Is Martin Brundle a hypocrite for F1 criticism?

F1 2026

Is Martin Brundle a hypocrite for F1 criticism?

Brundle failed to follow his own advice at the F1 race in Spa

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 22 July 2026 20:55

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Sky Sports F1 icon Martin Brundle is loved by millions of viewers who tune in on a race weekend looking forward to his educated punditry and honest takes, but did he show a little bit of a hypocritical side at last weekend's race in Spa?

At the Belgian Grand Prix, Brundle was quick to point out how the previous race in Silverstone and the 10th round of the championship in the Ardennes forest both exposed the regulations due to the classic layout of both tracks.

The combination of fast corners and straights made it clear some drivers really struggled to charge the battery on their cars enough in the braking zones (something which is now a necessity during a race under the new regulations).

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This year's F1 campaign has tested pundits and drivers alike as they grapple with their understanding and disagreements over the new chassis and power unit regulations, which became a major talking point during the first days of pre-season testing earlier this year.

Four-time champion Max Verstappen was unsurprisingly one of the most vocal on the grid about his dislike of the new rules and how drivers had to adapt to accommodate them, likening the new era of F1 to 'Formula E on steroids'due to the electrification of the sport and the issue of recharging the battery.

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When Red Bull's star driver went as far as to dangle an exit from the sport altogether as a result of his sheer disdain for the new F1 regulations, Brundle was quick to tell the Dutchman to change his tune.

"Max is very unfiltered, isn't he - always has been - and he's talked a lot for a long time about 'I'm not in this for the long haul, I'm not gonna be hanging around here in my 40s' or whatever," Brundle said on Sky Sports' the F1 Show. "And Max would say 'it's getting a bit boring'. Now, I think it's getting a bit boring with what he's saying.

"You know, Either go or stop talking about it, because it is what it is you've got to make the most of it."

Of course the irony here is that these quotes are from April and three months on, discussions over whether Verstappen is going to stay at Red Bull or not are still dominating the headlines.

But the point is that Brundle told Verstappen his narrative that the new rules weren't to his liking was a 'boring' one, so how come Brundle was allowed to spout his own negative opinions about the new ruleset last time out?

Because he's a pundit and he's paid for his opinion, that's why!

Brundle ignores own advice with savage assessment of F1 rules

In a world where AI dominates marketing campaigns, adverts, television scripts and every corner of the media business that should always remain inherently creative, it was refreshing to hear Brundle's own unfiltered opinion.

Think of Wayne Rooney admitting live on the BBC that the World Cup half-time show was 'crap', was that boring? Was that hypocritical? No, it was honest, and that's what keeps viewers tuning in. Or at least that's what makes me want to watch Sky's coverage of a race weekend, especially when Brundle is on the lineup.

His experience of racing in the golden era of Formula 1 made his comments about what the new regulations are doing to some of the calendar's most iconic tracks all the more poignant and I welcome further criticism of the regulations from the ex-driver given that it might make those rewriting the rulebook actually sit up and listen.

"I've got a bit of a tear in my eye because we've lost all the great corners at Silverstone, and here we are at Spa with the same situation," Brundle said live on Sky Sports F1 during the Belgian GP weekend.

"These new regulations hurt us on the high-speed circuits.

"We're doing something about it for 2027 and 2028, and we have to get rid of this concept as soon as possible in 2030 or 2031," he urged having already admitted that he had found himself getting slightly emotional about the state of the sport across the last few race weekends.

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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F1 Max Verstappen 2026 regulations Martin Brundle Sky Sports F1