Martin Brundle and David Croft will be heard as commentators in the movie “F1” — Lewis Hamilton was keen to have them both on board
Martin Brundle has revealed details of his appearance in the eagerly awaited “F1” movie. The former Formula 1 driver and current Sky Sports F1 expert will be seen – and heard – in the movie alongside chief commentator David Croft.
Croft had previously explained that Lewis Hamilton, who was involved in the production as executive producer, insisted on bringing him and Brundle on board for authentic commentary. “[Hamilton] said, ‘If you want authentic commentary, you need Martin and Crofty.’ I really appreciated that,” Croft told The Times.
“Martin and I did five or six sessions, including filming in a commentary booth. Hopefully it sounds as real as a normal broadcast, because we were actually allowed to deviate from the script and commentate on the action as we normally would – that was great.”
Brundle explains his role
“He’s the expert, the analyst, the man who drove these cars and raced in them – and I’m the journalist who isn’t afraid to ask, ‘What exactly do you mean by that?’”
Brundle joked during the Grand Prix weekend in Canada that he wasn’t worried about criticism of his performance because, “I don’t care,” the Brit said dryly. At the same time, however, he also expressed his hope that the film could take Formula 1 to the next level – beyond what Drive to Survive has already achieved.
“We spent 19 hours in a studio in London – late in the afternoon each day – while Joe [Kosinski] was in LA,” Brundle explained to Sky Sports F1 in Montreal. “That’s because they wanted to perfect every single action sequence. But then the action changed, as did the storyline, so we did everything again. The attention to detail was really impressive.“
Premiere with 4,000 guests
”Crofty improvised a little bit – but he always does that. And he always finds the right words, you have to give him that.”
The world premiere of F1 takes place at the legendary Radio City Music Hall in New York City – with around 4,000 guests, including the current Formula 1 drivers.
“They’re really pushing it,” Brundle continues. “Formula 1, Apple, Warner Bros. – everyone. And that’s great for the sport. Drive to Survive is the biggest thing I’ve seen in my 40-plus years in this business. By a long shot. And it’s going to be really exciting to see what this film can do.” F1 launches internationally on June 25 and in North America on June 27.
