Martin John Brundle (born 1 June 1959 in King's Lynn, Norfolk) is a British former racing driver from England, known as a Formula One driver and as an F1 commentator for ITV Sport and the BBC from 2009.

Brundle contested the British Formula Three Championship with Ayrton Senna in 1983, finishing a close second, and the two progressed to Formula One the next year. Bad luck prevented Brundle from achieving a victory at the top level of single seaters, but he has been hugely successful in other disciplines. He was the 1988 World Sportscar Champion, with a record points haul, and won the 1990 Le Mans 24 hour Race for Jaguar in an XJR-12.

Career

Early Racing Career

Brundle had an unorthodox route to Formula 1. He began his racing career at the age of 12, competing in grass track racing, in the Norfolk village of Pott Row. In 1975, he moved to Hot Rod racing and received 'Star grade' status. In 1979, he started single seaters with Formula Ford. During this time, he also raced Tom Walkinshaw's BMW race cars, achieving second against a field of international drivers at Snetterton. He won the BMW championship in 1980 and partnered Sir Stirling Moss in the BP/Audi team of 1981. In 1982, he moved up to Formula 3 achieving five poles and two wins in his debut season. He won the Grovewood Award as the most promising Commonwealth driver. The next year, he battled Ayrton Senna, for the F3 championship, which Brundle eventually lost on the final laps of the last race. In 1984, he was promoted to Formula One.

Formula One (1984 - 1987)

His Formula One career began with Tyrrell in 1984. He put in a number of aggressive and fast drives, finishing fifth in his first race at Brazil and then second at Detroit. At the Dallas Grand Prix, Brundle broke his ankles and both feet in a crash during a practice session. Then Tyrrell were disqualified from the world championship in 1984 due to a technical infringement, wiping his achievements for that season from the record books.

For the next two seasons he remained with Tyrrell, but without a works engine supply the team struggled against the works engine teams. In 1987 he switched to Zakspeed, but managed only two points, the car unable to compete with the frontrunners. These two points were the only ones in the team's history.

Sportscars and Brabham (1988 - 1991)

Brundle started his famous link with Jaguar in 1982, driving touring cars. Four years of F1 racing for underfunded teams led him to seek a new challenge, and thus he took a year out and competed in the 1988 World Sportscar Championship. He won his world sports car title, with a record points haul. He also full time tested for Williams but also guested at the Belgian Grand Prix, after Nigel Mansell was struck down with chickenpox.

In 1989 he returned to F1 full-time with the returning Brabham squad, but the former champions were unable to recapture their early 1980s success and Brundle opted to move back into the sports car arena for 1990. The Le Mans victory came that year and rejuvenated his career, but still a top-line race seat in Formula One eluded him. As well as contesting races in sports prototypes, Brundle also contested the American IROC series in 1990, taking a victory at the temporary circuit at Burke Lakefront Airport (the only IROC victory for a British driver) and coming 3rd in the overall standings. In 1991 he rejoined Brabham, but the squad had fallen even further down the grid and results were sparse.

Formula One (1992 - 1996)

Seasoned observers noticed Brundle's drives into the points in the uncompetitive Brabham Yamaha in 1991, which was the last points finish for the Brabham team. This helped Brundle get a 1992 switch to Benetton, with whom he would finally claim a recognised podium finish and consistent points finishes with some gritty drives.

In 1992 he had a productive season, with a strong finish to the year. He came close to a win at Canada, where having overtaken Schumacher and closing on leader Gerhard Berger, the transmission failed. He never outqualified team-mate Michael Schumacher, but made up places with excellent starts (sixth to third at Silverstone), outraced the German at Imola, Montreal, Magny-Cours and Silverstone, and scored a notable second place at Monza. At Spa, Brundle went by when Schumacher went off the track. Schumacher noticed blisters on his team-mate's tyres on his return to the circuit and came in for slicks, a move that won him the race. Had Brundle not been distracted he would have pitted as planned at the end of that lap, with victory the most likely result. 1992 was his best F1 season, and is regarded in F1 as the closest any team mate has come to match Schumacher.

To the shock of the F1 paddock, Brundle found himself dropped from Benetton for 1993, Italian Riccardo Patrese taking his place. He came very close to a seat with world champions Williams, but in the end Damon Hill got the drive instead. Still in demand within F1, Brundle raced for Ligier in 1993. More points finishes and a fine third at Imola were achieved in a car without active suspension.



For 1994 Brundle was in the frame for the vacant McLaren seat alongside Mika Häkkinen. McLaren were hopeful of re-signing Alain Prost, who had retired at the end of 1993 after winning his fourth championship title, but decided not to renege on his retirement in March, and Brundle got the drive, beating out McLaren test driver Philippe Alliot. He was confirmed less than two weeks before the season-opening 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Joining the team was a case of bad timing in many ways. McLaren were on a downturn and throughout 1994 were unable to win. The team's Peugeot engines were unreliable, as was to be expected from a debuting engine supplier. At Silverstone Brundle's engine appeared to explode just as the starting lights turned green. In reality the culprit was a clutch that cracked spilling its lubricants on top of hot engine causing a spectacular fire. Nevertheless, when the car was reliable, Brundle put in strong performances that season, most notably at Monaco where he finished second to Schumacher.

Having had poor luck and with Nigel Mansell signed to McLaren for 1995, Brundle once more raced for Ligier that year, although not for the full season. To appease Mugen-Honda he had to share the second seat with Aguri Suzuki, a move denounced by many commentators and fans. He impressed however, a strong fourth at Magny-Cours and what would be his last F1 podium at Spa, the highlights. In 1996 he teamed up with Rubens Barrichello at Jordan and enjoyed a good season, despite a slow start and a spectacular crash at Melbourne's inaugural GP, with regular points, fourth his best result. He finished fifth in the 1996 Japanese Grand Prix, which was his last Grand Prix in Formula One.

Brundle achieved 9 podiums, and scored a total of 98 championship points, with a best championship finish of 6th in 1992. He was especially strong on street circuits and similarly slow-speed, twisty courses — Monaco, Adelaide and the Hungaroring each produced 4 points finishes for him. He holds the dubious distinction of having the longest Formula One career (158 Grand Prix starts) without a race victory, a pole position or a fastest lap.

Post Formula One

Brundle had hoped to stay in F1 beyond 1996, but could not find a seat. He was offered a seat at Sauber in 1997 following the dropping of Nicola Larini, but decided against it. Brundle did however return to Le Mans. Drives for Nissan, Toyota and Bentley impressed, but a second victory failed to materialise. Brundle's last Le Mans outing came in 2001, after which he focused on his role with the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC).

Having largely retired from motor racing, Brundle became a highly regarded commentator on British television network ITV, who he joined when they began Formula One coverage in 1997, initially alongside Murray Walker, and from 2002 James Allen. Brundle joined the BBC's commentary team alongside Jonathan Legard when they won the rights to show F1 from 2009. Brundle has won the RTS Television Sports Award for best Sports Pundit in 1998, 1999, 2005 and 2006. In 2005 the judges described him as:

"...an outstanding operator at the very peak of his game – with an extraordinary ability to simplify and entertain in an often complex sport.

He also exhibited a fearless authority on some of the most sensitive issues – not least his gimlet-eyed pursuit of Formula one boss Bernie Ecclestone on the grid at Indianapolis".

[43413]

The production company responsible for ITV's F1 coverage, North One Television, also won the Sports Innovation Award for its Insight features, presented by Brundle. Discussing the return of Formula One to the BBC in 2009, The Times described Brundle "as the greatest TV analyst in this or any other sport."

Brundle first commentated on F1 during the 1989 Belgian Grand Prix on the BBC. Having retired from the race, Brundle was asked by the BBC to enter the commentary box alongside Murray Walker as regular BBC commentator James Hunt failed to show up. Brundle was also part of the 1995 BBC commentary team whenever Aguri Suzuki was driving the Ligier-Mugen Honda such as the 1995 San Marino Grand Prix.

With Steve Rider busy covering the England versus Kazakhstan 2010 FIFA World Cup Group 6 qualification match, Brundle co-commentated and presented coverage of the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji Speedway.

Brundle has also been involved in driver management. At present, he is David Coulthard's manager. He also co-owned a management company, 2MB Sports Management, alongside Mark Blundell until January 2009, when he announced his intention to step down in order to focus on his television responsibilities and his son's career. Their clients include McLaren test driver Gary Paffett and British Formula Three champion Mike Conway.

Brundle took the wheel of a Jaguar F1 car for the Formula One demonstration in London prior to the 2004 British Grand Prix and drove a BMW Sauber during a demonstration in 2006. Also in 2006, Brundle drove a 2005 Red Bull Racing car around Silverstone as part of ITV's 'F1 Insight' feature. This was followed up in 2007 with Brundle and colleague Blundell both driving Williams F1 cars to demonstrate overtaking.

In 2004 he released his first book 'Working the Wheel'. The title is a reference to his 1996 crash in Melbourne.

His sports car prowess led to an invitation to the 1990 International Race of Champions, a three-race series in 1990 because of the switch to Dodge cars, where he won the second round at Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport during the Champ Car event.

In 2008 he came out of retirement to drive in the Formula Palmer Audi Championship alongside his son Alex, who was a series regular. He scored three top-eight finishes from the three races in which he took part. Alex will compete in the FIA Formula Two Championship for 2009.

Brundle also presented a documentary show on British television in 1998 called Great Escapes, which showed generally live recordings, and occasionally reconstructions, of stories where human beings managed to somehow survive in face of various dangers or perils. It ran for one series on ITV.

Brundle, along with former team owner Eddie Jordan and former F1 driver David Coulthard will form the 'pundit' team for commentary on the BBC broadcasts of Formula One races from 2009 onwards.

On Friday 13 February 2009, Brundle presented BBC Look East's 6.30pm bulletin, with Susie Fowler-Watt, reproducing his famous gridwalk.

Criticism of Max Mosley and the FIA

In September 2007 he suggested that the treatment of McLaren "had the feel of a witch hunt" in his Sunday Times column. As a result of these comments Brundle and the Sunday Times received a French writ from Max Mosley and the FIA for libel. In the same column on 9 December 2007 he accused the FIA of double standards and of issuing the writ at the same time as clearing Renault of spying as a warning to other journalists:

The timing of the writ is significant, in my view, given the FIA’s decision to find Renault guilty of having significant McLaren designs and information within their systems, but not administering any penalty.

It is a warning sign to other journalists and publications to choose their words carefully over that decision.

I’m tired of what I perceive as the "spin" and tactics of the FIA press office, as are many other journalists.

I expect my accreditation pass for next year will be hindered in some way to make my coverage of F1 more difficult and to punish me.

Or they will write to ITV again to say that my commentary is not up to standard despite my unprecedented six Royal Television Society Awards for sports broadcasting.

So be it.

Brundle also asserted his right to voice his opinion about Formula One:

As a former Formula One driver, I have earnt the right to have an opinion about the sport, and probably know as much about it as anybody else.

I have attended approaching 400 grands prix, 158 as a driver.

I have spilt blood, broken bones, shed tears, generated tanker loads of sweat, tasted the champagne glories and plumbed the depths of misery.

I have never been more passionate about F1 and will always share my opinions in an honest and open way, knowing readers will make up their own minds.

In March 2008 Brundle voiced his opinion regarding the position of Max Mosley following the News of The World's allegation that Mosley had engaged in sexual acts with five prostitutes in a scenario that involved Nazi role-playing; saying "It's not appropriate behaviour for the head of any global body such as the FIA." In April Brundle argued:

"The specific detail of the scandal surrounding him is largely irrelevant, in my view.

The sporting regulation he has used over the years to keep teams in check relates to bringing the sport into disrepute.

If you live by the sword, you die by the sword.

Sitting on the fence on this issue for any of us inside the sport is not an option.

We must condone or condemn the situation he finds himself in.

Mosley's position as president is untenable.

Pikey probe

Brundle was the subject of 14 complaints to Ofcom and 22 to ITV, for using the term "Pikeys" during ITV's coverage of the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix. In a pre-race live interview with Bernie Ecclestone, Brundle referred to 'pikeys' making repairs to the surface at turn 10 of the track by laying down fresh tarmac. ITV later apologised for the incident.

The word is considered insulting by the traveller community. The Oxford English Dictionary traced its use to 1837 by The Times, referring to "strangers harvesting in the Isle of Sheppey". Later that century it meant a "turnpike traveller" or vagabond. Laterly, it has become a derogatory term for Irish travellers and Gypsies.

Brundle and ITV were later cleared by Ofcom, as Brundle was not aware of the racial or cultural implications of the word, and ITV did apologise and explain the situation to him.[43414]

Complete Formula One results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	WDC	Points
1984	Tyrrell Racing Organisation*	Tyrrell 012	Cosworth V8	BRA DSQ	RSA DSQ	BEL DSQ	SMR DSQ	FRA DSQ	MON DNQ	CAN DSQ	DET DSQ	DAL DNQ	GBR	GER	AUT	NED	ITA	EUR	POR		NC	0
1985	Tyrrell Racing Organisation	Tyrrell 012	Cosworth V8	BRA 8	POR Ret	SMR 9	MON 10	CAN 12	DET Ret			GER 10	AUT DNQ								NC	0
		Tyrrell 014	Renault V6 t/c							FRA Ret	GBR 7			NED 7	ITA 8	BEL 13	EUR Ret	RSA 7	AUS NC
1986	Data General Team Tyrrell	Tyrrell 014	Renault V6 t/c	BRA 5	ESP Ret	SMR 8															11th	8
		Tyrrell 015					MON Ret	BEL Ret	CAN 9	DET Ret	FRA 10	GBR 5	GER Ret	HUN 6	AUT Ret	ITA 10	POR Ret	MEX 11	AUS 4
1987	West Zakspeed Racing	Zakspeed 861	Zakspeed Straight-4 t/c	BRA Ret																	18th	2
		Zakspeed 871			SMR 5	BEL Ret	MON 7	DET Ret	FRA Ret	GBR NC	GER NC	HUN Ret	AUT DSQ	ITA Ret	POR Ret	ESP 11	MEX Ret	JPN Ret	AUS Ret
1988	Canon Williams Team	Williams FW12	Judd V8	BRA	SMR	MON	MEX	CAN	DET	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	BEL 7	ITA	POR	ESP	JPN	AUS		NC	0
1989	Motor Racing Developments	Brabham BT58	Judd V8	BRA Ret	SMR Ret	MON 6	MEX 9	USA Ret	CAN DNPQ	FRA DNPQ	GBR Ret	GER 8	HUN 12	BEL Ret	ITA 6	POR 8	ESP Ret	JPN 5	AUS Ret		20th	4
1991	Motor Racing Developments Ltd	Brabham BT59Y	Yamaha V12	USA 11	BRA 12																15th	2
		Brabham BT60Y				SMR 11	MON EX	CAN Ret	MEX Ret	FRA Ret	GBR Ret	GER 11	HUN Ret	BEL 9	ITA 13	POR 12	ESP 10	JPN 5	AUS DNQ
1992	Camel Benetton Ford	Benetton B191B	Ford V8	RSA Ret	MEX Ret	BRA Ret															6th	38
		Benetton B192					ESP Ret	SMR 4	MON 5	CAN Ret	FRA 3	GBR 3	GER 4	HUN 5	BEL 4	ITA 2	POR 4	JPN 3	AUS 3
1993	Ligier Gitanes Blondes	Ligier JS39	Renault V10	RSA Ret	BRA Ret	EUR Ret	SMR 3	ESP Ret	MON 6	CAN 5	FRA 5	GBR 14	GER 8	HUN 5	BEL 7	ITA Ret	POR 6	JPN 9	AUS 6		7th	13
1994	Marlboro McLaren Peugeot	McLaren MP4/9	Peugeot V10	BRA Ret	PAC Ret	SMR 8	MON 2	ESP 11	CAN Ret	FRA Ret	GBR Ret	GER Ret	HUN 4	BEL Ret	ITA 5	POR 6	EUR Ret	JPN Ret	AUS 3		7th	16
1995	Ligier Gitanes Blondes	Ligier JS41	Mugen Honda V10	BRA	ARG	SMR	ESP 9	MON Ret	CAN Ret	FRA 4	GBR Ret	GER	HUN Ret	BEL 3	ITA Ret	POR 8	EUR 7	PAC	JPN	AUS Ret	13th	7
1996	B&H Total Jordan Peugeot	Jordan 196	Peugeot V10	AUS Ret	BRA 12																11th	8
	Total Jordan Peugeot					ARG Ret	EUR 6	SMR Ret	MON Ret	ESP Ret	CAN 6	FRA 8	GBR 6	GER 10	HUN Ret	BEL Ret	ITA 4	POR 9	JPN 5

• - Tyrrell were disqualified from the entire world championship for 1984 due to a technical infringement.

Personal

• Brundle is married to Liz and they have a daughter, Charlie, and a son, Alex. Alex competed in 2006 in the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy . Martin's older brother, Robin, is a racing driver who still competes in historic racing events.

• Brundle has always lived within a 5 mile radius of King's Lynn.

References

1. Brundle confirms new BBC role
2. news.bbc.co.uk, How offensive is the word 'pikey'?
3. mirror.co.uk, Formula 1 commentator in 'pikey' Ofcom probe
4. Another son in the hunt for motor sport success

External links

• Official Website
• Martin Brundle at itv.com
• Quotes as an ITV commentator