[imagesource: Sky Sports F1]

In his heyday, Martin Brundle started 158 Formula One Grand Prix races and claimed nine podium finishes.

He also won the 1988 24 Hours of Daytona race and the 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans race, both of which take some doing.

Sadly, the 62-year-old will now be remembered by millions of F1 fans around the world as the annoying guy who harasses people during the pre-race grid walk, often with the most cringe-worthy results.

Never has that been more clear than at the Miami Grand Prix earlier this month, where he had a total shocker.

Rather than his employer, Sky Sports, cutting him a little slack, the show must go on.

It did, at yesterday’s Monaco Grand Prix (after a weather delay), and Brundle was once again made to endure live on-air humiliation.

He attempted to chat with British actress Simone Ashley, perhaps best known for her role on Bridgerton, but that did not go to plan:

#SimoneAshley so rude turn down Martin Brundle. If you don’t want to be interviewed then don’t visit the F1 grid. #bridgertonS2 #f1 #MonacoGP #WTF1 #wtf1podcast pic.twitter.com/1mtsgRMfNG

— Yan (@YanbinHu) May 29, 2022

Standing on the grid doesn’t mean you sign up to have a microphone thrust in your face. If people want to be left alone, they’re well within their rights to say so.

Brundle also had a few issues with actor Patrick Dempsey’s security team, before the Grey’s Anatomy star agreed to the interview.

There was also a funny moment between Brundle and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, reports The Express:

Brundle said that he hadn’t spoken to Wolff in some time, [and] the Austrian joked “You never come to see me where I am now!” in reference to Mercedes qualifying further down the grid than in recent years.

At least Toto can laugh publicly about Mercedes’ less than stellar start to the season.

When Drive to Survive is released I think we might see fewer jokes from Toto’s end.

For what it’s worth, Brundle has admitted that he hates this part of his job:

There’s a reason why I’ve never watched back an F1 gridwalk in a quarter of a century of doing them. You have no idea how much I dislike doing them but somehow those crazy moments have defined my professional career 🤔. Oh well, that’s the way it is.

— Martin Brundle (@MBrundleF1) May 9, 2022

His net worth is estimated to be around $100 million by some sites and he turns 63 on Wednesday.

Maybe now is as good a time as any to tell Sky Sports to stick that grid walk where the sun doesn’t shine.

[source:express]