Martin Brundle at BBC in 2009

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Martin Brundle has confirmed he will be commentating on Formula 1 for the BBC in 2009, continuing the role he began with ITV in 1997.

Speaking at the Autocar Awards in London he said:

I’m delighted to be able to tell you all that I’ll be joining the BBC next year. I’ve been commentating on F1 for the past dozen years and I briefly considered calling it a day, but in the end I decided to take up the BBC’s offer and I am now very excited about working for them next year.

Brundle was tipped to be the co-commentator alongside Jonathan Legard from an early stage. However rumours suggested the FIA was putting pressure on the BBC not to hire him due to his criticism of the Spygate affair last year.

Brundle is a first-class commentator and I’m very pleased he’ll still be covering the sport in 2009. Congratulations to him and the BBC.

More on the BBC’s F1 coverage in 2009

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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39 comments on “Martin Brundle at BBC in 2009”

  1. HOOOOOOORAY….

  2. HOOOOOOOORAY AGAIN……

  3. Serbian Kimi Raikkonen
    17th November 2008, 22:55

    HOOOOOORAY x 3:):)

  4. Though we all sort of knew it, it’s fantastic to have Brundle confirmed at the BBC.

    Being in Australia, I’m not sure exactly who Jonathan Legard is. I’ve read about his radio work for 5-Live, but is he also the voice of the season reviews? I think I read that somewhere before.

    Also, has anyone heard any more on DC’s potential involvement in the BBC coverage?

  5. Good news. Very good news that the FIA (Max) didn’t necessarily get their way. I am a very happy man. Now, for the rest of the team…

  6. I am very happy now, livens up my mood after hearing the sad news of montreal being axed.

    I’m sure martin has a word or two to say about that!

    Anyway glad to see Martin Joining the BBC!

    Hoooooooooooray!

  7. Best thing about ITV’s coverage by a country mile, so it’s fantastic, if obvious, that they’ve taken him on. Brilliant.

  8. I’ve read about his radio work for 5-Live, but is he also the voice of the season reviews? I think I read that somewhere before.

    Nope, that would be Ben Edwards. After 5Live F1, Jonathan moved to football commentary, before being considered for the F1 TV job.

    As for Martin: HOOOOOOORAY!

  9. Excellent

  10. Fantastic! Listening to the terrible commentary on the A1GP highlights today made me appreciate how good Martin is.

  11. Hooooray!!

  12. Fantastic news!!

  13. I have a question regarding the BBC coverage. I asked Sky tv here in New Zealand why their F1 coverage has ad breaks in it (that don’t always coincide with the ITV breaks) and they told me they had no say as it was the international feed. Now BBC have the coverage does anyone know if the international feed will include ad breaks or not?

    Great news about Brundle by the way!

  14. Owen – I would have thought your TV channel (Sky TV) will still have Ad breaks, these adverts pays for their rights to show the coverage in the first place. If I am right Channel 9 in Australia always had advert breaks during the 80’s & 90’s despite them taking the BBC feed.

    Dito everyone else’s reaction to the Brundle news – Hooooray!

  15. The BBC will not have ad breaks, at least not when viewed in the UK.

    If other channels in other countries use the BBC feed, they may insert their own advert breaks if the channel they’re broadcast on is a commertial one (of which I would think most, if not all of them, would be).

    Hoooray for Martin, it wouldn’t be the same without him!

  16. Martin Brundle must have the highest approval rating in F1 today. Is there anyone who is as well-loved as he is?

  17. Great news about Brundle. Will we still get the same amount of screen time i.e. qually 1,2&3 and a decent run in time before the start and a reasonable time after the race?

  18. As much as I am happy to hear this. I will wait till the formal announcements are made

  19. The best news I’ve heard all week.

    Journeyer – The only person I can remember who was so universally liked by F1 fans was Jos “The Boss” Verstapen, but he’s been retired for a few years now.

  20. @Beneboy – Verstapen was infact liked for me as well.. till that tangle that took JPM out :-(

  21. That’s great news, but let’s not go mad until we’re completely sure that the baby-faced kids TV bloke isn’t hosting it as well.

  22. @Scott Joslin…

    Sky pays for the sport through subscriptions and doesn’t leave the coverage of any other sporting event for ad breaks, or movies for that matter. The only breaks are in F1. I thought this was because ITV put them in, but Sky takes the rugby league feed from Australia, who have ad breaks, and Sky NZ don’t leave the coverage when the Aussies do.

    Apparently, the ads in the coverage here aren’t put there by Sky TV New Zealand, but are on the international feed. So I was wondering if that feed was governed by ITV or by F1.

  23. It is great news the BBC has decided to choose Martin, I just wish they kept it the same and hired James Allen to. I really think James Allen added a lot to ITV’s commentary.

  24. There aren’t many things I post that get such a positive reaction!

  25. Great news Congrats Martin, Wohooooooooo!!! Commentary worth listening to!

  26. Owen, Sky are definitely lying to you, the international feed has no ad breaks, it’s the feed that is played at the circuits as well so ads wouldn’t work!

    In fact a few years ago when TV1 had the rights they would ocasionally play entire races with no ads. Only very rarely, but it did happen.

  27. I notice the ITV F1 website haven’t reported this story yet :-D

  28. Keith Collantine

    There aren’t many things I post that get such a positive reaction!

    There aren’t many people in F1 or broadcasting like Martin Brundle ;~)

  29. Has anyone seen Max Mosely’s / the FIA’s reaction to this news yet? ;)

  30. Poor Max is probably beating himself up in a dark room over this, seems to be his normal reaction to most things…

  31. great to here that Martin Brunble is joining the bbc. he would be a miss if he wasnt there. his knowledge in the sport & as a driver brings the public closer to understand what its all about,hope the rest follow him & the bbc take them on.itv had a good team but thank god its back on bbc no more stupid adverts

  32. Is it true that Murry Walker is coming back with the BBC ? If this is true its grate news.

  33. Dave – I think he’s doing some stuff on their website, but not commentating.

  34. thankyou keith fr your quick reply (shame that) still no adds brill..

  35. David Thomas
    4th April 2009, 11:19

    It is great to have the F1 back with the BBC but this new commentator sounds as if he is commentaing on a horse race not F1, a very dull voice come back Murray all is forgiven.

    1. I agree with DT that the Beeb have made a massive mistake recruiting Jonathan Legard to the TV commentary box – put him back on the radio! There is no chemistry between him and Brundle and I think that he is bringing down my opinion of Brundle. I can’t watch F1 anymore without Sky Plusing it and skipping through the boring bits that have now become unbearable! He makes James Allen sound like Murray in his hey-day!

  36. Jonathan Legard is RUBBISH!!! Martin Brundle and James Allen were great on ITV….Sack Legard and get someone else in….anyone else! :o)

  37. I am now really frustrated by the quality of Jonathan Legard’s commentary.

    From the first race of the season Legard appeared to know almost nothing about F1. His only style has been to use lots of really bad repeating phrases such as:

    “And it’s Button in the front for Brawn, then team mate Barichello, from Webber, from Vettel, from…”
    “Button from Barrichello from Vettel from Heidfeld. Brawn from Brawn from Red Bull from BMW”
    “Knows the time to beat”
    “Pushing On”
    “He’s on a charge”
    “Round the final corner”
    “He’s battling on”
    “Now what can this man do?”
    “Down the hill”
    “Can he make it?”
    “Up the hill”
    “Round turn 9/10/11 etc.”

    I cannot think of one intelligent comment Legard has made so far in the 2009 season. I just get so frustrated trying to watch a GP with his constant nonsense background noise. Whenever anything does happen he is so busy ‘making noise’ that he misses it. Occasionally Legard stops to catch breath and Brundel is able to make an interesting observation before Legards excitedly butts in and starts making noise again.

    I literally resorted to muting the sound on my TV for the last race (Valencia). This was an unbelievably boring race with one genuine overtaking moment, yet somehow all the way through Legard was stuck in a sort of frenzy of noise.

    Surely the BBC will replace Legard… please… please

  38. I’m hoping for a Martin Brundle / David Croft team next year. Not sure I’ll get it though!

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