Martin Brundle praised for ‘beautiful interview’ with female racing pioneer Mary McGee in Canada

Martin Brundle enjoyed a heartwarming conversation with American female racing pioneer Mary McGee on the grid at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Sky Sports F1 broadcaster was undertaking his usual pre-race grid walk when he encountered McGee in a wheelchair.

The 87-year-old was the first woman to compete in motorcycle road racing and motocross events in the United States back in the 1960s, as she explained to ex-F1 driver Brundle.

“I first started racing cars in 1957 and then I switched to motorcycles in 1960 and I quit in 2012,” she said.

Brundle, kneeling down to speak to her, replied: “Amazing, obviously I won’t ask you how old you are. That’s an incredible story. Is this your first time on a Formula 1 grid?”

McGee said: “I love Formula 1 racing. I was at Riverside [US Grand Prix venue] many years ago for the first Formula 1 race, met Jimmy Clark [two-time F1 world champion] for god sake!”

McGee added that she was supporting Lewis Hamilton at the race in Montreal – the Brit finished fourth behind winner Max Verstappen – and described her career as “a lot of years and a lot of fun!”

Brundle, 65, was praised heavily for the interaction on social media, with one fan posting on X: “What a beautiful interview! Incredible woman.”

Another similarly said: “This is the best grid walk interview ever, I could have listened to her for ages.”

Sky Sports commentator Brundle, a former F1 driver himself, is known for his amusing and sometimes awkward encounters with drivers and celebrities on the grid before races.

Two weeks ago in Monaco, he sternly told Kylian Mbappe’s bodyguard “I’m in charge here” when trying to conduct an interview with the France and Real Madrid star.

In Brazil last November, Brundle bumped into American rapper Machine Gun Kelly and an odd interview occurred, in which the American rapper fiddled with Brundle’s poppy, asked him to play the air guitar and put his thumb down to the camera at the end.

Brundle also briefly encountered Shaquille O’Neal in Las Vegas, with the NBA legend simply saying “Lewis Hamilton baby”.

Brundle also endured hilarious encounters with DJ Khaled and Pharrell Williams in Miami in 2022, as well as a slightly frosty exchange with Cara Delevingne at Silverstone last year, in which the model refused to talk to the broadcaster.