Martin Brundle shares two behind the scenes secrets to his grid walks | F1 | Sport

Whether he’s getting snubbed by Hollywood royalty, mistaking NBA stars for rival athletes, or getting shoved aside by zealous security details, Brundle’s unscripted roaming acts as the ultimate unpredictable calm before the storm. But behind the viral clips and tense encounters lies a finely tuned operation designed to help him navigate the celebrity chaos. Now, in a behind-the-scenes video released by Sky Sports, Brundle has lifted the lid on how the magic happens, revealing the two key secrets that power his legendary pre-race segment.

“When I first started doing this 29 years ago I was the only person on the grid,” Brundle explained. “It’s 12 minutes, unscripted, unrehearsed, live car-crash television. And surprise surprise, I crash.”

To keep those “crashes” to a minimum, Brundle relies on a pair of secret weapons to navigate the bedlam before lights out. The first trick happens before Brundle even steps foot on the tarmac. To avoid drawing a total blank when standing face-to-face with global icons, Brundle is handed a dedicated ‘talent list’ ahead of the race.

This gives him a crucial heads-up on exactly which famous faces are scheduled to be walking the grid, allowing him to quickly study who to look out for before the cameras start rolling.

However, knowing who is on the grid is only half the battle – actually locating them amidst a sea of mechanics, drivers and VIPs is another story entirely.

That brings in his second secret: a dedicated spotter on the ground whose sole mission is to weave through the crowd, hunt down celebrities and feed that information directly to Brundle in real time.

“We have somebody on the grid as a spotter, milling around spotting [celebrities], talking to me,” he said. “I’ve got the director and producer [in my ear] who will be giving me information. So I’ve got three people talking to me.”

Brundle’s team may be working behind the scenes to keep the chaos under control but the unpredictable nature of the grid walk is exactly what has made it such a beloved part of the F1 weekend.

Brundle, 67, is a former F1 driver who raced for over a decade in the competition. He transitioned to broadcasting after his racing career ended in the mid-90s. He joined ITV in 1997 before moving to the BBC in 2009 and later to Sky Sports in 2012.