Popular F1 commentator Martin Brundle is absent from the Azerbaijan GP commentary panel, which made fans wonder about the Briton’s whereabouts. Apparently, Brundle’s new Sky Sports F1 contract has led him to miss out on the race weekend in Baku.
Known for his famous grid walks for Sky Sports F1, Brundle is a fan-favorite pundit. So, when he did not do the grid walk in Baku ahead of the race start, many fans on Twitter (now X) questioned the same. Per the Daily Mail, Brundle’s contract states that he will only be attending 16 out of the 24 races in 2024.
We need Martin Brundle on the Gridwalk. What is this??#F1 #AzerbaidjanGP
— 0xMelb (@0xMelb) September 15, 2024
The F1 broadcasting crew have been rotating their roster of presenters and experts. In Baku, Martin’s son Alex Brundle did the grid walk for F1TV instead of Will Buxton, who is also not present at this race.
As for Martin, he was also not present during the Monaco and Spanish GP weekends. So, with seven races left after Baku, there is a high chance he may miss out on several more races per the reported terms of his contract. In Baku, Nico Rosberg had replaced the former McLaren driver in the commentary panel.
However, Martin is not the only usual suspect missing from the Azerbaijan GP weekend. His regular compatriot and Sky Sports F1’s lead commentator David Croft is also not attending the Baku weekend but for different reasons.
Croft’s wedding is the reason behind his three-race absence
Croft has announced at the start of the season that he will be missing three races to spend time with his family. Moreover, the 54-year-old commentator also had plans to get married this summer and has had his wedding recently with former Aston Martin employee Laura Bradley.
Croft and Bradley had been planning their wedding for several months and the former had suggested that he would need to take out time for his wedding preparations.
“I’m getting married this year as well, so I’ve got a wedding to organize”, he said to The Indepedent.
