QUIZ: Murray Walker's BEST quotes... except some are not his

Martin Brundle and Murray Walker — Photo: © LAT Images

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QUIZ: Murray Walker's BEST quotes... except some are not his

Some famous quotes from down the years, but who said it?

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Tuesday 10 October 2023 09:12 Updated: 15:58

Murray Walker is famed and loved for his work on commentating across many motorsports but it’s impossible to talk about his career without referring to his ‘Murrayisms.’

If that last term has left you confused, then a ‘Murrayism’ was what some of Walker’s famous quotes began to be known as and they came in a variety of categories.

Some of them such as his fabled ‘Go! Go! Go!’ were just staples and trademarks of his delivery etched into our memories forever, others have proven to be sentimental gems, many more are hilarious reactions born from his excitement of watching the action unfold.

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Admittedly some are just big blunders, but such was Walker’s enthusiasm and engaging persona, none of these amusing quotes made Walker a ridicule of fun, rather than as someone that from our armchairs we could laugh along with.

To celebrate some of his best 'Murrayisms' as part of marking what would have been his 100th birthday GPFans have produced a list of 10 quotes below – except not all of them are from Walker. Can you get a perfect score? Answers (and context) are at the bottom of the page.

GPFans is celebrating Murray Walker 100 years on from his birthday

The legendary commentator sadly passed away in 2021

But how many of the below quotes were said by the popular broadcaster?

The Murray Walker quotes quiz

1. "He's got the mental age of a 10-year-old - he should certainly have a short suspension for that and for being himself he should have a permanent suspension."

2. "[DRIVER] will know exactly where [DRIVER 2] is because he can see him in his earphones."

3. "[DRIVER] is sandwiched between the two [TEAM NAME]."

Driver shows middle finger to another driver

"'I'm going for first' says [DRIVER]."

4. "And we've had five races so far this year - Brazil, Argentina, Imola, Schumacher and Monaco."

5. "And into the pitlane...OOOHHHH! My goodness [DRIVER] smashes himself out of the race."

Michael Schumacher dominating a race was a common sight before and after Murray Walker's era

6. "That's it! A Renault engine has gone - you don't expect that to happen but it has happened and it has poetic justice happened to [DRIVER] who takes the lead!"

7. "Now if [DRIVER] has run out of petrol, I could use an Anglo-Saxon expression, and you can see by the body language of the [TEAM] mechanics that they are AB-SO-LUTE-LY FURIOUS! Oh [DRIVER] you may well look a bit worried, you've got a major problem, sunshine!"

8. "That didn’t work. You've hit the wrong part of him, my friend!"

9. "'Oh, I thought we had one when the race started' you can hear him saying. Well this is LUDICROUS!"

10. "It's all turned to custard for D'Ambrosio."

Answers

1. "He's got the mental age of a 10-year-old - he should certainly have a short suspension for that and for being himself he should have a permanent suspension."

They didn’t come much kinder than Walker in the commentary box, but his first F1 co-commentator James Hunt was rather more straight to the point. This quote comes from the 1976 world champion at the 1983 Austrian Grand Prix where French driver Jean-Pierre Jarier held up the front runners while being lapped prompting outrage from Hunt.

The 1976 F1 world champion James Hunt would form an excellent partnership in commentary with Murray Walker

2. "Prost will know exactly where Mansell is because he can see him in his earphones."

Not quite sure where Murray Walker was going with this one at the 1988 Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez. However, once he said it he immediately knew he made a gaff, bursting out laughing before correcting himself to say he meant mirrors, much to the amusement of Hunt alongside him who also couldn’t help but chuckle.

3. "Cleland is sandwiched between the two BMWs.”

Driver shows middle finger to another driver

“‘I'm going for first' says Cleland."

This one needs no introduction if you are a fan of British Touring cars. In the midst of a title battle at Silverstone in 1992, John Cleland took exception to the driving of the rivals around him and as the action cut to an onboard shot of him just as he raised his middle finger to the car in front of him, a quick thinking Murray Walker did his best to try and cover up the offensive gesture to viewers watching at home, while at the same time offering an incredible layer of comedy value.

4. "And we've had five races so far this year - Brazil, Argentina, Imola, Schumacher and Monaco."

Yes, this isn’t a typo. What Murray Walker was supposed to add when speaking ahead of the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix was that the fourth race was actually the Spanish Grand Prix. Although in fairness, at Catalunya Michael Schumacher dominated from start to finish so it probably warranted the grand prix being named in his honour.

David Coulthard (left) is pictured with Lewis Hamilton (right) during his Formula 1 career

5. "And into the pitlane...OOOHHHH! My goodness David Coulthard smashes himself out of the race."

What should have been a routine pitstop for David Coulthard at the 1995 Australian Grand Prix was anything but as he peeled in the pitlane but then skidded into a barrier damaging his car and retiring in the process. Murray Walker’s reaction is one of dismay and shock and just about summed up the whole thing perfectly.

6. "That's it! A Renault engine has gone - you don't expect that to happen but it has happened and it has poetic justice happened to Damon Hill who takes the lead!"

This perhaps could have been worded better from Murray Walker but such was his skill behind a microphone this is an incredible piece of commentary to listen to and is still a stirring moment. With three laps to go of the German Grand Prix in 1996 at Hockenheim, Hill was pressuring Benetton’s Gerhard Berger for the lead and was seemingly running out of ideas before the Austrian’s Renault engine suddenly blew up, allowing Hill to take the lead and grab crucial points in his battle for the world championship.

Former Benetton driver Jean Alesi didn't impress his mechanics at the 1997 Australian Grand Prix

7. "Now if Alesi has run out of petrol, I could use an anglo-saxon expression, and you can see by the body language of the Benetton mechanics that they are AB-SO-LUTE-LY FURIOUS! Oh Jean, you may well look a bit worried, you've got a major problem, sunshine!"

Despite having had calls to come in for his pit-stop, Jean Alesi kept going around Melbourne for the season opening 1997 Australian Grand Prix, until of course physics had its way and a lack of fuel saw him pull up to retire. Murray Walker’s hilarious commentary was as close to perfect as it could get to describing the whole debacle.

8. "That didn’t work. You've hit the wrong part of him, my friend."

Fast forward to the end of the season and it’s another memorable quote, although this time it’s from Walker’s new co-commentator for 1997, Martin Brundle. With the drivers’ championship on the line at the final race in Jerez, Jacques Villeneuve dives inside into the corner only for Michael Schumacher to drive into him in a desperate bid to block his title rival. However, the German comes off worse after getting beached into the gravel trap, allowing the Canadian to limp home in his Williams and take his sole title.

Two into one didn't go when Michael Schumacher (left) and Jacques Villeneuve collided in 1997 at Jerez

9. "'Oh, I thought we had one when the race started' you can hear him saying. Well this is LUDICROUS!"

Ferrari don’t have the best of reputations when it comes to strategic calls and slick pitstops but back in 1999 they were one of the most ruthless operators in the business, which is why Eddie Irvine’s dismal stop at the European Grand Prix was so bizarre to watch. During a tyre change, his right rear wheel came off… but there wasn’t one to put on, prompting Murray Walker to deliver the famous line above, and Brundle to offer another immediately after as he added: “They’re having a committee meeting about it. Stick it on and send him out!”

10. "It's all turned to custard for D'Ambrosio."

The itch that needed to be scratched but not by Walker, but by Martin Brundle who at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix couldn’t help but turn some on-track misfortune for Jerome D’Ambrosio to an opportunity to reflect how the Belgian’s surname was incredibly similar to the famous custard brand Ambrosia.

Written by

Dan Ripley - Global Editor

I've been a massive F1 fan since the mid 1990s and continue to study the history of the sport long before that. As an experienced motor sport reporter covering F1, MotoGP and the LeMans 24 Hour race, being part of GPFans has allowed me to work with a diverse team with all sorts of different backgrounds in watching the sport and given me a greater appreciation of F1.

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