Why doesn’t F1 legend Lewis Hamilton talk to Martin Brundle?

Lewis Hamilton

Why doesn’t Lewis Hamilton talk to Martin Brundle?

Lewis Hamilton does not take part in the grid walks before races

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Sunday 14 June 2026 12:55

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Martin Brundle's gridwalk has been a key part of the pre-race show on British TV's broadcast of Formula 1 since 1997 and it doesn't look like Sky Sports will be stopping it anytime soon.

Almost all of the drivers have been happy to offer a few pre-race words despite having a microphone stuffed in their face by the former F1 star just moments before lights out.

Although the drivers mostly give Brundle the green light to speak to them, celebrities can be a bit different, and there tends to be a correlation between those who have little wheel knowledge being more likely to blank Brundle.

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This was the case at the Monaco Grand Prix in 2026, when Brundle was snubbed by Hamilton's girlfriend Kim Kardashian, prompting plenty of outrage from F1 fans online.

But this shouldn't be seen as a surprise considering how Hamilton himself has treated the gridwalk during his time in Formula 1.

Hamilton snubs Brundle gridwalk

Starting from his debut in 2007, Hamilton would refuse to talk to Brundle, preferring to just focus on the race with viewers more often than not more likely to find Brundle speaking to Hamilton's father, Anthony.

Hamilton kept this wall up for a few years and even to this day it is very difficult to track instances where Brundle and the Ferrari star have actually spoken on the grid.

According to Brundle, he used to speak to the Brit 'all the time then stopped'. A fan once asked him if he would ever talk to Hamilton on the grid (implying he hadn't yet). Brundle's response was: “Yeah, I do, and I will. But then also, somebody convinced Lewis that every time he talked to me on the grid, he crashed.”

Given how rare Brundle's pre-race chats with Hamilton have been and how equally rare Hamilton's crashes are - this is hard to believe.

Either way, Hamilton doesn't speak to Brundle on the grid and this doesn't look like a trend that will be ending anytime soon. In an interview last year when reacting to a positive comment from Brundle, he said: “Thanks man. That means a lot coming from you! You don’t have too many positive things always to say.”

It should be clear that Hamilton hasn't completely blanked Brundle in general as they do still speak in other interviews at least, but as far as the gridwalk is concerned - don't hold your breath for any pre-race chat between the pair anytime soon.

Michael Schumacher also snubbed Brundle

It isn't just Hamilton who snubbed Brundle during his career. Another seven-time world champion in Michael Schumacher also refused to speak to the broadcasting legend pre-race.

Brundle never tried to hide this, often telling viewers during the gridwalk that Schumacher would not talk to him after being unhappy with comments he had made in the past without actually being specific (or knowing) what those comments were. Bit like being banned from X really...

Anyway, Schumacher did eventually open to up to Brundle after he stopped driving, giving him a rare pre-race interview on the grid ahead of the 2008 European Grand Prix, which ended with him saying there would be no crashes at turn two as neither he nor Brundle were on track. One gridwalk zinger from Michael worth waiting for!

F1 Lewis Hamilton Martin Brundle