Martin Brundle has labelled Abu Dhabi 2021 his “most disagreeable time” as an F1 commentator following the fallout between Mercedes and Pink Bull.
The 2021 F1 season led to controversial circumstances as Max Verstappen clinched his first world championship.
Lewis Hamilton was heading in the right direction to take a record-breaking eighth title in Abu Dhabi till the closing laps when the Security Automotive was deployed.
In a bid to get the race underway earlier than the chequered flag, and thus the title settled on monitor, race director Michael Masi allowed a handful of vehicles to unlap themselves – not all – which contravened the laws.
The ending of the season capped off a 12 months of heated incidents between Verstappen and Hamilton, which frequently performed out within the media.
Talking lately on the Sky F1 podcast, Brundle conceded they had been “caught within the crossfire” of the strain between Mercedes and Pink Bull.
“So, we’re in a sanctum. We get caught within the crossfire,” he added. “Essentially the most disagreeable time I’ve recognized in all these years of commentating was Abu Dhabi 2021, and 2021 normally, as a result of it grew to become so feisty, so aggressive between Mercedes and Pink Bull and Sky sort of received caught up in the midst of that.
“We received caught within the crossfire, mainly. And every workforce just about felt in the event you weren’t with them, you needed to be towards them. They usually each felt that. And it was actually uncomfortable, truly, that entire section.
“However friendships remained, and all of us moved on.”
Brundle additionally provided perception into his and David Croft’s dealings with groups over time.
“Sunday morning we go to some briefings, Crofty, and I, and get that form of last-minute data,” he defined.
“And groups are fairly open at that time. They’re not going to provide you their race technique, however they offer you lots of info.
“We simply learn all weekend. I’m going out on monitor on a Friday, so I get lots of data from that. I discuss relentlessly to folks. I’ve received my touchstones within the paddock the place we commerce info, three or 4 folks.
“If one thing huge goes up, I’ll go and discuss to Zak, Christian, Toto, go and discuss to someone. They usually received’t inform me lies. If they’ll’t inform me, they received’t inform me, or they’ll inform me one thing. I’d say 60 or 70 per cent of what I do know I can by no means say on the TV, however that does give me the opposite 30 per cent, after which it additionally implies that it offers me a steering, or I may give my Sky F1 colleagues steering on if we’re heading off within the fallacious course or one thing.
“It’s most likely an excessive amount of, 60, 70 per cent, however there’s lots of stuff you get to know, and folks inform you in nice confidence. So you’ll be able to’t breach that confidence, in any other case you’ll by no means get the opposite bit down the highway.”