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Martin Brundle says he “didn’t know why I bothered” when he finally nailed David Beckham for a chat in Miami.
Broadcaster Sky F1 has built a cult following beyond the sport’s usual fanbase for its pre-race grid walks, especially when the track is packed with celebrities it may not be very familiar with.
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion was one such example at the 2021 United States Grand Prix, while Brundle misidentified NFL star Patrick Mahomes at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix while interviewing basketball player Paolo Banchero instead.
But of course he couldn’t help but recognize Beckham, one of the world’s most famous sports stars – the problem was, however, that the former England football captain didn’t seem too keen to talk to Brundle, or Qatar in 2021. At or Miami 2022.
At the latest event, the former F1 driver failed to make the most of his first chance to speak to Beckham, but scored with his second opportunity – although it was a decidedly unimpressive conversation in which the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder looked less engaging and avoiding eye contact.
Asked during an interview with GQ magazine if he ever thought he was fighting a losing battle trying to interview certain network personalities, Brundle replied: “I thought that about David Beckham and I ended up getting in his face in Miami.
“I was marked by two guys in Qatar who didn’t want anyone around him there. So I was pretty determined to talk to him. And then when I did I thought “I don’t know why I bothered”, actually.
“I didn’t particularly feel good about it. I don’t like bothering people. If they don’t want to talk to you, they don’t want to talk to you.
“There are a lot of people who do. You have to remember that I’ve been on the F1 grid for 38 years, well over half the life of F1. I’ve been to more than half the grand prix in F1 history, so I feel quite comfortable in this space – I feel like it’s my territory.”
There’s a reason I’ve never looked back at an F1 gridwalk in the quarter of a century I’ve been doing them. You have no idea how much I hate doing them, but somehow these crazy moments defined my professional career 🤔. Well, that’s the situation.
— Martin Brundle (@MBrundleF1) May 9, 2022
But Brundle tends to get a much more favorable response from the most important people on the grid – the drivers.
“I find the guides very accommodating. I find them very eloquent,” said the 63-year-old.
“The drivers know me. I’m surprised any of them even talk to me, to be honest, when they’re in the zone.
“They know you’ve been there, done it, seen it, crashed your car and you’re going to ask something relevant or personal. I never try to kick them or trick the questions. I think that would be unfair.
“So it tends to be quite a happy and ‘Smashy and Nicey’ conversation. I’m not really going to hit them with “I heard your contract is up soon” or anything like that. It will have something to do with the race, but overall they trust me.
“Some of them will just shake their head and then even apologize later, or some come up to me in the paddock and say ‘you haven’t seen me on the grid for ages, just come and talk to me on the grid’.”
“And then the others will never speak. Lewis [Hamilton] he talked to me a lot and then stopped. So we take it as it comes.
Read more: Martin Brundle proposes solution for F1 teams to avoid spending cap breaches
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