Formula One will reportedly crack down on access to the grid, following an incident that went viral between Martin Brundle and rapper Megan Thee Stallion at the US Grand Prix.
Brundle’s famous pre-race grid walk was revived in Texas after COVID-19 restrictions were relaxed.
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The Sky Sports presenter, himself a former driver, has made an artform of interviewing drivers and celebrities on the grid for more than two decades. He attempted to get a word with the 26-year-old, only to find his path initially blocked by a bodyguard.
“That’s a very big bloke in front of her,” Brundle said.
“Megan, Martin Brundle from British television, how are you?
“Megan Thee Stallion, you’re a freestyle rapper,” he continued, as the bodyguard attempted to brush him off.
Megan, however, seemed happy to talk, indicating the bodyguard should back off.
“OK boss,” Brundle said to the bodyguard.
“You’re a freestyle rapper, have you got any raps for us today on Formula 1?”
Megan laughed loudly, happy to play along.
“I have no rap today, I’m sorry,” she said.
At that point a second member of her entourage intervened, apparently telling Brundle, “you can’t do that.”
“I can do that, because I did,” Brundle replied as Megan was whisked away.
According to Autosport, F1 will now restrict access to the grid, believing the area is secure enough that bodyguards aren’t required.
https://twitter.com/MBrundleF1/status/1458203786200104962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Brundle himself tweeted about the change, saying he had no involvement in it.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I don’t care who visits the F1 grid, the more the merrier,” he wrote.
“Talk to me, ignore me, shove, wave, hug, call me names, whatever makes you happy.
“All I ask is that you soak up the atmosphere, enjoy the privilege. I’ve not asked for any grid protocol changes.”
He laughed off the incident in Texas in his Sky Sports column immediately after the race, noting that he was more famous for that than anything that happened during his long F1 career.
“After all the blood, sweat, tears and broken bones, the glorious victories and dismal failures, the monstrous crashes, the quadruple stints on a treacherous rainy night in Le Mans, guiding a 1250-BHP flying bedsted through Monaco qualifying, along with 25 years of broadcasting, I’ve finally become mildly well known for being ignored by celebrities, while simultaneously being swatted to one side by a man mountain and told off by a Malfoy lookalike doubtless attending his first F1 race,” he wrote.
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