Martin Brundle was ignored by Michael Schumacher for five years after a misunderstanding.
Brundle, 65, swapped the steering wheel for the microphone with ITV in 1997 and has never looked back. Nearly three decades and multiple awards later, Brundle is a key part of Sky Sports’ F1 coverage, where he is famed for his notorious grid walks.
Before all of that, Brundle was an F1 driver himself in a career that spanned from 1984 until 1996. During that time, the Brit partnered one of the sport's all-time greats – Michael Schumacher – in their one season together at Benetton in 1992.
The veteran star has now spoken about his relationship with the German icon, including a falling out between the two former team-mates, as he touched on the intricacies and nuances of making the switch from driving to punditry.
Asked about his relationship with Schumacher on Sky Sports’ F1 podcast, Brundle admitted: “Weirdly, we fell out because something I said was translated, taken out of context, and translated into German and put in a headline in a newspaper, and Micheal got very upset. I have no idea what it was to this day.
“We didn’t speak – he wouldn't speak to me for five years; it was really odd. Then, we got drunk together in a nightclub in Valencia when he was on his sabbatical between Mercedes and Ferrari, and we were fine after that!
“He was sort of hanging off my shoulders like, ‘My team-mate, my team-mate’ – and it sort of broke the ice again. I really don’t know what the problem was, but that was a real shame.”
With more and more drivers taking up roles within the media in the twilight of their careers, the chances of being forced to critique a former team-mate grow. Yet Brundle remains supportive of those who seamlessly make the leap.
“I find it interesting to see Nico [Rosberg], DC [ David Coulthard], and Mark Webber coming out of the paddock,” he added. “They are usually coming to the other side of the track - a bit dingy the TV compounds, empty coffee cups everywhere - and I think how they are the going to cope with that?
“Damon [Hill] is another one, but they all cope with it absolutely fine because they are just real people at the end of the day. They might be mega stars when they’re in a racing car, but they’re just real people.
“They come over and engage, and they just get stuck in. It impresses me. I don’t think it matters whether you're in TV or still driving or whatever.”
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