Martin Brundle had to split his grid walk into two parts for the Monaco Grand Prix. It was certainly a tale of two grid walks.
Brundle’s first grid walk was more conventional. It was so early that most cars weren’t on the grid, and the celebrities weren’t out and about. The second grid walk had all the celebrities, and while the celebs seemed enthusiastic to talk to Brundle, it still provided some great moments.
Brundle first spoke to Kylie Minogue. The Australian singer spoke to Brundle in Australia and seemed like a lovely and knowledgeable Formula 1 fan. We got more of the same from Minogue, who revealed she’s rooting for Monaco pole-sitter Max Verstappen.
Next, Brundle talked to Orlando Bloom, who acted more like Archie Madekwe’s agent than anything. Bloom introduced Madekwe and explained the plot of the new Gran Turismo movie. A bit more of a late-night talk show interview vibe than Brundle probably wanted, but it was rather painless.
After Brundle talked to Bloom and Madekwe, a Red Bull mechanic acted as a bodyguard to keep Brundle away. The mechanic told Brundle, “I’m sorry, bud. No, uh-uh. I’m going to get fucking shit dude.” As the mechanic was told they were live, Brundle got around the mechanic to talk to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. The mechanic was lucky he didn’t have to deal with Jackie Stewart.
After talking to singer Beverley Knight and chef Tom Kerridge, Brundle spoke to Real Madrid and Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Brundle has a history of misidentifying pro athletes, most famously confusing Paolo Banchero for Patrick Mahomes. This time, he knew he was talking to Courtois, but Brundle framed his questions believing Courtois was Spanish. Brundle realized after the fact that Courtois is Belgian, but it was a bit too late.
This was a less-chaotic grid walk for a Monaco Grand Prix compared to past years. Nevertheless, while there wasn’t one big viral moment, Brundle gave us a few smaller moments.
