Martin Brundle paid tribute to his Sky Sports colleagues as he revealed he was “ecstatic” at receiving an OBE from the King’s New Year’s honours.
The Sky Sports pundit and nine-time F1 podium finisher was honoured for his services to motor racing and sports broadcasting, with the Prince of Wales presenting him the award at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.
The British veteran of 158 grands prix has been part of Sky Sports F1’s coverage since the channel launched in 2012.
“It made me feel very lucky and very privileged because always something like this, you receive on behalf of an awful lot of other people because either they were designing and creating and fixing my racing cars, or working with us in the broadcasting industry,” Brundle told Sky Sports News.
The Prince of Wales presented Brundle with his award
“You can’t do anything on your own at the level of Formula 1. I’ve been very lucky to have two careers in F1 as a driver and a broadcaster, which this award has been presented for.
“When the letter came through just before Christmas, I was ecstatic.”
Brundle, 65, said there had been “plenty to talk about” for him with the Prince of Wales, as he recalled their first meeting at the 1992 British Grand Prix.
“He came along with his mother and his brother,” Brundle said. “We met them just after the drivers’ briefing on race day.
“We’re west Norfolk people and he spends quite a bit of time up there, so plenty to talk about. He told me a few other things, but I guess they’re private.”
F1 president Stefano Domenicali was among several big names from the sport to congratulate Brundle via social media.
Domenicali said: “Huge congratulations to Martin Brundle on receiving his OBE for services to motor racing and to sports broadcasting. He has been a tireless supporter of motorsport and constant presence and brilliant voice to all our fans over many years.”
Mercedes driver George Russell added: “Congrats Martin, well deserved. Best in the business!!”
‘Viewers are living the grid walk with me’
Brundle has perhaps become best known for his pre-race grid walks, which see him seek out interviews with drivers and celebrities just minutes before lights out.
He explained that the unpredictable nature of the feature is what he believes has made it so popular with fans watching from home.
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Brundle said: “We’re only there to tell the story, the stories about the cars and the drivers, and we’re there to explain what is a fast-moving and highly complex sport.
“We get in amongst it, we’ve got access, we’ve got opportunities, we know everybody pretty well. But then the grid, it just gets busier, there must have been 1,000 people on there in Vegas. I can’t see anybody half the time, sometimes I can’t even see an F1 car.
“We try to find people, we talk, and I think because it’s a bit edgy and sometimes it fails miserably, I think people are kind of living it, if I’m having a good day or a bad day.
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“I’ve never watched one in 27 years of doing it because it’s not my natural habitat to run around being cheeky and interrupting people, but it’s sort of grown a life of its own.
“What it was put in for originally was to ramp up the excitement before the grand prix. The cars go to the grid, it calms down a bit and then let’s get some energy going.
“The chance to talk to a driver literally before they pull their crash helmets on and zoom down to the first corner is unique in sport.”
F1’s European season begins with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
