Martin Brundle facts for kids

This page is about the racing driver. For the fictional lead character in the film The Fly II, see The Fly II.

Quick facts for kids Martin Brundle OBE
Brundle in 2021
Born	Martin John Brundle (1959-06-01) 1 June 1959 (age 66) King's Lynn, Norfolk, England
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth (m. 1984)
Children	2, including Alex
Relatives	Robin Brundle (brother)

Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	British
Active years	1984–1989, 1991–1996
Teams	Tyrrell, Zakspeed, Williams, Brabham, Benetton, Ligier, McLaren, Jordan
Entries	165 (158 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	9
Career points	98
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1984 Brazilian Grand Prix
Last entry	1996 Japanese Grand Prix


World Sportscar Championship career
Years active	1985–1988, 1990–1991
Teams	Jaguar
Starts	29
Championships	1 (1988)
Wins	8
Podiums	16
Poles	3
Fastest laps	2


24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	1987–1988, 1990, 1997–1999, 2001, 2012
Teams	Jaguar, Nissan, Toyota, Bentley, Greaves
Best finish	1st (1990)
Class wins	1 (1990)

Martin John Brundle (born 1 June 1959) is a British former racing driver. He is also a well-known broadcaster and commentator. Martin competed in Formula One races from 1984 to 1996.

He was very successful in endurance racing. Martin won the World Sportscar Championship in 1988. He also won the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1990. Both of these big wins were with the Jaguar team. In 1988, he also won the 24 Hours of Daytona race with Jaguar. After he stopped racing, Martin became a popular commentator for Formula One. He worked for ITV, the BBC, and now for Sky Sports F1.

Martin was born and grew up in King's Lynn, Norfolk, England. He started racing at age 12 in grass track events. He built his own Ford Anglia car for these races. Later, he moved into Hot Rod racing. After racing in the British Saloon Car Championship, he moved to British Formula Three in 1982. In 1983, he finished second in the championship. He had a very close battle with Ayrton Senna for the title. Both drivers then moved to Formula One in 1984.

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Martin Brundle's Racing Journey

Early Steps in Racing

Brundle (right) racing against Ayrton Senna (left) in 1983.

Martin Brundle's path to Formula One was a bit unusual. He began racing when he was just 12 years old. He competed in grass track races in his hometown of Pott Row, Norfolk. He even built his own Ford Anglia car for these races.

In 1975, he started racing Hot Rods. He quickly became a 'Star grade' driver. At almost 18, he joined the British Saloon Car Championship in 1977. He was the youngest driver in the series at that time. In 1979, he began racing single-seater cars in Formula Ford. He also raced BMW touring cars for Tom Walkinshaw. He won the BMW championship in 1980. In 1982, he moved up to Formula Three. He earned five pole positions and two wins in his first year. He won the Grovewood Award for being a promising driver. In 1983, he battled Ayrton Senna for the Formula Three championship. He narrowly lost the title on the last laps of the final race. In 1984, he got his chance to race in Formula One.

Formula One with Tyrrell and Zakspeed (1984–1987)

Martin's Formula One career started with the Tyrrell Racing Organisation in 1984. He showed great speed and skill. He finished fifth in his first race in Brazil. Then he came second in Detroit. However, he was later disqualified from the whole season. This was due to a technical rule problem with his car.

At the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix, Martin had a bad crash. He broke his ankles and both feet. This meant he missed the rest of that season. Doctors even thought about amputating his left foot. He did recover, but the injuries affected him permanently. He could no longer run and had trouble with left-foot braking.

For the next two seasons, he stayed with Tyrrell. The team struggled, even after switching to turbocharged Renault engines. He scored only eight points in 1986. In 1987, he moved to the West German team Zakspeed. He scored only two points that year. These were the only points Zakspeed earned in their five years in Formula One.

Success in Sportscars and Return to F1 (1988–1991)

After four years in Formula One with smaller teams, Martin looked for a new challenge. In 1988, he took a break from F1. He had been working with Jaguar since 1983. He drove their touring cars in the European Touring Car Championship. When Jaguar decided to return to the World Sportscar Championship, they chose Martin as their main driver.

The team did very well in 1988. Martin won the World Sportscar title. He also won the Daytona 24 Hours race that same year. He became a test driver for Williams. He even filled in for Nigel Mansell at the 1988 Belgian Grand Prix.

In 1989, Martin returned to Formula One full-time with the Brabham team. The team was not as competitive as before. Martin decided to go back to sports car racing for 1990. He won the 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans race. This win helped restart his career. He also raced in the American IROC series in 1990. He won a race there and finished third overall. In 1991, he rejoined Brabham, but the team was still struggling.

Formula One with Benetton, Ligier, McLaren, and Jordan (1992–1996)

Brundle's Benetton B191B at the 1992 British Grand Prix.

Brundle's 1992 racing suit and helmet.

In 1992, Martin joined Benetton and had a strong season. He achieved five podium finishes (top three results). He finished a career-best sixth in the World Drivers' Championship. He was close to winning in Canada, but his car had a problem. He often made up places with excellent starts.

Surprisingly, Benetton dropped Martin for 1993. He then raced for Ligier. He continued to score points and earned another third-place finish at Imola. He finished seventh in the championship that year.

Brundle driving the McLaren MP4/9 at the 1994 British Grand Prix.

For 1994, Martin joined McLaren. This was a challenging time for McLaren. They did not win a Grand Prix that year. Their Peugeot engines were new and sometimes unreliable. Martin had a big crash in the first race but was okay. He lost a sure third place in Hungary on the last lap. However, when the car worked well, Martin performed strongly. He finished second to Michael Schumacher at Monaco.

Brundle driving for Ligier at the 1995 British Grand Prix.

In 1995, he returned to Ligier. He had to share his seat with another driver, Aguri Suzuki. Despite this, he impressed with a strong fourth place in France. He also achieved his last F1 podium finish in Belgium. In 1996, he joined Jordan. He had a good season, despite a big crash in Australia. He regularly scored points, with a best result of fourth. He finished fifth in his last Formula One race, the 1996 Japanese Grand Prix.

Martin Brundle achieved 9 podiums in his F1 career. He scored a total of 98 championship points. His best championship finish was sixth in 1992. He was especially good on street circuits like Monaco.

Life After Formula One: Commentator and More

Brundle as a reporter and commentator for Sky Sports F1 in 2013.

After retiring from racing, Martin Brundle became a highly respected commentator. He joined ITV in 1997 to cover Formula One. He worked alongside famous commentators like Murray Walker. From 2009, he moved to the BBC's F1 team. In 2011, he became the lead commentator for the BBC. Since 2012, he has been with Sky Sports F1. At Sky, he works as a co-commentator.

Martin has won several awards for his television work. He won the RTS Television Sports Award for best Sports Pundit multiple times. Judges have praised his ability to explain complex racing simply. His pre-race "grid walks" are very popular. During these, he walks around the starting grid and interviews drivers and celebrities. The Times newspaper called him "the greatest TV analyst in this or any other sport."

Martin also competed in the Rally of Great Britain in 1999. His son, Alex, is also a racing driver. Alex won the 2016 European Le Mans Series in the LMP3 class.

Other Activities and Recognition

Brundle's Toyota GT-One which he drove at the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Brundle driving the Bentley Speed 8 at the 2001 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Martin Brundle has driven F1 cars in demonstrations. He drove a Jaguar F1 car in London in 2004. He also drove a BMW Sauber in 2006. In 2008, he returned to racing briefly in the Formula Palmer Audi Championship. He raced alongside his son, Alex.

In 2011, he tested tires for Pirelli, the F1 tire supplier. In 2012, he returned to the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. He teamed up with his son Alex. They finished 15th overall and 8th in their class.

Brundle driving his Benetton B192 at the Austrian Grand Prix in 2022.

Martin has also been involved in managing drivers. He co-owned a management company called 2MB Sports Management. He has written two books about his life and racing career. The first, Working the Wheel, was released in 2004. His second book, The Martin Brundle Scrapbook, came out in 2013.

In 2017, Martin shared that he had a heart attack while covering the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix. He was running to do podium interviews at the time.

Martin Brundle was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2025 New Year Honours. This award recognized his contributions to motor racing and sports broadcasting.

Helmet Design

Brundle's helmet on display in the Williams team's museum.

Martin Brundle's racing helmet was white. It had two red stripes and a blue stripe in between them. These colors were inspired by the British flag. The stripes ran from the chin to the back of the helmet. In 1996, a golden ring was added to his helmet. It had either 'Benson and Hedges' or 'Brundle' written on it. A blue drawing that looked like a 'B' was also added. This 'B' represented his famous "start the engine" gesture.

Personal Life

Martin's father was a car dealer. Martin and his brother, Robin, took over the family business. The business closed in 2003. Robin is also a racing driver. He now competes in historic racing events.

Martin is married to Liz. They have a daughter named Charlotte and a son named Alex. Alex has followed his father into racing. He has competed in the GP3 Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Martin has always lived close to his hometown of King's Lynn.

Legacy and Influence

In 2016, a study ranked Martin Brundle as the 30th best Formula One driver of all time. This study looked at the influence of both the driver and the car.

The Canadian film director David Cronenberg is a fan of motor racing. He named the main character in his 1986 film The Fly "Seth Brundle" after Martin. The main character in the sequel, The Fly II (1989), is Seth Brundle's son, also named "Martin Brundle." Martin Brundle was also played by Charlie Hamblett in the 2024 Netflix miniseries Senna.