Lewis Hamilton has STOPPED talking to Martin Brundle during F1 grid walks
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Lewis Hamilton has STOPPED talking to Martin Brundle during F1 grid walks, the stunned Sky Sports pundit reveals – as he admits he was once reluctant to interview David Beckham because he ‘don’t like bothering people’
- Martin Brundle has spent years interviewing racers and celebrities on F1 grid walks
- He claims Lewis Hamilton talked before the races but now chooses not to
- Hamilton has endured a tough season this year with Mercedes’ car struggling
- The Sky Sports pundit raced for McLaren and Williams between 1984 and 1996
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Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle has revealed Lewis Hamilton has ‘stopped’ talking to him during his famous pre-race grid walks.
The 63-year-old has been interviewing the sport’s biggest stars and celebrities on the race track for over a decade.
And while he has a good relationship with most drivers, Brundle has now revealed that there are racers who will “never talk to him”.
Martin Brundle says Lewis Hamilton has ‘stopped’ gridwalk interviews at F1 races
In an interview with GQBrundle said, “I never tried to give them a drop kick or get smart with the questions. I think that would be unfair, so it tends to be a very upbeat and fun conversation.
“I’m not really going to hit them with an ‘I heard your contract is expiring soon’ or anything like that. It will be relevant to the race, but in general they trust me.
āA few of them will just shake their heads and even apologize later. Or some come up to me in the paddock and say, “You haven’t seen me on the grid in ages, just come and talk to me on the grid”.
‘And then others never talk. Lewis [Hamilton] talked to me a lot and then stopped. So we’ll take it as it comes.’
Brundle says that while Hamilton often talked during the grid walks, he prefers not to now
Brundle claims there are some racers who even approach him for interviews, but Hamilton is no longer one of them.
The two F1 icons sat down together for Sky Sports’ show around the 70th anniversary Grand Prix in 2020, but apart from that they have rarely been seen together on the track since the 2019 season.
Perhaps to add to this was Hamilton’s disappointing season for Mercedes this year as he struggled to get a grip on their new car and slipped down the standings.
The pair are seen following Hamilton’s win at the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix
Brundle was also asked if he is ever reluctant to approach certain drivers or celebrities.
He continued: ‘That’s what I thought of David Beckham, and I finally got him in the face in Miami. I was beaten by some guys in Qatar who didn’t want anyone around him. So I was determined to talk to him.
āAnd when I did, I actually thought, ‘I don’t know why I bothered’. I especially didn’t feel good about it. I don’t like to bother people. If they don’t want to talk to you, they don’t want to talk to you. There are plenty of people who do that.
“You have to remember: I’ve been on a Formula 1 grid for 38 years, more than half the life of Formula 1. I’ve been through more than half of the Grands Prix in Formula 1 history, so I feel quite comfortable in that space. I feel it’s my territory.’
Brundle says he didn’t like interviewing David Beckham because he felt like he was ‘harassing’ him
Brundle built a successful racing career after working for McLaren and Williams between 1984 and 1996 before retiring and becoming a reporter in the sport.
His pre-race ritual involves navigating the grid and speaking to as many drivers and celebrities as possible – leading to some iconic clips over the years.
The likes of DJ Khaled, Megan Thee Stallion and Pharrell Williams all delivered some viral content when they spoke to the Sky Sports pundit.
Hamilton is currently sixth in the 2022 drivers’ standings and under teammate George Russell