Martin Brundle was forced to abandon his interview with Eddie Irvine in an awkward moment ahead of the Italian Grand Prix. The legendary broadcaster was carrying out his usual grid walk on Sky Sports in the minutes before the race. Max Verstappen was lining up on pole position, having beaten Lando Norris with his last run in Saturday’s qualifying session.
Brundle, meanwhile, was racing around the pit straight trying to find some famous faces to speak with. He stumbled upon Irvine, the former Ferrari driver who finished second in the Drivers’ Championship back in 1999. The man from Northern Ireland was delighted to be on the grid and spoke highly of his pre-race experience.
“It’s better to be an ex-Ferrari driver standing here and experiencing this,” he told Brundle. “When you’re a driver you never experience this. I was so focused on the car, the result was all about it.
“This is fanfare and I never paid any attention to it until Sunday night, and then it was great. I love coming now because I get this experience for the first time.”
Brundle followed up by asking Irvine: “We’ve seen you at quite a few races lately. Are you thinking of a comeback? You’re only in your fifties!”
Irvine replied: “Stefano [Domenicali] always gives me a pass. When Bernie [Ecclestone] was the boss, he used to break your balls. I don’t like my balls being broken so I never came.”
Brundle was forced to cut the interview short before apologising to Sky Sports viewers for the vulgar nature of Irvine’s language.
He turned to the 59-year-old and said: “You’re going to get me into trouble. You know you’re going to get me into trouble. That’s the end of that interview.”
Brundle finished his conversation with Irvine by joking: “You’re a horrible person. Goodbye. Apologies for the colourful, spherical nature of Eddie Irvine’s explanation there.”
The former McLaren, Williams and Benetton driver has earned a cult following for his iconic grid walks, where he interviews unsuspecting celebrities as they navigate the chaos before the start of races.
The segment has produced some memorable moments, leading to it becoming a favourite among Sky Sports viewers. Brundle, however, does not enjoy conducting the grid walks in spite of their popularity.
Earlier this year, he said: “The grid walk actually really annoys me because that’s what I’m known for now. The whole thing is still a mystery. I won a lot of races as a driver and was on the F1 podium.
“I was a reasonably handy racing driver and I’m a reasonably handy commentator but all I’m going to be remembered for is getting ignored on the grid by the Megan Thee Stallion and other people I’d never heard of until that moment.”
For the latest breaking stories and headlines, sign up to our Daily Express F1 newsletter, or join our WhatsApp community here.