Martin Brundle’s admission: “Michael Schumacher didn’t speak to me for 5 years”. Martin Brundle revealed an episode involving his former teammate Michael Schumacher.

Teammates
During his Formula 1 career, which spanned from 1984 to 1996, Martin Brundle achieved his best result in the overall standings in 1992, his only year as a Benetton driver, when he shared the team’s garage with future seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher. After hanging up his helmet, Martin Brundle remains active in the world of Formula 1, now as a television commentator for Sky Sports.

A misunderstanding never clarified
Speaking on the official podcast, Martin Brundle revealed an episode involving his former teammate, who didn’t speak to him for a long time: “It was all because of a misunderstanding,” the 65-year-old explained. “It happened during the period between his first retirement and his return with Mercedes. I had said something about him that was probably taken out of context and then turned into a big headline in Germany. Michael got very upset, but to this day, I don’t know what was reported in Germany. Anyway, he didn’t speak to me for five years, which I found very strange. Then one night in a nightclub in Valencia, there was a moment when Schumi hung on my shoulder, repeatedly saying, ‘My teammate! My teammate!’ Thankfully, after that, the ice was broken, and we moved on normally. I’ve always regretted those five years, and the really strange thing about the whole affair is that even today, I don’t know what made him so angry, especially since, when we talked about it, he didn’t know either.” – the British former racing driver and broadcaster pointed out.

The grid walk
Martin Brundle also clarified that he has good relationships with most of the current drivers and doesn’t pressure them with questions during his ‘grid walk’ before the race: “They know you’ve been there too, that you’ve driven, that you’ve crashed your car, and that you’ll ask something relevant and sensible,” he added. “I would never ambush them by saying, ‘I’ve heard your contract is about to expire’ or something like that. It has to be related to the race, and they generally trust me. Of course, sometimes I get turned down while walking the grid. Some of them shake their heads when they see me, and I don’t even approach them, but they also apologize afterward. Or they come to me in the paddock and ask why I didn’t talk to them on the grid.”