Ted Kravitz reveals why ‘reluctant genius’ Martin Brundle never wanted to be an F1 commentator at first

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Martin Brundle has become one of the best-known Formula 1 broadcasters in the world. But before he stepped into commentary, he had a long and successful career in the sport.

Brundle made his debut at the 1984 Brazilian Grand Prix for Tyrrell. With the exception of 1990, he took part in every season until 1996, racing for eight different teams, including McLaren.

The Englishman stood on the podium nine times without winning a Grand Prix. That ranks him joint-fifth on the unfortunate leaderboard.

Eddie Jordan axed Brundle ahead of the 1997 season as he recruited an all-new line-up of Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella for his eponymous team. It was at that stage that he took up a commentary role for ITV, working alongside the legendary Murray Walker.

Martin Brundle was determined to get back into F1 rather than staying in TV

Brundle has been in the commentary box for the UK’s F1 rights holder for nearly 30 years. He moved to the BBC in 2009 and then to Sky in 2012.

But speaking to Virgin Radio, Ted Kravitz said Brundle always viewed his role in the media as a stop-gap at first. He was determined to get back on the grid for ’97.

But no satisfactory offer was forthcoming, and Brundle settled into the new position. Kravitz, his long-time colleague, says he’s now become an ‘institution of Formula 1’.

“I call him the reluctant genius,” he said. “He was a genius at broadcasting. It was amazing to go from driving to broadcasting straight away and be great at it.

“He didn’t want to be there. Eddie Jordan had forced him out, saying ‘I don’t want you for next year’, and he [Brundle] would say, ‘I don’t want to be there, I want to be finding another drive’.

“Throughout ’97, he was always trying to find a way back into Formula 1. But he got so good at the broadcasting side and is now a household name, an institution of Formula 1. ‘The Governor’ we call him.”

Who was Martin Brundle’s favourite Formula 1 teammate?

Brundle partnered two world champions during his career, racing alongside Michael Schumacher at Bennetton and Mika Hakkinen at McLaren. But neither of those drivers were his favourite teammate.

Brundle loved his partnership with Mark Blundell, describing him as a ‘blood brother’. They shared a garage 32 times between 1991 and ’93.

• READ MORE: Martin Brundle shares the ‘smartest decision’ he ever made while working on F1 commentary with Murray Walker

His son, Alex, has gone on to become a racing driver himself. And strengthening the link with his father, he also works as a pundit for TV.

In a recent interview, Alex Brundle said his father wasn’t as brutal as Jos Verstappen. But they were both blunt when they had to be, having raced in an era where F1 was much more dangerous.