Martin Bundle’s legendary grid walk reached new heights as he mistook basketball prospect Paolo Banchero for NFL star Patrick Mahomes at the Miami GP.
The Sky Sports F1 presenter, who has been an iconic broadcaster in the sport for years, has long had a weakness for interviewing oblivious American celebrities during his grid walk before races but that has led to some of the most engaging television. Last year he famously had an incident with the entourage of rapper Megan Thee Stallion ahead of the US GP which led to him calling for respect on the grid.
But ahead of the inaugural Miami GP, with celebs appearing far and wide in the paddock and on the grid, Brundle made a mistake that left Formula 1 fans laughing away on social media. With a packed grid the presenter chased down basketballer Banchero shouting ‘Patrick!’ before complaining that he probably couldn’t hear him above the noise.
However, it was mid-interview with the towering sportsman that the penny finally dropped, with Brundle realising he wasn’t in fact speaking to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Mahomes. “It’s not Patrick, that’s why he ignored me,” he said to the Sky Sports camera.
He then followed it up by asking: “What is your name, sir?” Gracious as ever, Banchero told Brundle before the Sky reporter responded: “Well I thought I was talking to somebody else, I’m sorry about that.”
Banchero, aged 19, is actually one of the brightest prospects in the sport and will be in the 2022 NBA Draft where he is projected to be a top-three pick. He spent the last season playing college basketball with Duke, averaging 17.2 points along with 7.8 rebounds. Banchero officially declared himself for the NBA Draft just a few weeks ago, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.
That wasn’t the only flashpoint during an eventful grid walk as Brundle tried twice to interview David Beckham before finally succeeding on the third attempt and there was an entertaining exchange with DJ and record producer DJ Khaled on the grid.
“We in Miami, this is my home, the best city in the world,” said DJ Khaled, before Brundle had even asked him a question. “The whole world is here for this beautiful event. F1, family fun, good energy, superstars, icons.”
In typical Brundle style, he responded: “I’m not going to add any more to that. Beautifully summed up sir.”
The grid walk went down a treat on social media with plenty of F1 fans enjoying the TV on show. “Martin Brundle the gift that keeps on giving,” one fan wrote on Twitter. Another said: “Nothing is better than Martin Brundle trying to speak to celebs.”
