Before venturing into the world of media, Martin Brundle was an F1 driver himself who stood on the podium nine times. However, he made more name for himself as a commentator and a pundit — and recently rose to fame because of his pre-race ‘grid walks’, where he interviews people on the track. The 65-year-old, however, is sure that his son Alex surpasses him.
Brundle was part of an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on F1’s subreddit, where he was asked about Alex. Like his dad, Alex too, started out as a racing driver before transitioning into his role in commentary.
The user asked Brundle how he felt about his son’s career switch since it was evident that he had been following in his footsteps. In response, Brundle admitted that Alex is ‘very similar’ to him.
“I think we’ve got the same mannerisms and the same quirky statements,” he wrote. “I’m really proud of him. He does a wonderful job. He’s just a sort of better-educated, more intelligent version of me, really, when he’s commentating.”
Martin Brundle shared his thoughts on his son, Alex, following in his footsteps and feeling proud of how he has charted his career. pic.twitter.com/CyTigJ4Hpy
— Formula World (@F1_Grand_Prix) October 17, 2024
In commentary, Alex may outshine his father, as Martin suggested. However, when it comes to racing, it’s safe to say that Brundle Sr. has established a more significant reputation. He competed in 158 F1 races between 1984 and 1996 and also won the 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans— one of the most iconic races in motorsports.
In contrast, Alex began his career with T Cars in 2006, progressing through the ranks of GP3 and F2, but alas, didn’t go beyond that. Nonetheless, the Briton possesses a deep knowledge of motorsport, which is evident when he takes up commentating duties.
Would Brundle be competitive in modern-day F1?
Brundle’s F1 career peaked in the early 1990s, back when cars were radically different from what they look and feel like today. On the same subreddit, when asked if he would still be competitive in the sport today, Brundle replied, “Yes, I would!”
However, he acknowledged that while he was “pretty handy” during his time as a driver, he wasn’t at the level of the sport’s champions at the time.
“If I knew then what I know now, I would have been hugely more successful as a driver in terms of getting more people around me, getting fitter… I never quite had that confidence in Formula 1, which I think I would have today,” he added.
Brundle concluded by stating that becoming a championship-level driver requires certain qualities that legends like Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna possessed.
