Martin Brundle reveals the brutal reality of when he raced at ‘super physical’ Monaco Grand Prix

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Ahead of next weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, Martin Brundle has opened up on the brutal reality of racing on the streets of the Principality during his era in F1. The iconic pundit noted how his hands would often be pouring with blood.

From the outside looking in, the Monaco Grand Prix is one of the least exciting races on the F1 calendar, as the circuit layout offers minimal overtaking opportunities for drivers to create a spectacle.

However, the real test of Monaco is the streets themselves. At its narrowest point, the circuit offers a width of just seven metres, a far cry from the 15-metre average width of the permanent racing circuits on the calendar.

On top of that, 78 rotations of the 2.074-mile-long circuit means that danger is lurking around every corner of the circuit. Even more so in previous years of racing, when drivers were forced to take their hands off the wheel in order to change gears.

• READ MORE: Seven unforgettable Monaco GP moments from Schumacher’s parking to Senna vs Mansell

Martin Brundle recalls ‘blood pouring’ from his hands when he raced at the Monaco Grand Prix

In a recent Q+A video for Sky Sports, F1 legend Martin Brundle revealed just how brutal the Monaco Grand Prix was during his era of racing.

The 66-year-old took part in a total of nine iterations of the race around the streets of Monte Carlo, with his P2 at the 1994 Monaco Grand Prix for McLaren serving as his career-best finish in the sport. Michael Schumacher took the win that day.

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“In those days, it was hugely physical,” he said. “We changed gear about 3,000 times in the race. You used to have blood pouring out of the palms of your hands. We’d tape our hand, with tank tape, duct tape, to try to help it, or some plasters, or something like that.

But the cars were super physical; we didn’t have power steering or anything like that. You’d be going in the race thinking, ‘This is tough.’ It’s relentless, and one mistake, and you’re out of the Grand Prix.

“Then you’d come past the pits, and they would show you a pit board that said 50 laps to go. 
You’re like, you are kidding me. I thought we were halfway there already. It’s tough; it was tough back then. It’s tough in anything, because it was so fast.”

The F1 pundit also admitted that the race hasn’t changed a whole lot since his era of racing, due to the tight and twisting nature of the street circuit.

• READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton now faces a brutal reality check vs Charles Leclerc after career-best Ferrari result

The race is a staple of the F1 calendar, but fans have expressed their dismay over the Monaco Grand Prix’s recent 10-year extension.

“Monaco is usually about qualifying day, that’s the most exciting thing,” Brundle added. “Race day is a bit of a game of chess, unless it rains or there’s a timely safety car.

“I don’t think that will change a whole lot because it’s been the same since when I raced there in the 1980s. It was exactly the same with any iteration of Formula 1 cars that we’ve had.”