Formula 1

Brundle Steps Back In Time To Sample Machines Of Rush Stars

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Former Grand Prix driver Martin Brundle stepped back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car at Snetterton as part of a feature for Sky Sports F1.

Brundle was joined by fellow pundit and former F1 driver Karun Chandhok and United Autosport’s Zak Brown as the trio sampled cars driven by James Hunt and Niki Lauda, whose careers feature in the critically acclaimed film Rush, directed by Ron Howard and written by Peter Morgan.

“I first went to Formula 1 in the 60s,” said Brundle. “But I remember the cars more from the 70s, they were so dramatic with the big, fat, wide rear wheels and were sliding around all the time. I remember peeping over the barriers at Silverstone and then at Brands Hatch and it really motivated me, so these cars mean so much.

“I also remember listening to Murray Walker and James Hunt on the TV and of course one of the cars today was the car that James Hunt won his final Grand Prix in 1977, so it was very special to come along and have a drive in one. Not least, of course, driving it here at Snetterton where I used to pound around here day after day in my Celica Touring Car or my Reynard Formula Ford 2000 and we had a lot of fun! I love driving, I’ll always be a Norfolk boy, so it’s good to come back here and drive these two magnificent cars.”

Lauda’s Ferrari 312B and Hunt’s 1977 McLaren M26 were used for the piece at the Norfolk circuit, where several of the on-track action scenes were filmed.

“The Snetterton 300 circuit worked well,” offered Brundle. “The cars felt remarkably nimble through the infield, I quite enjoyed driving on the 300 in these. Out of the current F1 field I think Lewis would be good around this circuit, the toughest corner on this track I think is Hamilton, which is named after him! But they are all world class drivers and they’d be going round here at unbelievable speeds, I’d imagine.”

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Based in Mid-Wales, James joined TCF at the start of the 2013 season, covering a range of disciplines, predominantly Motorcycle Road Racing and NASCAR. Follow him on Twitter @JCCharman
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