Martin Brundle explained that his iconic grid walk segment is a “terrifying” experience, and one that places him a sentence away “from the end”.

After a Formula 1 career which produced nine podium finishes, Brundle moved into a broadcasting career around the sport, which has seen him grow into one of the most recognised voices in Formula 1. And arguably at the centrepiece of it all is his grid walk segment.

Martin Brundle reveals the fear and perils of his grid walk

Armed with a live microphone, Brundle will head for an unscripted walk around the pre-race F1 grid, looking to grab a chat with any celebrities, F1 personalities or his favourite, drivers, ahead of lights out.

But, while it is an often entertaining segment for the viewer, it is an experience which has Brundle on edge.

“I’m one sentence away from the end of my career at all times, or being cancelled,” Brundle said of his grid walk when speaking to The Sun.

“I’m terrified of the whole thing, because it’s live and it’s just pure car crash television.

“Machine Gun Kelly, Megan Thee Stallion, I don’t know, getting knocked about by security guards. They’re the ones that people like.

“And then I meet some really lovely, fascinating, world-class people, politicians and royalty and movie stars, and I’m very privileged with the people I meet on the grid.”

Citing infamous interviewee examples like Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Thee Stallion, Brundle understands that some awkward encounters are born from guests having little knowledge of F1 or desire to be involved.

Another, recent example that sparked negative reaction was legendary Queen guitarist Sir Brian May snubbing Brundle on the 2024 British GP pre-race grid, though May was quick to issue an apology, citing a lack of knowledge about the sport.

The F1 grid has become increasingly busy with celebrities over recent years, as the sport continues to enjoy a huge popularity boom.

“I understand that,” said Brundle on the fact that some F1 grid celebrities have limited F1 knowledge. “Because we watch Formula 1 year in, year out, racing ourselves, and they’re on the grid and they actually don’t know anything about it, and quite clearly don’t really want to be there.

“They’re just selling a movie or something. I get that, but for Formula 1, they are A-listers.”

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However, speaking with celebrities has become an increasingly important part of Brundle’s grid walk, as his opportunities to speak to drivers ahead of a race have become fewer and farther between.

And this, Brundle admits, is a source of frustration for him.

“Literally, I was the only person on the grid with one camera,” Brundle reflected on first grid walk all the way back at the 1997 British Grand Prix, while speaking on the Sky F1 podcast.

“And I remember sitting down and saying, ‘This is the driver’s eye view when they come to the grid’, with the camera over my shoulder, because you sit on the floor of a Formula 1 car, and it just grew from there really.

“It was so easy back in those days, so easy, because there was nobody else to compete with. Drivers would stop by and have a good old chat. I remember talking once to Michael Schumacher and Gerhard Berger at the same time. And could do what I wanted and go where I wanted to. The grid was deserted, generally speaking, back then.

“But the grid now has, what, it looks like it’s got 2000 people on it from what I can work out.

“A good grid walk adds a little bit of important information about the day, the race, the cars, or one of the cars, or one of the drivers in particular. Talk to a celeb or two. Must talk to some drivers.

“I am really disappointed if I don’t get to see some drivers, which is getting near impossible, actually, to find a driver on the grid.

“A lot of them, like Lewis [Hamilton] and George [Russell], go back to the stations in the garage and do a debrief, I mean, on headphones.

“And a lot of the drivers do. They get off the grid, if it’s hot especially. They need to go and drink. They need to go to the bathroom. And they don’t want to be bothered on the grid.”

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