Lewis Hamilton used to frequently speak with Sky Sports reporter Martin Brundle on the grid Before races, but that conversation has since ended.
According to the television reporter himself, Lewis Hamilton has ceased conversing with Martin Brundle during their renowned grid walks during the Grand Prix. After leaving Formula One in 1996, the former driver turned to the media and has been a mainstay of Sky Sports’ coverage for the previous 11 years.
The sixty-three-year-old will move up and down the starting grid before every race, interviewing drivers and celebrities with whom he can strike up a conversation. However, he clarified in a GQ interview that some drivers will “never talk to him,” and Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, is currently one of them.
“I never tried to dropkick them or get clever with the questions,” Brundle remarked. That would be unfair, in my opinion, which is why the conversation is usually very happy, smutty, and polite. I don’t think I’ll be telling them something like, “I heard your contract is up soon.” They trust me in general, but it will be pertinent to the race.
“Few of them will simply shake their heads before apologizing afterwards. Or I get approached in the paddock by someone who says, “Just come and talk to me on the grid. You haven’t seen me on the grid in ages.” Others will never speak after that. I used to get a lot of talk from Lewis [Hamilton] before he stopped. We thus accept things as they are.”
During his Formula One career, Brundle raced for Williams and McLaren, but he said that Hamilton would not approach him when a driver wanted an interview.
The two collaborated on a special edition Sky Sports program honoring the 70th anniversary of the Grand Prix in 2020, but they haven’t done a traditional interview since 2019.
Max Verstappen has dominated the F1 world championship for the past few years, and Hamilton’s reluctance to speak on the grid may be related to his inability to make a strong enough claim during that time.
Brundle no longer bothers Hamilton for grid interviews as a result, and when GQ questioned him about whether he felt uneasy approaching certain drivers or celebrities, he said that it all depends on the person.
“I thought that about David Beckham,” the man stated, “and then I did end up getting in his face in Miami.” A few guys in Qatar who didn’t want anyone to be close to him were man-marking me. I was therefore quite determined to talk to him.
“After that, I essentially thought, ‘I don’t know why I bothered.'” Specifically, I didn’t feel good about it. I dislike causing trouble for others. They won’t want to talk to you if that’s their preference. Many people do in fact do so.
“Keep in mind that I have been a member of the Formula 1 grid for 38 years, which is well over half of the sport’s existence. I feel fairly at home in that arena, having attended well over half of the Grands Prix in Formula 1 history. I consider it to be my domain.”
