Now one of Sky Sports F1’s top pundits, Martin Brundle enjoyed a long racing career in the pinnacle of motorsport that spanned 12 seasons.
The Brit made his way to F1 after competing in British Formula Three in 1983. That year, he would finish runner-up in the championship to none other than Ayrton Senna.
Brundle and the Brazilian dominated the season, winning 19 of the 20 races between them. But it was Senna who came out on top after winning the first nine races in a row.
Brundle knew Senna had a ‘gift’ for racing after he overtook him around the outside in the rain at Silverstone. In 1984, both drivers would make it to the Formula 1 grid.
Brundle joined Tyrrell while Senna went to Toleman, and the duo had two very different debut seasons in the pinnacle of motorsport.
Ayrton Senna was ‘annoyed’ Martin Brundle had a better start to his Formula 1 career
Senna finished his rookie season ninth in the standings with three podiums. The Brazilian was cruelly denied his maiden win at Monaco after Alain Prost called for the race to be suspended due to the weather and was handed victory with the results taken from lap 31 – Senna was leading on lap 32.
Meanwhile, Brundle enjoyed a great start to life in F1. He finished fifth on debut in Brazil before grabbing second place in Detroit. His efforts would be for nothing in the end as Tyrrell were disqualified from the 1984 championship due to a technical infringement found on their car.
Despite this, Brundle explained that his F3 rival Senna was ‘annoyed’ about how his F1 career had started. Speaking on the Beyond The Grid Podcast, the 65-year-old said he and the Brazilian ‘were never close’ during their racing days.
“No, we were never close. That was partly my fault I guess,” said Brundle.
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“We sort of come through together, he was annoyed my career started better than his in Formula 1. He was with Toleman, I was with Tyrrell.
“Fifth in my first race, second in my sixth race I think it was, before I smashed myself up the following weekend.
“We would acknowledge [each other], we’d stop and have a chat. I’ve seen a few photographs of us chatting away, especially when I moved to McLaren. I took his seat at McLaren when he elected to go to Williams if you think about it.
“But no, we never really sat down and talked about old times or had a drink together”.
Martin Brundle failed to win in F1 while Ayrton Senna became a three-time champion
Brundle missed the remainder of the 1984 season after breaking his ankles and feet in a crash in practice in Dallas. The Brit stayed with Tyrrell for another two years before going on to race for the likes of Williams, Benetton, McLaren and Jordan to name a few.
Brundle’s career ended after the 1996 season, having stood on the podium nine times in F1. However, Brundle was constantly denied his maiden win as he could not find a way to get to the top step.
As Brundle mentioned, he took Senna’s place at McLaren after he made the switch to Williams. By then, his old F3 rival was already a three-time champion.
Senna was considered one of the kings of Monaco and his legacy in F1 is still felt to this day. The Brazilian is widely regarded as the greatest driver the sport has ever seen with his incredible racecraft and sheer speed.
Lewis Hamilton paid tribute to Senna at the Sao Paulo GP as he drove his hero’s old McLaren around the circuit, waving a Brazilian flag and adorning a special helmet dedicated to the late champion.
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