Martin Brundle calls out Sky F1 colleague live on air for 'disrespectful' comment

Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle called out one of his colleagues live on air for their ‘disrespectful’ comments at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen's reign is over in F1, after a third place finish from Lando Norris at Yas Marina was enough to bag the Brit his first world title.

While Verstappen never expected to win the title with Red Bull in 2025, he will be less forgiving if he is out of title contention in 2026, the year new regulations transform the sport - and potentially the pecking order.

Not only are Red Bull confronted with the challenge of a new rule set, but have parted ways with Honda and will produce their own power units in association with Ford.

Red Bull will have to be competitive in 2026 to ensure they retain the services of Verstappen, who could release himself from his contract two years earlier.

Verstappen’s future hinges on 2026

Following the Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday, Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle, Nico Rosberg and Simon Lazenby discussed Verstappen’s future, and Lazenby claimed the Dutchman has his pick of the grid for 2027 if his relationship sours with Red Bull.

The 2016 F1 champion Rosberg, agreed and explained: “He’s going to see how the season starts next year and then potentially switch to whichever team has the best car because he can pick and choose.

“I think he’s going to be a bit impatient and he wants to keep winning and get that fifth world championship. So if I had to predict something, I think it could go that way. Anyway it’s early days, let’s be patient because Red Bull could still be the dominant force next year.”

However, Rosberg’s Sky colleague Brundle did not necessarily buy the idea that Verstappen could have his pick of every F1 team, calling the suggestion disrespectful.

“But, he can’t go to McLaren. They’ve got two incumbents. Mercedes have got George and Kimi, where are the spaces?” Brundle mused.

“It’s a bit disrespectful if we were to say that about all the other teams ‘like hey, we’ll just biff one of ours out’. I think he will absolutely have the call of the field of those that have got and want a space available.”

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