Martin Brundle makes public apology after mistake on British GP grid walk

Martin Brundle has issued a public apology to Sir Brian May, following a controversial incident during the grid walk at the British Grand Prix.

Sir Lewis Hamilton secured his 9th victory at the circuit, snatching the lead from McLaren's Lando Norris who once again saw a grand prix win fall through his fingertips.

Fellow Brit George Russell also saw his chance of victory fall away due to a mechanical failure forcing the Mercedes driver to retire after he led the opening stages.

Before the race Sky Sports presenter and former F1 driver Martin Brundle completed his traditional grid walk, where he snaps up celebrities for interviews ahead of the race.

It wasn't as smooth sailing as usual, though, as he was blocked from interviewing any of the 20 drivers by the on-track security at Silverstone.

He also didn't get any success with Queen lead guitarist Sir Brian May, who appeared to snub him twice during the grid walk.

Brundle made light of the situation as he approached the musician for the second time while he was with the Mercedes team.

"I don't think anybody's actually turned me down twice on the same gridwalk - but I think it's about to happen," Brundle joked.

Following the altercation, May received backlash on social media from fans who called him out for ignoring the presenter.

Due to the negativity towards the Queen star, Brundle was forced to take to social media to apologise to Sir Brian, insisting he was at fault for the awkward interaction.

"It is me who should be apologising to Sir Brian May, not him to me for the grid walk on Sunday at Silverstone. I didn’t address him as Sir Brian, and I shouldn’t have approached him twice when he wasn’t up for a chat on live TV. Nobody is ever obliged to talk to me on the grid, or anywhere else for that matter," Brundle wrote on X.

Martin Brundle- Getty

There has previously been a myth surrounding the gridwalk, with fans believing in the 'Brundle rule' which insists everyone on the grid must accept interview requests of Brundle.

Fans have come to Brundle's defense following the post, with many insisting the 65-year-old had no reason to apologise.

One fan wrote: "You don’t need to apologise. He was in your domain and if he’s not an f1 person/fan why is he on the grid? I’m fed up with celebrities who don’t care about the sport being given access to the grid and waving the chequered flag."

Another added: "If you’re on the grid you’re fair game in my opinion."

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