Why is Sky Sports F1 legend Martin Brundle absent from Imola Grand Prix?

Imola Grand Prix

Why is Sky Sports F1 legend Martin Brundle absent from Imola Grand Prix?

Martin Brundle was noticeably absent from the Imola GP

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 18 May 2025 10:57 Updated: 15:03

Legendary Formula 1 pundit Martin Brundle will not be present at this weekend's Imola Grand Prix with fans set to miss his unique presence among the paddock.

As the sport headed to the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, Brundle was nowhere to be seen on Sky Sports F1's coverage.

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Fans who tuned into Friday and Saturday's action in Italy were instead treated to commentary, insight and interviews from Natalie Pinkham, Jacques Villeneuve, Jamie Chadwick, Bernie Collins, Ted Kravitz, Anthony Davidson and Harry Benjamin, with the latter stepping in for David Croft.

Croft or 'Crofty' as he has become known within the sport was also missing from the 2025 Imola GP proceedings as one of his three absences confirmed at the beginning of the season.

His commentary is a popular element of Sky's F1 coverage but Brundle's legendary grid walk will undoubtedly be missed the most by fans on Sunday with Sky likely to hand the role over to the presenters who are present in the Italian paddock instead.

Now that the chaotic F1 calendar consists of 24 race weekends, Brundle is reportedly not contracted to attend every race weekend this season. As a result, he is set to miss eight rounds of the current campaign, one of which is this weekend's event in Imola.

Who is Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle?

Brundle will now enjoy a well-deserved break after an appearance at Windsor Castle earlier this week to collect his Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) from the Prince of Wales for services to motor racing and sports broadcasting.

He may be a popular voice on our F1 coverage now but as a former driver, Brundle has 158 grand prix starts under his belt having raced for the likes of Benetton and McLaren during his own F1 career.

The 65-year-old made his now infamous grid walk famous after debuting it at the 1997 British GP on ITV's F1 coverage. Having since moved to the BBC and now, Sky, he has taken the concept with him.

Brundle is normally a staple of Sky F1's coverage during qualifying and grands prix, and is often involved in interviewing the three drivers who make it onto the podium post-race.

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