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Martin Brundle

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Martin Brundle
Brundle in 2021
Born
Martin John Brundle

(1959-06-01) 1 June 1959 (age 65)
Spouse
Elizabeth
(m. 1984)
Children2, including Alex
RelativesRobin Brundle (brother)
Formula One World Championship career
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Active years19841989, 19911996
TeamsTyrrell, Zakspeed, Williams, Brabham, Benetton, Ligier, McLaren, Jordan
EnginesFord, Renault, Zakspeed, Judd, Yamaha, Peugeot, Mugen-Honda
Entries165 (158 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums9
Career points98
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1984 Brazilian Grand Prix
Last entry1996 Japanese Grand Prix
World Sportscar Championship career
Years active19851988, 19901991
TeamsJaguar
Starts29
Championships1 (1988)
Wins8
Podiums16
Poles3
Fastest laps2
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years19871988, 1990, 19971999, 2001, 2012
TeamsJaguar, Nissan, Toyota, Bentley, Greaves
Best finish1st (1990)
Class wins1 (1990)

Martin John Brundle (born 1 June 1959) is a British former racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from 1984 to 1996. In endurance racing, Brundle won the World Sportscar Championship in 1988 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1990, both with Jaguar; he also won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1988 with Jaguar. Since retiring from racing, Brundle has been a commentator for ITV, the BBC and Sky.

Born and raised in King's Lynn, Norfolk, Brundle began competed in grass track racing aged 12 in a self-built Ford Anglia, before moving into Hot Rod racing. After several seasons in the British Saloon Car Championship, Brundle progressed to Formula Three in 1982. He finished runner-up to Ayrton Senna the following season amidst a close title battle separated by nine points. Both drivers progressed to Formula One in 1984, with Brundle joining Tyrrell and making his debut at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where he finished fifth. He took his maiden podium at the Detroit Grand Prix, but would later be disqualified from the season's results after the discovery of a technical infringement on the Tyrrell 012. Despite another non-classified championship finish in 1985, Brundle retained his seat at Tyrrell and scored his first credited points with another fifth place at the 1986 Brazilian Grand Prix. Brundle signed for Zakspeed in 1987, but left after one season to join Jaguar in sportscar racing, whom he had already won several races for in the European Touring Car Championship. Brundle won the World Sportscar Championship in record-breaking fashion that season, as well as the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Brundle returned to Formula One in 1989 with Brabham, having already stood in for Nigel Mansell at Williams for the 1988 Belgian Grand Prix. He split his two seasons at Brabham with another season at Jaguar, this time winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, driving the Jaguar XJR-12. Brundle joined Benetton in 1992 to partner Michael Schumacher, achieving five podium finishes and finishing a career-best sixth in the World Drivers' Championship. He scored a further podium with Ligier at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1993, before moving to McLaren for 1994. Brundle finished seventh in the championship for the second successive season with McLaren, with a season-best second place at the Monaco Grand Prix. He returned to Ligier in 1995, competing at most Grands Prix and achieving another podium in Belgium. Brundle retired from Formula One at the end of his 1996 season with Jordan, having achieved nine podiums across 12 seasons.

Upon retiring from motor racing, Brundle moved into commentary, working as an analyst on Formula One coverage for ITV Sport (1997–2008), BBC Sport (2009–2011) and Sky Sports F1 (2012–present), the latter of which was the official global broadcast until 2022. In rallying, he competed in the Rally of Great Britain in 1999. His son Alex is also a racing driver, who won the 2016 European Le Mans Series in the LMP3 class.

Career

[edit]

Early racing career

[edit]

Brundle had an unorthodox route to Formula One.[1] He began his racing career at the age of 12, competing in grass track racing in a self-built Ford Anglia,[2] in the Norfolk village of Pott Row.[1] In 1975, he moved to Hot Rod racing and received 'Star grade' status. In 1979, he started single seater racing in Formula Ford. During this time, he also raced Tom Walkinshaw's BMW touring cars, during which he finished second against a field of international drivers at Snetterton. He won the BMW championship in 1980, and partnered Stirling Moss in the TWR-run BP/Audi team during the 1981 British Saloon Car Championship season. In 1982, he moved up to Formula Three achieving five pole positions and two wins in his debut season. He won the Grovewood Award as the most promising Commonwealth driver.[2] The following year, he competed with Ayrton Senna for the Formula Three championship, which Brundle lost on the final laps of the last race.[3] In 1984, he was offered a Formula One entry.

Formula One (1984–1987)

[edit]

His Formula One career began with the Tyrrell Racing Organisation in 1984.[4] He put in a number of aggressive and fast drives, finishing fifth in his first race in Brazil and then second in Detroit before being disqualified.[4] At the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix, Brundle broke his ankles and both feet in a crash during a practice session,[3] and was forced to miss the rest of the season while he recuperated; the severity of the damage to Brundle's left ankle initially led doctors to consider amputating his left foot. While Brundle did recover, the damage would leave him with permanent injuries, preventing him from running and left-foot braking.[5] Later in the year, Tyrrell were disqualified from the World Championship due to a technical infringement and Brundle's achievements for that season were wiped from the record books.

Brundle during practice for the 1985 European Grand Prix

For the next two seasons he remained with Tyrrell, and despite the team's switch from the Cosworth DFV to the turbocharged Renault engines in mid-1985, the team struggled against the works teams. He scored only eight points in his time with Tyrrell, all in the 1986 season. In 1987 he left Tyrrell and moved to the struggling West German team Zakspeed, but scored only two points during the year; both were scored for finishing fifth at the 1987 San Marino Grand Prix. The Zakspeed 871 car was unable to compete with the front runners. The two points scored by Brundle in 1987 were the only points the Zakspeed team scored in their five-year (1985–89) run in Formula One. Ironically, the driver he replaced at Zakspeed, fellow Englishman Jonathan Palmer, would join Tyrrell in 1987 who were once again using a Cosworth engine. While Brundle only had one point scoring finish for the season, Palmer would go on to score six World Championship points for Tyrrell and would also win the Jim Clark Cup as the 'Atmo Champion' for drivers of cars with naturally aspirated engines.

Sportscars and Brabham (1988–1991)

[edit]

Four years of Formula One racing for underfunded teams led Brundle to seek a new challenge, and thus in 1988 he took a year out. Brundle had been associated with Jaguar since 1983, when he drove TWR-prepared Jaguar XJS touring cars in the European Touring Car Championship. From his two starts with the Jaguar team Brundle took two victories, the second in partnership with TWR owner Tom Walkinshaw. When Jaguar decided to return to the World Sportscar Championship and the American IMSA championship, in partnership with TWR, Walkinshaw chose Brundle as his lead driver. The team performed well in the 1988 World Sportscar Championship season, and Brundle won the world sportscar title with a record points haul.[6] He also won the Daytona 24 Hours the same year. He became the test driver for Williams and stood in for Nigel Mansell at the 1988 Belgian Grand Prix,[6] after Mansell was struck down with chickenpox. Brundle was to have driven Mansell's Williams-Judd again at the next race at Monza in Italy but prior IMSA commitments with TWR saw the drive go to fellow World Sportscar Championship contender Jean-Louis Schlesser instead (as no WSC race clashed with the Italian GP). Schlesser would infamously be involved in the incident which caused the retirement of McLaren's Ayrton Senna late in the race, handing the win to Ferrari's Gerhard Berger and causing McLaren's only loss of the 1988 season.

Brundle (front right) at the start of the 1989 Belgian Grand Prix
Brundle at the 1990 IMSA Del Mar Grand Prix.

In 1989 he returned to Formula One full-time with the returning Brabham team who would be running the Judd V8 engine. But while the former champions were initially competitive, with Brundle running third at Monaco until a flat battery forced him to pit for a replacement while his teammate Stefano Modena finishing third, Brabham were unable to recapture their early past success and Brundle, who had failed to pre-qualify for both the Canadian and French races during the season opted to move back into the sports car arena for 1990. His 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans victory 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. He took victory at the temporary circuit at Burke Lakefront Airport (the only IROC victory for a British driver)[7] and finished third in the overall standings. In 1991 he rejoined Brabham, but the squad had fallen even further down the grid and good results were sparse.

Formula One (1992–1996)

[edit]
Brundle's Benetton B191B at the 1992 British Grand Prix
Brundle's 1992 racing suit and helmet

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.[4] He never outqualified teammate 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 teammate'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.

Brundle driving for Ligier at the 1993 British Grand Prix

To the shock of the F1 paddock,[6] 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. With finishing 7th in the World Drivers' Championship behind the two Williams drivers Alain Prost (1st) and Damon Hill (3rd), McLaren team leader Ayrton Senna (2nd), the Benetton drivers Michael Schumacher (4th) and Riccardo Patrese (5th) and the Ferrari driver Jean Alesi (6th), Brundle was the most successful driver who did not have an active suspension system in his car and Ligier were the most successful team without an active suspension.

Brundle driving the McLaren MP4/9 at the 1994 British Grand Prix

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.[8]

Joining the team was a case of bad timing in many ways. McLaren were on a downturn and throughout 1994 were unable to win a Grand Prix for the first time since 1980. The team's V10 Peugeot engines were unreliable, as was to be expected from a debuting engine supplier. In the first race Brundle narrowly escaped serious injury or worse in a spectacular accident involving Jos Verstappen; his helmet took a heavy blow as the Benetton cartwheeled overhead. At Aida his engine blew whilst running third while at Silverstone his 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 the hot engine causing a spectacular fire. The engine, once cleaned, worked without problem. Another sure third place was lost on the last lap in Hungary. Nevertheless, when the car was reliable, Brundle put in strong performances that season, most notably at Monaco where he finished second to Schumacher.

Brundle driving for Ligier at the 1995 British Grand Prix.

Having had poor luck and with 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, with a strong fourth at Magny-Cours and what would be his last F1 podium, at Spa, being 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.[4]

After Formula One

[edit]

Commentator

[edit]

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 returned to Le Mans in 2012 but previous to that last raced in 2001, between which he focused on his role with the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC).

Brundle as a reporter and commentator for Sky Sports F1 at the 2013 British Grand Prix

Having largely retired from motor racing, Brundle became a highly regarded commentator on British television network ITV, whom 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 back the rights to show F1 from 2009. Before the start of the 2011 season, the BBC announced that Brundle was being promoted to lead commentator and would be joined by fellow former F1 driver, David Coulthard.[9] He signed for Sky Sports' coverage at the end of 2011.[10] At Sky Brundle returned to a co-commentary role, working alongside lead commentator David Croft.

For his television work 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.

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. His pre-race grid walks are now customary and began at the 1997 British Grand Prix.[11] 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."[12]

Before becoming a regular commentator, 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. He also commentated on Eurosport for a handful of qualifying sessions in 1995.

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.

Motorsport activities

[edit]
Brundle's Toyota GT-One which he drove at the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans
Brundle driving the Bentley Speed 8 at the 2001 24 Hours of Le Mans

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 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.[13]

Brundle came out of retirement again to race for United Autosports in the 2011 Daytona 24 Hours, sharing a Ford-powered Riley with Zak Brown, Mark Patterson and former Ligier and Brabham teammate Blundell; the team finished fourth overall.[14]

In June 2011, shortly before the 2011 European Grand Prix, Brundle completed a one-off Formula One test for the series' tyre supplier Pirelli at Jerez. He completed a total of 70 laps on all of their tyre compounds, with the results and events of the day aired before the 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix.

In June 2012, Brundle made a return to competitive racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, teaming up with son Alex to race a Greaves Motorsport-run Zytek-Nissan LMP2. His first appearance at the French classic in over a decade, Brundle worked hard to get back into adequate physical condition – using his son's race-training exercise programme for a year in preparation. Their car finished 15th out of the 56 runners and 8th in class, completing 340 laps.[15]

Other activities

[edit]
Brundle driving his Benetton B192 as a support act of the Austrian Grand Prix 2022

Brundle has been involved in driver management. At present[when?], he is David Coulthard's manager (as well as his former co-commentator). He 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.[16] Their clients include McLaren test driver Gary Paffett and British Formula 3 champion Mike Conway.

Brundle presented a documentary 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.

In 2004 he released his first book Working the Wheel. The title is a reference to his 1996 crash in Melbourne.[17]

In June 2013 he released his second book The Martin Brundle Scrapbook,[18] co-authored with Philip Porter, a biography that tells the story of his life through memorabilia, news cuttings and photographs.

On Friday 13 February 2009, Brundle presented BBC Look East's 6.30 pm bulletin, with Susie Fowler-Watt, reproducing his famous gridwalk.[19]

Criticism of Max Mosley and the FIA

[edit]

In September 2007, he suggested that the treatment of McLaren "had the feel of a witch hunt" in his Sunday Times column.[20] 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.[21]

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

As a former Formula One driver, I have earned 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.[21]

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;[22] saying "It's not appropriate behaviour for the head of any global body such as the FIA."[23] 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.[24]

Controversies

[edit]

During the commentary of 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, Martin Brundle used the controversial term "Chinaman" to refer to Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu, leading to accusations of racial discrimination against Brundle.[25]

Chinese media outlet Global Times wrote to Sky Sports inquiring about the matter. In their reply, Sky Sports stated that Martin Brundle had been reminded to "exercise caution in his language during live broadcasts." Until 5 January 2024, Brundle has not formally apologized or responded to the issue.[26]

Helmet

[edit]
Brundle's helmet on display in the Williams team's museum.

Brundle's helmet was white with two red stripes and a blue stripe between the two red stripes (inspired by the British flag) from the chin to the back of the helmet. In 1996, a golden ring (with either 'Benson and Hedges' or 'Brundle' written on it) and a blue drawing resembling a B (a representation of his trademark "start the engine" gesture) were added.[citation needed]

Personal life

[edit]

The son of a motor car dealer, he and his brother Robin took over the family car dealership from their father. The business closed in 2003 after losing the local Toyota and Peugeot franchises.[27] Robin is also a racing driver, who competes in historic racing events, and was managing director of Lola Cars.

Brundle is married to Liz[1] and they have a daughter, Charlotte, and a son, Alex.[28] Alex has followed his father in pursuing a career in driving; he competed in the 2012 GP3 Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Brundle has always lived within a 10-mile radius of King's Lynn,[1] and currently lives in Gayton, Norfolk.

In 2017, Brundle disclosed that while covering the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix for Sky Sports, he suffered a heart attack whilst running to do the podium interviews.[29]

Legacy

[edit]

In 2016, in an academic paper that reported a mathematical modeling study that assessed the relative influence of driver and machine, Brundle was ranked the 30th best Formula One driver of all time.[30]

Motion picture writer/director David Cronenberg, a motor racing enthusiast, named the protagonist of his 1986 film The Fly "Seth Brundle" after Martin Brundle. The protagonist of the film's sequel, The Fly II (1989) is Seth Brundle's son "Martin Brundle."[31]

Charlie Hamblett will portray Brundle in an upcoming Netflix limited series on Ayrton Senna called Senna.[32]

Racing record

[edit]

Career summary

[edit]
Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
1977 British Saloon Car Championship John Brundle Motors Ltd 8 1 0 1 5 ? 4th
1978 British Saloon Car Championship John Brundle Motors Ltd 11 0 0 0 8 ? 3rd
1979 British Saloon Car Championship Team Toyota GB / Hughes of Beaconsfield 2 0 0 0 2 ? ?
1980 British Saloon Car Championship Team Toyota GB / Hughes of Beaconsfield 2 0 0 0 0 18 NC
1981 British Saloon Car Championship TWR Team BP 11 2 1 0 3 30 4th
1982 FIA European Formula 3 Championship David Price Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
British Formula Three 19 2 6 2 7 60 4th
1983 British Formula Three Eddie Jordan Racing 20 7 3 5 19 123 2nd
FIA European Formula 3 Championship 2 2 2 0 2 18 7th
European Touring Car Championship Tom Walkinshaw Racing 4 2 1 0 2 0 NC
British Saloon Car Championship Unipart with Daily Express 1 0 0 0 0 2 8th
1984 Formula One Tyrrell Racing Organisation 7 0 0 0 0 0 NC
European Touring Car Championship Tom Walkinshaw Racing 3 1 1 1 1 0 NC
1985 Formula One Tyrrell Racing Organisation 15 0 0 0 0 0 NC
World Sportscar Championship TWR Jaguar 3 0 0 0 1 8 42nd
European Touring Car Championship Tom Walkinshaw Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
1986 Formula One Data General Team Tyrrell 16 0 0 0 0 8 11th
World Sportscar Championship Silk Cut Jaguar 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
1987 Formula One West Zakspeed Racing 16 0 0 0 0 2 18th
World Sportscar Championship Silk Cut Jaguar 3 1 0 0 1 20 25th
1988 IMSA GT Championship Castrol/Jaguar Racing 12 2 2 1 7 127 5th
World Sportscar Championship Silk Cut Jaguar 11 5 0 0 9 240 1st
24 Hours of Daytona Castrol/Jaguar Racing 1 1 0 0 1 N/A 1st
Formula One Canon Williams Team 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
1989 Formula One Motor Racing Developments 14 0 0 0 0 4 20th
1990 World Sportscar Championship Silk Cut Jaguar 9 1 1 1 3 19 8th
IMSA GT Championship Castrol/Jaguar Racing 3 0 0 1 1 33 20th
24 Hours of Le Mans Silk Cut Jaguar 1 1 0 0 1 N/A 1st
1991 Formula One Motor Racing Developments Ltd 14 0 0 0 0 2 15th
World Sportscar Championship Silk Cut Jaguar 3 1 1 2 2 12 24th
IMSA GT Championship Bud Light Jaguar Cars 1 0 0 0 0 10 34th
1992 Formula One Camel Benetton Ford 16 0 0 0 5 38 6th
1993 Formula One Ligier Gitanes Blondes 16 0 0 0 1 13 7th
1994 Formula One Marlboro McLaren Peugeot 16 0 0 0 2 16 7th
1995 Formula One Ligier Gitanes Blondes 11 0 0 0 1 7 13th
1996 Formula One B&H Total Jordan Peugeot 16 0 0 0 0 8 11th
1997 24 Hours of Le Mans Nissan Motorsport/TWR 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
1998 24 Hours of Le Mans Toyota Motorsports 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
1999 24 Hours of Le Mans Toyota Motorsports 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
World Rally Championship Toyota Castrol Team 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2001 24 Hours of Le Mans Team Bentley 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
2010 Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
2012 FIA World Endurance Championship Greaves Motorsport 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC
24 Hours of Le Mans 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 15th
2016 Road to Le Mans United Autosports 1 0 1 0 1 0 2nd

As Brundle was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.

Complete British Saloon Car Championship results

[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 DC Pts Class
1977 John Brundle Motors Ltd Toyota Celica GT B SIL BRH OUL
Ret†
THR SIL
?
THR
Ret†
DON
4†
SIL
15
DON
Ret†
BRH
?
THR BRH
9
? ? 4th
1978 John Brundle Motors Ltd Toyota Celica GT B SIL
?
OUL
2†
THR
?
BRH
4†
SIL
4†
DON
5†
MAL
4†
BRH
?
DON
5†
BRH
?
THR
?
OUL
DNS†
7th ? 3rd
1979 Team Toyota GB / Hughes of Beaconsfield Toyota Celica GT B SIL OUL THR SIL DON SIL MAL DON BRH THR SNE
10
OUL
3†
? ? ?
1980 Team Toyota GB / Hughes of Beaconsfield Toyota Celica GT B MAL OUL THR SIL SIL BRH MAL BRH
13
THR
?
SIL NC 18 NC
1981 TWR Team BP Audi 80 GLE B MAL
2†
SIL
6
OUL
12†
THR
?
BRH
Ret†
SIL
Ret
SIL
Ret
DON
4†
BRH
DSQ
THR
10
SIL
Ret
15th 30 4th
1983 Unipart with Daily Express MG Metro Turbo B SIL OUL THR BRH THR SIL DON SIL DON BRH SIL
19
31st 2 8th

† Events with 2 races staged for the different classes.

Complete British Formula 3 results

[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 DC Pts
1982 David Price Racing Volkswagen SIL
2
THR
17
SIL
3
DON
THR
15
MAL
15
SNE
4
SIL
6
CAD
4
SIL
3
BRH
5
MAL
12
OUL
9
BRH
2
SIL
14
SNE
4
OUL
1
SIL
19
BRH
2
THR
1
4th 60
1983 Eddie Jordan Racing Toyota SIL
2
THR
2
SIL
2
DON
2
THR
2
SIL
3
THR
2
BRH
2
SIL
2
SIL1
1
CAD
1
SNE
1
SIL
2
DON
1
OUL
Ret
SIL
2
OUL
1
THR
1
SIL
1
THR
(3)
2nd 123

^1 Brundle was ineligible to score points as he was using European specification tyres. Allen Berg therefore secured maximum points at this round.[33]

Complete European Touring Car Championship results

[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 DC Points
1983 United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing Jaguar XJ-S MNZ VAL DON
1†
PER MUG BRN ZEL
1†
NUR SAL SPA
Ret
SIL ZOL
8
NC 0
1984 United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing Jaguar XJ-S MNZ
13
VAL DON PER
1†
BRN ZEL SAL NUR SPA SIL ZOL MUG
5†/Ret
NC 0
1985 United Kingdom TWR Bastos Texaco Racing Team Rover Vitesse MNZ VAL DON AND BRN ZEL SAL NUR SPA
Ret
SIL NOG ZOL EST JAR NC 0

† Not eligible for points.

Complete Formula One results

[edit]

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 WDC Pts
1984 Tyrrell Racing Organisation Tyrrell 012 Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 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 NC1 0
1985 Tyrrell Racing Organisation Tyrrell 012 Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8 BRA
8
POR
Ret
SMR
9
MON
10
CAN
12
DET
Ret
GER
10
AUT
DNQ
NC 0
Tyrrell 014 Renault EF4B 1.5 V6t FRA
Ret
GBR
7
NED
7
ITA
8
BEL
13
EUR
Ret
RSA
7
AUS
NC
1986 Data General Team Tyrrell Tyrrell 014 Renault EF4B 1.5 V6t 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 1500/4 1.5 L4t BRA
Ret
DET
Ret
18th 2
Zakspeed 871 SMR
5
BEL
Ret
MON
7
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 CV 3.5 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 EV 3.5 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 OX99 3.5 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 HBA5 3.5 V8 RSA
Ret
MEX
Ret
BRA
Ret
6th 38
Benetton B192 Ford HBA7 3.5 V8 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 RS5 3.5 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 A6 3.5 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 MF-301 3.0 V10 BRA ARG SMR ESP
9
MON
Ret
CAN
10
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 A12 EV5 3.0 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
Notes
  • ^1 – Tyrrell were disqualified from the entire world championship for 1984 due to a technical infringement.
  • Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.

Complete World Sportscar Championship results

[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC Pts
1985 TWR Jaguar C1 Jaguar XJR-6 Jaguar 6.2 V12 MUG MNZ SIL LMS HOC MOS
3
SPA
5
BRH FUJ SHA 42nd 8
1986 Silk Cut Jaguar C1 Jaguar XJR-6 Jaguar 6.5 V12 MNZ SIL LMS NOR BRH JER
Ret
NÜR SPA FUJ NC 0
1987 Silk Cut Jaguar C1 Jaguar XJR-8 Jaguar 7.0 V12 JAR JER MNZ MNZ
Ret
LMS
Ret
NOR BRH NÜR SPA
1
FUJ 25th 20
1988 Silk Cut Jaguar C1 Jaguar XJR-9 Jaguar 7.0 V12 JER
Ret
JAR
1
MNZ
1
SIL
1
LMS
Ret
BRN
2
BRH
1
NÜR
2
SPA
2
FUJ
1
SAN
3
1st 240
1990 Silk Cut Jaguar C Jaguar XJR-11 Jaguar JV6 3.5 V6 t SUZ
Ret
MNZ
3
SIL
1
SPA
Ret
DIJ
5
NÜR
3
DON
DSQ
CGV
15
MEX
Ret
6th 19
1991 Silk Cut Jaguar C Jaguar XJR-14 Jaguar HB 3.5 V8 SUZ
Ret
MNZ
1
SIL
3
LMS NÜR MAG MEX AUT 17th 12
Sources:[34]

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

[edit]
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1987 United Kingdom Silk Cut Jaguar
United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Denmark John Nielsen Jaguar XJR-8LM C1 231 DNF DNF
1988 United Kingdom Silk Cut Jaguar
United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Denmark John Nielsen Jaguar XJR-9LM C1 306 DNF DNF
1990* United Kingdom Silk Cut Jaguar
United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing
France Alain Ferté
United Kingdom David Leslie
Jaguar XJR-12 C1 220 DNF DNF
United Kingdom Silk Cut Jaguar
United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Denmark John Nielsen
United States Price Cobb
Jaguar XJR-12 C1 359 1st 1st
1997 Japan Nissan Motorsport
United Kingdom TWR
Germany Jörg Müller
South Africa Wayne Taylor
Nissan R390 GT1 GT1 139 DNF DNF
1998 Japan Toyota Motorsports
Germany Toyota Team Europe
France Emmanuel Collard
France Éric Hélary
Toyota GT-One GT1 191 DNF DNF
1999 Japan Toyota Motorsports
Germany Toyota Team Europe
France Emmanuel Collard
Italy Vincenzo Sospiri
Toyota GT-One LMGTP 90 DNF DNF
2001 United Kingdom Team Bentley France Stéphane Ortelli
United Kingdom Guy Smith
Bentley EXP Speed 8 LMGTP 56 DNF DNF
2012 United Kingdom Greaves Motorsport Spain Lucas Ordóñez
United Kingdom Alex Brundle
Zytek Z11SN-Nissan LMP2 340 15th 8th
  • After electrical problems with his own car, Brundle replaced Eliseo Salazar in the Jaguar #3 car en route to victory.

Complete WRC results

[edit]
Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pos Points
1999 Toyota Castrol Team Toyota Corolla WRC MON SWE KEN POR ESP FRA ARG GRC NZL FIN CHN ITA AUS GBR
Ret
NC 0

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "BBC Norfolk interview (Audio Clip)".
  2. ^ a b "Martin Brundle BRDC Biography". Archived from the original on 31 May 2009.
  3. ^ a b "Martin Brundle Biography".
  4. ^ a b c d "Drivers Martin Brundle".
  5. ^ Sport.co.uk meets...Martin Brundle
  6. ^ a b c ITV F1. "Martin Brundle". Archived from the original on 1 December 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Fowler, Rich (24 February 2012). "IROC: Where racing worlds collided". Motorsport Retro. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Motorsport information for March 1994". Teamdan.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  9. ^ "BBC unveils F1 commentary changes". BBC. 11 January 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  10. ^ "Brundle to join Sky". Sky Sports. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  11. ^ "Martin Brundle's first F1 grid walk". AUSmotive. 22 June 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  12. ^ Smith, Giles (21 March 2008). "Fleetwood Mac make return as television rights go for a song". The Times. London. p. 103. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
  13. ^ "Brundle shows pace in FPA race". Autosport. 19 May 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2008.
  14. ^ Watkins, Gary (30 January 2011). "Ganassi takes Daytona one-two". Autosport.
  15. ^ "2012 Mans results - FIA World Endurance Championship". www.fiawec.com. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  16. ^ "Brundle to step back from 2MB role". Autosport. 7 January 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  17. ^ Johnson, Daniel (10 January 2014). "Life on the Limit: Formula One's deadliest crashes". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  18. ^ Porter, Philip (July 2013). Martin Brundle Scrapbook. Brundle, Martin. Tenbury Wells. ISBN 9781907085123. OCLC 862350271.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  19. ^ "Brundle goes walkabout". BBC News. 16 February 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  20. ^ Brundle, Martin (9 September 2007). "Witch-hunt threatens to spoil world title race". Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
  21. ^ a b Brundle, Martin (9 December 2007). "How can Formula One justify blatant double standards?". Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
  22. ^ "FIA wants to stay clear of sex scandal involving its president and newspaper". International Herald Tribune. 30 March 2008. Archived from the original on 5 April 2008. Retrieved 30 March 2008.
  23. ^ O'Connor; Gorman, Ed, Ashling (30 March 2008). "Max Mosley faces calls to quit as Formula One chief after 'Nazi' orgy". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 10 May 2008. Retrieved 30 March 2008.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ Brundle, Martin (6 April 2008). "Time for F1 to get a grip". The Sunday Times.
  25. ^ "Sky Sports Italia has suspended two of its F1 commentators/pundits after inappropriate joke made on live TV post Spanish GP". formularapida.net. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023. The Spanish GP weekend saw some people write against Sky Sports UK commentator Martin Brundle too when he referred Zhou Guanyu as 'Chinaman', before immediately catching his mistake and correcting his mistake to 'the Chinese driver', while talking about the cosmopolitan situation when he was in a four-way battle.
  26. ^ "中國F1賽車手周冠宇遭解說稱「Chinaman」 英媒道歉:將謹慎措辭" [Chinese F1 driver Zhou Guan Yu called "Chinaman" by commentary, British media apologized: will be careful wording]. hk01 (in Traditional Chinese). 7 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  27. ^ "Racing driver's showroom closes". BBC News. 2 July 2003. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  28. ^ "Relative Values: Martin Brundle and his son Alex". The Times. London. 10 June 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2010.[dead link]
  29. ^ "Martin Brundle reveals he had heart attack at Monaco Grand Prix". AOL (UK) Limited. 13 January 2017. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  30. ^ Hanlon, Mike (12 May 2016). "The Top 50 F1 drivers of all time, regardless of what they were driving". New Atlas. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  31. ^ The Fly Papers, Tim Lucas, Cinefex Magazine, 1986
  32. ^ Robinson, Jacob (5 July 2023). "Charlie Hamblett Cast as Martin Brundle in Netflix's 'Senna' Limited Series". What's on Netflix. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  33. ^ "British Formula 3 Championship (1951-2014)". motorsportwinners.com. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  34. ^ "Martin Brundle | Racing career profile". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
[edit]
Sporting positions
Preceded by World Sportscar Championship
Champion

1988
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
1990
With: John Nielsen
Price Cobb
Succeeded by
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Autosport
National Racing Driver of the Year

1983
Succeeded by
Preceded by Autosport
British Competition Driver of the Year

1988
Succeeded by
Preceded by Autosport
British Competition Driver of the Year

1990
Succeeded by
Preceded by
None
RTS Television Sport Awards
Best Sports Pundit

1998–1999
Succeeded by
Preceded by RTS Television Sport Awards
Best Sports Pundit

2005–2006
Succeeded by