Five times Martin Brundle spoke for all of us: From clashing with Cara Delavigne to standing up to Megan Thee Stallion’s security team, Formula One’s most-loved pundit is ready to do it all over again in 2025
As the 2025 Formula One season roars into action, so too does the undisputed king of the grid walk, Martin Brundle.
The former F1 driver-turned-broadcasting icon may have an OBE to his name, a successful racing career under his belt, and multiple RTS awards for punditry, but for a whole generation of fans, he is best known for his unscripted and brilliantly awkward pre-race celebrity encounters.
Brundle himself admits he finds it ‘annoying’ that many know him more for getting ignored on live TV than for his motorsport achievements.
But the 65-year-old also knows that his no-nonsense approach to interviewing – whether charming, cheeky, or downright defiant – has turned him into a viral phenomenon.
‘The only thing that gets me as excited as racing is the grid walk,’ he recently told Mail Sport. And, as history has proven, when Brundle steps onto the starting grid, anything can happen.
With that in mind, let’s relive five unforgettable grid walk moments when Martin Brundle spoke for all of us.
Martin Brundle (right) is arguably the most popular member of the Sky Sports F1 punditry team
He admits frustration at becoming best known for grid walks despite his success as a driver
Brundle finished on the podium nine times in F1, while he famously won Le Mans 24 in 1990
1. Kylian Mbappe, 2024
If there’s one thing Brundle refuses to do, it’s back down to security guards. That was proven once again at the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix when he attempted to interview Kylian Mbappe, only to find himself blocked by an overzealous member of the footballer’s entourage. But Brundle wasn’t having it.
‘It’s all right, mate, I’m in charge here,’ he told the security official, brushing past him with the confidence of a man who has been doing this for nearly 30 years.
Mbappe, who had just announced his departure from Paris Saint-Germain, looked hesitant but played along. Brundle, always quick on his feet, joked, ‘I think you’re fast enough to beat these cars to the first corner.’
The World Cup winner smiled and replied, ‘No, no, I’m not faster than the cars. I just want to be here like a fan and enjoy the moment.’
Brundle, with his trademark dry wit, wrapped up the chat with a parting shot at the bodyguard: ‘Thanks for talking to us – and your dear friend there.’
The internet loved it. Fans called it ‘Brundle at his best,’ and one X user even quipped, ‘A true legend of the game. And Kylian Mbappe.’
In 2024 at the Monaco Grand Prix, Brundle responded to a security official trying to keep him away from France footballer Kylian Mbappe by saying: ‘It’s all right, mate, I’m in charge here’
He continued talking to Mbappe (right), despite the security guard standing in between them
2. Christian Horner, 2014
While most of Brundle’s grid walk clashes come with celebrities, sometimes even F1 insiders get caught in the crossfire. Just ask Christian Horner.
During the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix, the Red Bull team principal tried to have a little fun at Brundle’s expense, joking: ‘Shame you’re too old to have driven here really, you would have liked it.’
Brundle barely hesitated before delivering a hard-hitting comeback: ‘I am too old to have driven here. Shame you weren’t fast enough to get into Formula One!’
Horner could do little more than nod and laugh nervously. F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, standing nearby, looked positively delighted.
For Brundle, the comment was a sharp reminder that, while he may have left the grid as a driver, he still held his own in the sport, winning 98 career points between 1984 and 1996.
For Horner, well… it was a lesson in why you should never try to outwit Brundle on live television.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has been interviewed by Brundle countless times
However, their most memorable interaction came back in 2014 during the Singapore Grand Prix
3. Megan Thee Stallion, 2021
Brundle’s now-legendary confrontation with Megan Thee Stallion at the 2021 US Grand Prix is the moment that led to the infamous ‘Brundle Clause’ – a rule stating that celebrities on the F1 grid must be open to interviews.
It started off innocently enough, with Brundle approaching the rapper for a quick word.
At first, she seemed game, smiling and laughing at his opening question, which in fairness was a little cringe: ‘You’re a freestyle rapper, have you got any rap for us today on Formula One?’
She replied to that question politely: ‘Haha! I have no rap today, I’m sorry.’
But when Brundle attempted to deliver a follow-up question about the forthcoming race, a member of her entourage physically stepped in between them and declared: ‘You can’t do that.’
Brundle’s response was immediate and iconic: ‘I can do that, because I did.’
Social media erupted. Some cringed, others cheered, but one thing was clear – Brundle wasn’t going to be pushed around on his own turf.
Even now, he recalls it with a mix of amusement and bemusement: ‘All I’m going to be remembered for is getting ignored on the grid.’
Megan Thee Stallion was one of the celebrity VIPs at the US Grand Prix in Austin back in 2021
The rapper, dressed in a black catsuit with sheer cutouts, was politely approached by Brundle
But one of Megan’s bodyguards shooed Brundle away when he tried to ask a few questions
4. Cara Delevingne, 2023
By 2023, the Brundle vs Celebrities saga had become a recurring F1 subplot. Enter Cara Delevingne.
At the British Grand Prix, Brundle approached the supermodel for a quick chat, only to be met with a firm, repeated ‘no.’
When he pointed out that ‘the deal is everybody talks on the grid,’ she shrugged and responded: ‘I can’t hear anything, sorry.’
Brundle, unfazed, delivered a parting shot dripping with sarcasm: ‘Okay, well, I’m sure it would have been extremely interesting.’
Fans online were divided. Some slammed Delevingne for her perceived rudeness, while others defended her right to refuse an interview.
Either way, Brundle’s quick wit and unwavering commitment to getting a soundbite made for another unforgettable grid walk moment.
Cara Delevingne did not wish to be interviewed by Brundle during a trip to Silverstone in 2023
As Brundle walked away after failing to secure an interview, the supermodel raised her thumb
Brundle then sarcastically told viewers: ‘I’m sure it would have been extremely interesting’
5. Machine Gun Kelly, 2023
Sometimes Brundle doesn’t get snubbed – he just gets… something completely bizarre.
That was the case at the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix, when he found himself locked in an utterly surreal exchange with Machine Gun Kelly.
From the start, it was clear that MGK was in a mood. He fiddled with Brundle’s poppy pin, declared he doesn’t think about his career, and then, in what can only be described as an out-of-body experience, insisted on collaborating with his interviewer on an ‘air guitar and air piano’ performance.
Brundle, visibly baffled, politely declined. ‘There’s millions watching,’ he explained. MGK was unimpressed.
‘No, I can’t. I learnt the piano once and I learnt middle C and that was about it,’ Brundle added, clearly looking for an escape.
Eventually, MGK gave him a thumbs-down and walked off, leaving Brundle shaking his head and muttering: ‘Something tells me I won’t be on his Christmas card list this year.’
Brundle crossed paths with American rapper and singer-songwriter Machine Gun Kelly in 2023
Machine Gun Kelly was disappointed with Brundle over his lack of enthusiasm for air guitar
More Brundle chaos coming in 2025?
As Brundle gears up for another season of live, unscripted mayhem, it remains to be seen who will be the next to get ‘Brundled’.
He may joke about his grid walks being ‘a means to an end’ to get real racing interviews, but deep down, he thrives on the unpredictability.
‘The only thing that gets me as excited as racing is the grid walk,’ he told Mail Sport.
As F1 heads to Melbourne for the season opener, one thing is certain: whatever happens on the track, Brundle’s grid walk will be the real must-watch event.
