Martin Brundle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martin Brundle
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Brundle in 2021
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| Born |
Martin John Brundle
1 June 1959 King's Lynn, Norfolk, England
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| 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 and broadcaster. He raced in Formula One from 1984 to 1996. 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. He also won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1988 with Jaguar.
After he stopped racing, Martin became a well-known commentator for Formula One. He worked for ITV, the BBC, and now for Sky. Martin was born and grew up in King's Lynn, Norfolk, England.
Contents
Martin's Racing Journey
Starting Out in Racing
Martin Brundle started racing at a young age. When he was just 12, he competed in grass track racing. He even built his own Ford Anglia car for this! Later, he moved into Hot Rod racing.
He then raced in the British Saloon Car Championship. In 1982, he moved up to British Formula Three. The next year, in 1983, he had a very close race for the championship title against Ayrton Senna. Senna won by only nine points. Both drivers then moved on to Formula One in 1984.
Formula One Debut (1984–1987)
Martin started his Formula One career with the Tyrrell team in 1984. He showed great speed right away. In his first race in Brazil, he finished fifth. He even got a podium finish (second place) in Detroit. However, he was later disqualified from the season's results due to a technical rule break with his car.
During a practice session in Dallas, Martin had a bad crash. He broke his ankles and both feet. This meant he had to miss the rest of the 1984 season. The injuries were serious and affected his ability to run and use his left foot for braking.
He stayed with Tyrrell for two more seasons. In 1986, he scored his first official points, finishing fifth in the 1986 Brazilian Grand Prix. In 1987, he joined the West German team Zakspeed. He scored two points for them, which were the only points Zakspeed earned in their five years in Formula One.
Sportscar Success and Return to F1 (1988–1991)
After a few tough years in Formula One, Martin looked for a new challenge. In 1988, he focused on sportscar racing. He had already raced for Jaguar in the European Touring Car Championship since 1983.
With Jaguar, he had a fantastic year in 1988. He won the World Sportscar Championship with a record number of points. He also won the 24 Hours of Daytona race that same year. He even got to be a test driver for Williams and filled in for Nigel Mansell at the 1988 Belgian Grand Prix.
Martin returned to Formula One full-time in 1989 with the Brabham team. He had a good start, running third at the 1989 Monaco Grand Prix before a battery problem. But Brabham struggled, so Martin went back to sportscar racing in 1990. That year, he won the famous 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans race while driving the Jaguar XJR-12. This big win helped his career. In 1991, he rejoined Brabham, but the team was not doing well.
Formula One Highlights (1992–1996)
Martin's strong driving in the struggling Brabham car in 1991 helped him get a spot with Benetton in 1992. This was a great move for him.
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In 1992, he had a very successful season. He got five podium finishes (top three results) and finished a career-best sixth in the World Drivers' Championship. He was a strong teammate to Michael Schumacher. He almost won in Canada, but his car had a problem. At Monza, he finished an impressive second place.
For 1993, Martin moved to Ligier. He continued to score points and achieved another third-place podium finish at Imola. He finished seventh in the championship that year.
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In 1994, Martin joined McLaren. This was a challenging year for McLaren, as they didn't win a Grand Prix for the first time since 1980. Their new Peugeot engines were not very reliable. Martin had some bad luck, including a big crash in the first race and engine problems. However, when the car worked well, he performed strongly. He finished second to Schumacher at the 1994 Monaco Grand Prix.
He returned to Ligier in 1995. He didn't race in every Grand Prix, but he still managed another podium finish in Belgium. In 1996, he teamed up with Rubens Barrichello at Jordan. He had a good season, despite a big crash at the first race in Australia. He regularly scored points, with his best result being fourth place. His last Formula One race was the 1996 Japanese Grand Prix, where he finished fifth.
Over his 12 seasons in Formula One, Martin Brundle achieved 9 podium finishes and scored a total of 98 championship points. His best championship finish was sixth place in 1992.
After Racing: A New Career
Becoming a Commentator
After retiring from motor racing, Martin Brundle became a very respected commentator. He joined ITV in 1997 when they started covering Formula One. He worked with famous commentator Murray Walker. Later, he moved to the BBC in 2009 and then to Sky Sports F1 in 2012.
For his television work, Martin has won several awards for being the best sports pundit. Judges have praised his ability to explain a complex sport in a simple and entertaining way. His pre-race "grid walks," where he interviews drivers and team members on the starting grid, are now a famous part of Formula One coverage. The Times newspaper called him "the greatest TV analyst in this or any other sport."
Other Motorsport Activities
Even after retiring, Martin still got behind the wheel of F1 cars for special events. He drove a Jaguar F1 car in London in 2004 and a BMW Sauber in 2006 for demonstrations. He also drove a Red Bull Racing car and Williams F1 cars for ITV's 'F1 Insight' features.
In 2008, he came out of retirement briefly to race in the Formula Palmer Audi Championship with his son, Alex. He also raced in the Daytona 24 Hours again in 2011. In 2012, Martin made a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, racing with his son Alex. They finished 15th overall and 8th in their class.
Other Work
Martin Brundle has also been involved in managing other racing drivers. He was the manager for David Coulthard for a while. He also co-owned a management company called 2MB Sports Management.
In 2004, he released his first book called Working the Wheel. In 2013, he released his second book, The Martin Brundle Scrapbook, which shares his life story through photos and memories.
Personal Life
Martin Brundle' is married to Liz, and they have two children, Charlotte and Alex. His son Alex has followed in his footsteps and is also a racing driver. Martin has always lived close to his hometown of King's Lynn. In 2017, Martin shared that he had a heart attack while covering the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix for Sky Sports.
Legacy
Martin Brundle is considered one of the top Formula One drivers of all time. In 2016, a study ranked him as the 30th best F1 driver ever.
Interestingly, the main character in the 1986 film The Fly is named "Seth Brundle" after Martin. The character's son in the sequel, The Fly II, is even named "Martin Brundle."
Martin was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2025. This award recognizes his great contributions to motor racing and sports broadcasting.
Images for kids
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Brundle during practice for the 1985 European Grand Prix.
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Brundle at the 1990 IMSA Del Mar Grand Prix.
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Brundle's Benetton B191B at the 1992 British Grand Prix.
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Brundle's 1992 racing suit and helmet.
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Brundle driving for Ligier at the 1993 British Grand Prix.
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Brundle's Toyota GT-One which he drove at the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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Brundle driving the Bentley Speed 8 at the 2001 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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Brundle driving his Benetton B192 as a support act of the Austrian Grand Prix 2022.
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Brundle's helmet on display in the Williams team's museum.
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See also
In Spanish: Martin Brundle para niños
