A member of the mid-80’s ‘rat pack’ of British drivers, big in ambition and talent, if short on finance. Blundell worked his way through the junior formulae into Formula One in when he partnered Martin Brundle in the dying Brabham team. Race duties were combined with testing for the Williams team, a role Blundell gave up at the end of the year. Had he continued with the team for 1992, he may well have found himself in Damon Hill’s position in 1993.
As it was Blundell found himself in a Ligier, once again partnering Brundle (rumours abound that this pairing was solely to confuse and enrage foreign commentators). 1993 was a strong year as Ligier benefited from the use of Renault engines and Blundell picked up several podiums. 1994 saw a switch to Tyrrell, where he partnered Ukyo Katayama in the dark horse team of the year. Podiums and points were a regular feature. Although lack of finances meant Mark was without a seat in 1995, luckily Nigel Mansell decided he didn’t want his, so Blundell ended up driving 15 of the 17 races for McLaren, a shame it was one of the worst seasons ever to be a McLaren driver.
Without a drive for 1996 Blundell headed west to IndyCar where he enjoyed several successful seasons and even won. Since retiring Mark has become an ITV Formula One pundit, where he is once again working with Brundle