Former Formula 1 driver and current Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle has expressed his immense joy (“ecstatic”) upon being appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the King`s New Year Honours list. He took the opportunity to pay tribute to his colleagues at Sky Sports.
Brundle, a nine-time F1 podium finisher, was recognised for his dedicated services to motor racing and sports broadcasting. Prince William, the Prince of Wales, presented him with the prestigious award during a ceremony held at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.
A veteran of 158 Formula 1 starts, Brundle has been an integral part of Sky Sports F1`s television coverage since the channel`s launch in 2012, becoming a familiar and respected voice in the sport.
Reflecting on the honour, Brundle commented, “It made me feel very lucky and very privileged because always something like this, you receive on behalf of an awful lot of other people because either they were designing and creating and fixing my racing cars, or working with us in the broadcasting industry.”
He added, “You can`t do anything on your own at the level of Formula 1. I`ve been very lucky to have two careers in F1 as a driver and a broadcaster, which this award has been presented for.” Brundle shared his initial reaction to the news, stating, “When the letter came through just before Christmas, I was ecstatic.”
Brundle, aged 65, revealed that he had “plenty to talk about” with the Prince of Wales during the ceremony. He recalled their first meeting, which took place at the 1992 British Grand Prix.
“He came along with his mother and his brother,” Brundle recounted. “We met them just after the drivers` briefing on race day.” Given that both have ties to West Norfolk, where the Prince spends time, they had common ground for conversation. Brundle mentioned the Prince shared other personal details, which he preferred to keep private.
The F1 community was quick to congratulate Brundle on social media. F1 president Stefano Domenicali offered his praise, saying, “Huge congratulations to Martin Brundle on receiving his OBE for services to motor racing and to sports broadcasting. He has been a tireless supporter of motorsport and constant presence and brilliant voice to all our fans over many years.” Mercedes driver George Russell also tweeted his congratulations, calling Brundle “Best in the business!! Well deserved.”
The Iconic Grid Walk
Brundle is perhaps most widely recognised for his unique pre-race grid walks, where he navigates the bustling grid minutes before the race begins, seeking impromptu interviews with drivers, team personnel, and celebrities.
He believes the spontaneous and often unpredictable nature of this segment is key to its popularity with viewers watching from home.
Explaining the purpose, Brundle stated, “We`re only there to tell the story, the stories about the cars and the drivers, and we`re there to explain what is a fast-moving and highly complex sport.” He described the challenging environment: “We get in amongst it, we`ve got access, we`ve got opportunities, we know everybody pretty well. But then the grid, it just gets busier, there must have been 1,000 people on there in Vegas. I can`t see anybody half the time, sometimes I can`t even see an F1 car.”
He added, “We try to find people, we talk, and I think because it`s a bit edgy and sometimes it fails miserably, I think people are kind of living it, if I`m having a good day or a bad day.”
Despite performing them for 27 years, Brundle admits, “I`ve never watched one… because it`s not my natural habitat to run around being cheeky and interrupting people, but it`s sort of grown a life of its own.” He recalled the original idea behind the segment: “What it was put in for originally was to ramp up the excitement before the grand prix. The cars go to the grid, it calms down a bit and then let`s get some energy going.” He concluded, “The chance to talk to a driver literally before they pull their crash helmets on and zoom down to the first corner is unique in sport.”
