Martin Brundle has revealed he suffered a minor heart attack while covering the Monaco Grand Prix last year.
The former Formula One driver, who is now a television commentator, was taken ill on his way to the podium ceremony at Monte-Carlo.
Brundle continued to interview race winner Lewis Hamilton and the other podium finishers Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez.
He later revealed on Twitter he had “a medical procedure” due to a “serious heart issue”, which kept him from participating in the Canadian Grand Prix coverage. However he was able to compete at Le Mans in an LMP3 car just over two weeks later, setting pole position and finishing second in the race.
“I ended up with a 23mm stent in my left arterial descending,” Brundle explained. “So I didn’t think I could do the race and the cardio guy said ‘yeah, you can do the race, just don’t forget your blood thinners’.”
“I went to Palmersport and did 75 laps in a car and thought ‘yeah, I can do this’. I had bruises coming out of my chest but I thought ‘I love Le Mans, I’m not going to miss this’.”
“I sat at the press conference and there was a 17-year-old and a 19-year-old sitting alongside me and I thought ‘that’s not bad for an old geezer, 57’. We finished second in the race which was unfortunate, not first.”
Had a medical procedure last week, went extremely well. I won't be in Montreal but my excellent @SkySportsF1 colleagues will. Every lap live
— Martin Brundle (@MBrundleF1) June 9, 2016
Thanks also to the Cardioligist and surgeon who fixed my serious heart issue 2 weeks ago and gave me confidence to race. I am 20 yrs younger
— Martin Brundle (@MBrundleF1) June 18, 2016
2016 Monaco Grand Prix
- Brundle reveals Monaco GP heart attack
- Rosberg defends decision to let Hamilton past
- Red Bull make pit wall changes after Monaco mistakes
- Ricciardo takes second Driver of the Weekend win of 2016
- 2016 Monaco and Spanish Grands Prix team radio transcripts
sethje (@seth-space)
12th January 2017, 14:09
Nice man, great interviewer. Die hard journalist now ;) ( or hard to die)
Nice to see.
HK (@me4me)
12th January 2017, 14:26
I’m glad he recovered. The single best commentator in F1 is you ask me. Sky’s team would fall apart without him.
pSynrg (@psynrg)
12th January 2017, 22:14
@me4me I couldn’t agree more. One of my fave quotes from Martin is along the lines of his years in F1 were merely preparation for his current job.
dubsix (@dubsix)
12th January 2017, 14:26
Awesome, what a boss! Met him at the 2014 Canadian GP… him, Herbert, Hill and the rest of the Sky crew were waiting for Ricc to do the team photo after his win and it took forever so they all started chatting to the fans by the fence, signed our tickets and then they interviewed me on Sky, such a bunch of cool guys to spend the time with the fans… won’t forget that moment:)
Loen (@loen)
12th January 2017, 15:11
If ever a man was vital to my enjoyment and full involvement in F1 then it
has to be Brundle. He talks such sense, with such clarity, such reality.
Such calm at times of total chaos…( Interlagos this year, for example ! )
He’s heading towards ‘National Treasure’ territory without a doubt.
C’mon you F1 medics….you gotta keep this guy running our show for
another 30 years …..or more……. ! And look after yourself Martin,
we need you.
Tim Edwards (@timpey)
12th January 2017, 15:58
Here Here (or is it Hear Hear?)
Clive Allen (@clive-allen)
12th January 2017, 19:40
It’s “Hear, hear,” meaning, “Listen up, folks”. The other seems to point out where you’re standing which doesn’t make a lot of sense in this context.
Boli (@boli)
12th January 2017, 16:18
+1
JMDan (@danmar)
13th January 2017, 0:01
Fully agree. I like Martin a lot.
James
12th January 2017, 15:56
I’m sure it was uncomfortable both physically and mentally at the time. Also pretty sure he had a stent inserted to broaden the artery that had narrowed, causing the event. The same thing happened to me on a 90-minute drive home from work. Yes, Martin, it feels wonderful afterward…
Gary
12th January 2017, 18:09
Stay well, Martin. I shudder to think if all we had was Johnny
Traverse
12th January 2017, 20:40
Dear lord…don’t tempt fate Gary, don’t do it!
Kenny
12th January 2017, 20:13
It was Martin’s broadcast work that pulled me back into F1 after having lost interest for a few years. He brings everything you’d want to the role: extensive racing experience, genuine love of the sport, great rapport with the other broadcasters, on-target instincts in interviews, in the moment insights during live commentating, great sense of humor.
F1 should definitely use the Sky feed as their work wide, English lang. streaming feed. I appreciate Channel 4 but Sky is on another level, including their between race coverage. The less said about NBCSports the better but the fact that almost 1/3 of the race viewing is lost to commercials should tell you all you need to know. Should also mention that NBC commentators aren’t even at the races and are so inept that they frequently name the wrong driver. Will Buxton is good – he should try to get away from NBC ASAP.
Depailler
12th January 2017, 20:21
Agree with all the above. The man is a star, a gentleman, a great driver and commentator
ChuckL8
12th January 2017, 22:20
I had the same procedure eight years ago. Two things amazed me; … the almost magical instant physical recovery once the stent is in place, allowing 100% blood flow where there was practically zero flow a few seconds ago. And the fact that, just a few years ago, what happened to Brundle (and myself) very well may have killed us, or, at best, turned us into invalids.
Nice to see you back at work, Martin! (And a big thank you to all those who developed and learned how to use those stents)
pSynrg (@psynrg)
13th January 2017, 12:38
What on earth are “invalids”?
Avro Anson (@avroanson)
14th January 2017, 4:04
invalid
ˈɪnvəlɪd/
noun
a person made weak or disabled by illness or injury.
“she spent the rest of her life as an invalid”
Wesley (@)
12th January 2017, 23:25
Have to continue this thread in saying I hope all is well with Brundle! F1 would not be the same without him.. It’s fun to use slow periods during the races to try and decipher what Martin has said.
Prab
13th January 2017, 5:34
Martin sir is a treasure for f1.
The ease with which he speaks his heart (which is f1) is what f1 commentatory should be all about.
hahostolze (@hahostolze)
13th January 2017, 10:08
Pardon my ignorance, but did Brundle manage to continue the broadcast? I just wonder how the heart attack affected him.
Neil (@neilosjames)
13th January 2017, 11:26
Can see him right after the heart attack in this video:
https://youtu.be/RTXAiwU8fX8?t=2m38s
He looks pretty much normal, so he might not have even realised it was a heart attack.
dex
13th January 2017, 10:32
Good health Martin. I always enjoy your views of F1 and good luck to your son who is progressing through the ranks of motorsport.
Neil (@neilosjames)
13th January 2017, 11:14
Kept me sane during the later years of Murray, still doing so now.
F1 with no Martin would be like tea with no milk.
Ju88sy (@ju88sy)
14th January 2017, 9:08
While I take my Tea black, I wouldn’t take F1 without Martin! a huge asset to my enjoyment of the sport.
sethje (@seth-space)
13th January 2017, 14:42
A f1fanatic link that fits this topic:
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/heritage/driver/Martin-Brundle/mclaren-me-martin-brundle-2144775/