashed, having spoken to two third of this trio on the grid, Leclerc and Russell, so perhaps it is time for Hamilton to trust that the curse has been lifted?
“But I spoke to two of the three podium drivers on the grid in Abu Dhabi and actually could have spoken to Max as well if I’d have been a bit sharper, so I didn’t bring them bad luck,” Brundle concluded.
Many more opportunities to grab a word with Hamilton should hopefully come Brundle’s way, Hamilton having signed a Mercedes contract extension which runs until the end of 2025.
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