Former Formula 1 driver Mark Blundell describes those lucky enough to sit behind a wheel of a racing car in the pinnacle of motor racing as “pretty universal guys”. He explains, “I’ve always said they’re sports people, athletes, politicians, motivators, business people, all that wrapped up into one and they take it in their stride.”
As Sport.co.uk discussed his career and his upcoming challenge to race at the Daytona 24 Hours in Florida with close friend and former teammate Martin Brundle by his side, we quickly discovered that no description could be more accurate for Blundell himself.
The 44-year-old will be making his debut drive at Daytona at the end of this month for United Autosports team but he is no stranger to success in Sportscar racing, winning the Grand Prix of Endurance at Le Mans 24 Hours in 1992 for Nissan. He went on to impress in Formula 1 with drives for Brabham-Yamaha, Ligier-Renault, Tyrrell-Yamaha and McLaren-Mercedes earning three podium finishes between 1991 and 1995.
Sandwiched either side of those endeavours he impressed in motorcycle and F3000 racing as a junior and excelled in CART racing that saw him voted British Competition Driver of the Year in 1997 as he notched up victories at Portland, Toronto and Fontana. That takes care of sports people and athletes.
His politician, motivation and business side can be seen in a post-racing career that has seen him cover F1 for ITV for eight years and establish a sports management company nurturing young drivers as well as young footballers for the future.
Never shy to offer an opinion and candidly open about his good friend Brundle – who together have become known as the Brundell Brothers on the circuit – we caught up with the Arsenal supporter to see how he is looking forward to facing the physical and mental challenges of the Florida track.
We also spoke to Blundell about the “big four” of F1, a 196mph crash he limped away from (see the video below), his opinion on the Tractor Boys, and asked him what he’d do if the BBC’s Brundle shoved a mic in his face.
This month sees you and Martin Brundle paired for the first time in a Sportscar at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in Florida (29-30 January) for the United Autosports team. Martin won the race back in 1988 but you will be making your debut. Looking forward to it?
Yeah, it’s quite funny in many ways. Firstly, the situation between us has been we’ve always driven against each other even though we’ve been in the same team in F1 in a couple of seasons and then in Sportscar racing. This is the first time we’ve ever got in the same car which has always been a dream for both of us. Of course he’s one up on me in the winning stakes because, yes, he did win the event back in ’88 with Jaguar so he’s got prior experience and an experience of winning that event but we’re level pegging with both winning the Le Mans 24 Hours. In that respect we both know what we’re up to when it comes to 24 hour racing.
It has been a while since you raced full-time so what position finish are you aiming for?
Ultimately we’re aiming to finish and try and see if we’ve got enough for a top six placing come the end of the race. I think that’s achievable and that’s a goal for us. You’ve got to understand the other two drivers are not professional guys who we’re teamed up with so there’s going to be a differential there pace-wise but they’re doing a great job. You’ve also got to look at the competition. We’re up against some big teams and great equipment performance-wise and some fantastic drivers. There’s current IndyCar champions, Indy 500 winners, current NASCAR multiple champions, Sportscar champions, so there’s a lot of depth out there. It’s the first big race of the season. All the guys try to get there because they want it on their CV and it’s the kind of one that brings everybody out after the Christmas break and we’re all fresh and ready to go.
Sharing the load between four drivers means you’ll be spending a considerable time in that pressure-cooker environment with Martin? Sounds daunting.
It does get quite hot actually because the radiator is at the front of the car so a lot of the heat does get dispelled into the cockpit. We’ve got a cooling system where a hose connected to the helmet pumps in cool air to try to keep your head cool because obviously if your head is cool the rest of your body is modulated temperature-wise so that’s a plus. As we were at the test at the weekend, conditions were quite chilly but two weeks from now it could be up in the 70s or 80s. It does get very hot inside the car. So yeah, I’m anticipating losing a bit of weight.
Are you not worried about him being a bit of a backseat driver?
No, no. Martin is the ultimate professional. He’s one of the few people in the world to have driven a current Formula 1 car year after year for doing TV specials. He’s been driving some sportscars so I’m sure he’s not off the pace in that regard. He’s got a lot of experience and between us we know each other very, very well. There are complimentary skills on both sides. Strategically he’ll be very strong, I’ll probably be a little bit stronger in night driving and we know where we can save fuel. There’s a lot of experience there we can draw from but we’ve got two other guys, four of us in the car, and we’ve got to make sure we help those guys as much as we can. Both [American] Mark Patterson, who’s done the event six or seven times now, and [fellow American and chairman and co-owner of United Autosports] Zak Brown tested very well so we’re looking to be competitive from lap one and just hope that after 23 hours and 59 minutes we’re still competitive at the end of it all.
Along with Martin you have also enjoyed great success at Le Mans 24 Hours, becoming the youngest ever driver to achieve pole position in 1990 and two years later winning the prestigious race for Nissan. How did that success rate with your achievements in a F1 car?
If you ask anyone around the world if they’ve heard of Le Mans 24 Hours race, nine times out of 10 they have. That’s pretty much one of the big three. You’ve got Le Mans, you’ve got Indy 500 and you’ve got Monaco Grand Prix. Everybody’s heard of those races. So to win that, have that on your CV, yeah it’s fantastic. Most drivers you speak to would love to have Le Mans 24 Hour winner next to their name. It’s a great event. I tried to win it again when I did my last race in 2003 with Bentley and we had a technical fault and unfortunately came in 2nd. It’s certainly a gruelling race and Daytona will follow that in terms of being very physical and tough on the drivers and their teams – probably more so because if it does get hot the ambient temperature starts lifting up and it becomes a completely different ball game.
The year you achieved pole Martin won the race with Jaguar. Do you remember his performance that year? What was he like to race against?
We’ve raced against each other for many years. We first met in Sportscar racing and it’s quite ironic that when I first started doing motor racing, Martin was starting Formula 1 in 1984. I followed his career from a very early point. We come from the same part of the country; we’re both East Anglia lads. Obviously our names are quite similar which can be confusing for many in the world. Especially the Japanese because R and L is the same in characters for them so our names look the same spelt in Japanese. It’s a great friendship that we have and it’s not often you get teammates, especially in a Formula 1 team, who are genuinely good friends. We are and we’re well known for that. If you went to the F1 paddock a lot of them will call us “The Brundell Brothers” because they know we’re good buddies. It’s something we’ve always wanted to do and that’s the big bonus for us. We’re getting to share a car together and share the highs and the lows. I’ve also done seven years of television work with Martin as well on ITV so we’ve got a lot of history where motor sport’s concerned.
Speaking of that bond between teammates how do you feel the partnership between Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton is working?
I think they will have a friendship there and you see that when you look at them. It is quite unusual and I think that’s where Martin and myself are unusual as well in that we are genuinely good buddies. We speak very often and always have done. We see each other as much as we can. It’s a very tough environment and when you get two guys competing against each other in the same equipment all they can be marked against is each other. It does put some stress and strains into the relationship. Ultimately they’re out there to do the best job they can for each other. Don’t get me wrong, Martin and I have had a couple of occasions where we’ve not spoken to each other for a day or so on the plane on the way back. We’ve got at each other’s throats but that’s racing. As much as we respect each other and have a level of friendship we’ve always been to the point that when we get on the racetrack it’s dog eat dog.
You began your racing career excelling on motorbikes before switching to four wheels, graduating in F3000 before being given a racing seat with Brabham Yamaha team and in 1993 you secured two podium finishes with Ligier in South Africa and Germany. Which year marks your personal highlight?
I don’t know. Different parts of your career have different meanings and targets for you to achieve. Getting to F1 was great because I got there on merit. I didn’t bring any sponsorship. I was a guy who got picked up as a test driver for Williams and elevated myself to Brabham as a race driver. Moments that stand out: scoring the first world championship point for Yamaha motor company; at a great circuit in Spa standing on the podium with Ligier – the first English driver to be signed by an all-French team; standing there on podiums with Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna by my side and Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill; winning the Fontana 500 when I was in IndyCar – only one of four British drivers in the world at that stage in the history books to win a 500-mile event. Now things are a little different because I’m racing again. Last year I did a race at Spa, the first race I’ve done in seven years, as a comeback race. Although there was a professional feel to it there was also a feel of enjoyment because I didn’t have all that pressure attached to delivering the result. There is a different feel to it than there was before.
Along with the names you mention there and from your time testing at Williams, partnering Mika Hakkinen with McLaren and your drives with Brabham, Ligier and Tyrell you must have encountered some truly special drivers. Who stood out for you?
Senna always stood out because he was one of the guys I looked at when I first came in. I followed him and ultimately being a test driver for him in 1992 at McLaren and then racing against him for a few years after that. He was a special and quite unique individual and would probably say, for me, still the best racing driver I have ever seen with my own eyes and competed against. Sunday afternoon, if I had to sit the guy at the back of the grid and rely on him to come to the front, then Senna would get my bet all day long.
In 1995 a certain David Coulthard was signed for McLaren marking your final year in F1. Is there a bit of a grudge there?
No not at all. In fact, I remember sitting there one night with a young DC and Martin and we were giving him a few pointers. Little did I know he’d be taking my job not long after that. But we’re good mates, we’re all good mates actually and life moves on. Now he’s doing his television work so his racing days are over. That door opened for me at one point. I walked through it and it was great fun. I watch him now and I’m as enthusiastic at seeing how he gets on in TV as when I was watching him racing. There are a few good friendships that exist in our sport. There may be few but the ones that do exist are quite strong.
How do you think he’ll get on in the commentary cockpit with Brundle this season?
I think he’ll be fine. Martin’s been in broadcasting 14 years now and he’s very good. He’s won several awards. I have no issue with him. I think he’ll just go like a duck to water. For DC he’s going to step up from a role he’s not been in very long and I think it will be a learning curve for him and I’m sure he’ll give it 100 per cent. I’m sure the combination between them will work very well.
Post F1 saw you turn your hand to CART racing across The Pond in America, earning victories and the award of British Competition Driver of the Year [by readers of Autosport magazine]. How much of a different experience was that to your previous racing?
It was a very different culture and I enjoyed my time there. To this day I still return to the US. I manage a guy called Mike Conway in Indy500 out there and still see a lot of old friends. Those days were important and definitely a great chapter in my career book and the racing was tough. It wasn’t easy at all. It was quite competitive and during that I had a couple of big accidents because IndyCar racing is predominantly a little more dangerous than most because of the speeds. But it’s something I cherish. Good days, good memories.
You mentioned accidents in your CART racing days. One crash in testing left you with broken vertebrae. What are your memories of that? How did you recover?
I had a big crash. If you went on YouTube you’d see it [Mark Blundell crashes at 1996 Rio CART race]. I had brake failure at 200mph and struck a concrete wall at 196mph. It was 122G on impact so quite big. It was only my second race in going to America in IndyCar racing so it was a blow but I came back stronger. I won races after that but those are the kind of things that are quite difficult to pick yourself up from again. It worked out in the end.
Post-racing you referred to your 2MB Sports Management work with racing drivers and footballers. How is that coming along?
Yeah we’ve got 10 or 11 young players. They’re all great guys, all scholars or just about to get pro contracts across a range of clubs from West Ham to Charlton, Barnet, Wycombe and we’ve got some great interest even from some big Premiership clubs at the moment so it’s a really exciting time. It’s a young business with young players and we’re in it for the long term, very much looking towards building something with integrity over the years.
Any names we should look out for?
Mauro Vilhete who’s at Barnet. He was in the first team at only 16 and is now only 17. He’s being looked at quite heavily. Another guy, Robbie Willmott, is being looked at closely by a couple of Championship teams and he’s only playing in Conference football. There’s some great talent out there. I hate the term football agent. Management is what we’re doing and it’s about career advancement, working with the guys to get the best out of them for the football club and working with the club to get the best out of them for the player.
You said you spent most of you life in East Anglia so which team do you support?
Well I was born originally in Barnet so I’m an Arsenal boy at heart. Even though I’ve lived in East Anglia where my nearest team would probably be Cambridge United, I’m a Gooner.
So how do you think they are faring this season?
Well after watching the other night [after the 1-0 defeat to Ipswich Town in the first leg semi-final of the League Cup] I’m a little bit distraught because I felt it was a pitiful performance. They weren’t the better team and deserved to lose to be honest. The Tractor Boys definitely gave them a whipping.
This upcoming season will feature the debut grand prix circuit in India. What have you made of the rapid expansion of F1 around the globe?
Outside of the Olympics and World Cup football Formula 1 really is the biggest televised sport globally so it’s no surprise to see races rolling out in different areas around the globe. India is an emerging market, China was, Turkey, Russia, Korea, all of these places so they want to understand what the sport is all about and there’s no better way to do that than to host a Grand Prix. It’s a great advert for a country. If you look at Singapore and what they’ve done there all of a sudden the race is being beamed all around the world and it just shows what a great country it is. For India to have their own Grand Prix now they have their own Indian driver again in Narain Karthikeyan [who became India’s first F1 driver with Jordan in 2005 and now returns in the seat of a Hispania car] there’s a lot to follow. With the amount of people there and the strength of F1 it’s only going to grow dramatically.
Jarno Trulli [who was driving for Toyota until they were forced to pull out of the sport in 2009 and is now signed to Lotus Racing] recently accused modern day F1 of having “taken an ugly turn” where money shouts louder than talent and the level outside the leading four teams is “extremely poor”. Do you agree with him? What is your take on how the sport has developed since your racing days?
If you analyse Formula 1 it’s always pretty much been like that. If you dig deep it is pretty much the same as with Premier League football. There’s always four or five taking those top spots and with F1 it’s always been that way. From day one there were entrepreneurial guys who turned up with their sponsorships and got drives. Then it turned more commercial. Where we’re at this moment is that the world is suffering so trying to raise funds is quite difficult for these teams. If they can’t raise the money and there’s a driver turning up from an emerging country with big sponsorship, he may not be the best driver down the pit lane admittedly, but needs must and if he supplies the funding they’ve got to take it.
I hope it does change because I hope we get back to a situation where teams are properly funded and they can take the best driver available to them on talent alone. Formula 1 is not really sport anymore in many ways. It’s really got to be classed as business and it really is a multi-hundred-million-dollar business in many ways. I understand where those comments come from and I can agree with them in many ways but reality bites where we are in today’s world.
Who would you tip for the title this upcoming season?
It’s such a tough one. It’s too early to say because we have no full understanding of how the cars and teams are going to shape up. Any one of those guys sitting in the big manufacturers such as Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull they will have a chance because they have the resources and should have a decent car. If I was to put a bet on today…I still think that Lewis and McLaren would be a good bet. I think there are several points in that combination to ensure they improve on where they finished off last year. There’s a huge amount of desire there from the team and the drivers but I think Lewis is getting himself back in play to attempt another World Championship run.
In an ideal world if you were to return to F1 which team and which teammate would you choose?
If I was to return to F1 I would be extremely selfish and I’d go and drive for Ferrari because I’ve never been with them. As a kid I always dreamed of racing for them as every racing driver probably does. If I could choose the other teammate I’d want to have the slowest teammate as possible. On a serious note, today you’d probably look at Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren. You’d look at those teams because that’s where the resources are and that’s where you’d see the performance. You’d want to pick a [Sebastian] Vettel, a Button, a Hamilton, a [Fernando] Alonso as a teammate because you’d want to have as quick and technically astute a guy as possible to develop the car and develop with them and try and get the performance level up as fast as you can. Those guys are going to be in contention. Come race one and the end of the season, they’ll be there.
We spoke to Martin Brundle this week about his famous grid walks that are a highlight of F1 coverage. When you were gearing up for a race on the grid, seconds away from the lights going out, what would you do if Martin came up and shoved a mic in front of you?
Well, because I know him so well, I’d probably shove it straight back at him. A lot of people are very surprised by that [interviewing drivers on the grid] but that’s how you are brought up in our game. It’s not unusual to have something going on or be spoken to by an engineer or a journalist, a team manager or another driver just before you’re about to start your race. It’s difficult for some people to understand because in most sports those involved will be locked off getting in the zone. You don’t see a lot of Premier League footballers getting talked to down the tunnel or an athlete spoken to just before they do a 100m sprint. Racing drivers are pretty universal guys. I’ve always said they’re sports people, athletes, politicians, motivators, business people, all that wrapped up into one and they take it in their stride. They’ve got this ability to absorb information, lock it off and then focus on something else entirely for whatever is required. If Martin comes up and starts interviewing you, nine times out of 10 you know it’s going to be a sensible question and 9 times out of 10 you know it won’t be that long to get rid of him because he’s got limited time and wants to move onto the next guy.
Finally when we interviewed your close friend and current teammate Martin Brundle this week we asked him this same question about you so bear that in mind: If he were to have been in Sebastian Vettel’s position and car in the final race of last season, requiring a top finish to clinch the championship, how do you think he would have got on?
He’d have been just fine. Believe me. He’s a top-flight driver. If you look back over the years and just see where he finished in terms of performance of machinery he had and see his record with Schumacher as his teammate and compare that to the other teammates the German had you’ll just see that Martin Brundle was a guy of great depth…but he probably didn’t say that about me.
Well he said he didn’t want to see headlines saying he thought Blundell was as good as Vettel but he did have very complimentary words to say about you.
Haha, yeah right. Knowing our luck I’d win something and it would have his name attached to it, there you go.
Mark, we’ll make sure you get full credit if you guys take the chequered flag in Florida. Thank you very much for you time and best of luck.
Thank you, bye.
United Autosports concluded a successful three-day official test at the “Roar Before the Rolex 24” ton Sunday January 9 in advance of the 49th running of the world famous Daytona race later this month.
The United Autosports with Michael Shank Racing entered Riley Daytona Prototype completed a total of over 300 laps around the challenging 3.56-mile, 12-turn combined speedway road course.
All four drivers, Mark Blundell (GB), Zak Brown (USA), Martin Brundle (GB) and Mark Patterson (USA), were present to prepare for this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona that is staged over January 29-30.