One of the biggest stories from the British GP didn’t really happen during the race. Yes, the race was exciting all around, but if any race can be compared to the controversial happenings before this year’s British GP, it would be the 2021 British GP crash between Lewis Hamilton & Max Verstappen. But what happened before the 2023 race at Silverstone that was controversial & caused uproar?
Former F1 driver/legend turned Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle was on his customary grid walk before the five lights went out. While on his walk, he talks to drivers and celebrities on the track. But at Silverstone, he approached model and Alfa Romeo guest Cara Delevingne for a chat, but she refused to talk to him. Although he didn’t outwardly show it, almost everyone thought it was disrespectful. But Brundle took it in stride, sarcastically said, “I’m sure it would have been very interesting,” and walked away.
Cara Delevingne pulled a Lewis Hamilton and got away with it
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Most people called Delevingne out for disrespecting Brundle, but Laurence Edmondson—co-host of the Unlapped Podcast—called the Sky presenter out. He said, “It was slightly passive-aggressive, I think, the way Martin walked away. But Sky have been told that from now on, celebrities who are on the grid, you can go and talk to, and they’ve been briefed that they should talk to you. So there was clearly just a miscommunication perhaps through Alfa Romeo, perhaps through F1, and perhaps through Sky.”
Edmondson explained how it’s totally normal for people, even drivers including Lewis Hamilton, on track to deny Brundle on his grid walk. He said, “We’ve seen drivers before tell Martin that they’re not willing to talk, brush him away, stuff like that. He doesn’t even bother approaching Lewis anymore, hasn’t done for years, because he knows that there’s absolutely no chance Lewis is going to talk to him.”
But when Martin Brundle approached Delevingne, he even said, “The deal is, everyone has to speak on the grid.” Either Delevingne wasn’t made aware of this, or Sky didn’t tell Brundle that she wouldn’t want to talk.
Either way, Edmondson believes it was a miscommunication. But was it passive-aggressive of him to make the statement he did and walk away? As awkward as that situation was, it wasn’t the first time it’s happened with Brundle.
Brad Pitt and Megan Thee Stallion star in awkward moments with Martin Brundle
At the 2022 US GP, Brad Pitt was in the grid after announcing his F1-inspired movie, which commenced filming at the British GP this year. When Brundle went up to him to talk about the film, the Hollywood star refused to give away anything, snubbing the Sky presenter and walking away. Fans weren’t too impressed with Pitt because that would’ve been the ideal time to connect with the F1 community, but he didn’t.
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The US GP isn’t too kind to Brundle because his awkward interaction with rapper Megan Thee Stallion (more her bodyguard) happened there, too, just a year before the Pitt interaction. As he approached the rapper, her bodyguard tried to push Brundle away, but he stood his ground and asked her his question, but was again, sadly, snubbed by another member of her entourage.
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What do you think about Martin Brundle’s grid walks? Was he too passive-aggressive with Cara Delevingne considering drivers like Lewis Hamilton don’t oblige to his interviews?
WATCH THIS STORY | Lewis Hamilton on various talk shows