James Hunt vs Martin Brundle as commentators
02-03-2011, 01:38 PM
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James Hunt vs Martin Brundle as commentators
I have been watching a lot of historical F1 races this off season. I have watched the 1986 through to 1990 seasons and watched the 1993 through to 2003 seasons so far (yes I know I have no life as I have averaged 2-3 races a day for the last couple of months). Anyway I wanted to compare the commentary of James Hunt and Martin Brundle. Both are former F1 drivers themselves so they should both have an understanding of what the drivers go through that someone like Murray Walker would not have had.
James Hunt had a successful career and he did start his career in a crappy car before moving on to McLaren (which he used to win the WDC once) so you would think he would not be as critical as he was to back markers. But the man was just brutal in his race commentary when a leader would come up to a back marker. Many many times James Hunt would refer to these back markers as people who lacked intelligence because they would no move over as fast as the leaders would have liked them to move over. Yes there were some back markers who were not easy to pass, but the mirrors in these cars are extremely small and the back markers still had to drive their own races. I am just watching the 1990 Australian GP and it is amazing, James Hunt is comparing Thierry Boutsen to Roberto Moreno saying anyone who thinks Boutsen is remotely as talented as Moreno is clueless and does not know a thing about motor racing. Excuse me James, I am not a Boutsen fan, but I think you consumed a few too many cocktails while you were telling the world about your opinions of how little people knew about the world of motor racing. Thierry Boutsen may not have been as successful as Senna, Prost and Piquet were. But he was a talented driver who really did not do that many dumb things on the track. I am not dissing Roberto Moreno, but I find it interesting on how some commentators claimed this driver or that driver would be WDC before they had actually accomplished much in the sport.
Anyway ...
Martin Brundle on the other hand is the man. Sure he did not win a WDC (maybe he would have done better had he driven for some top teams), but he was ultra experienced, he knew what it was like to be at the front of the field as well as the back of the field and you could see it in his commentary. Martin Brundle will tell it like it is. He will only dis a driver when the driver does something really stupid. But rarely will Martin say some back marker driver lacked intelligence because he happened to be in a car not remotely as good as the leaders were driving.
There obviously has been many "paid for their rides" F1 drivers over the years and many of them were not always as talented as other drivers. But just because someone is driving a slower car that can not compete with the top cars does not mean they lack intelligence. In my opinion Martin Brundle is an outstanding commentator and the world will be losing one of the best when he does hang up the microphone (hopefully not for many more years to come). James Hunt may have been a party animal, fun to be around after the races type of guy, but I think a few too many cocktails made him forget what it was like to be a driver. Maybe James Hunt should have spent more time in a lesser talented team. Oh well too late ... we all know what happened to James anyway and may he rest in peace (LOL as I dis the man for his commentary style).
Anyway just my observations after watching 16 seasons of F1 races in the last couple of months (yes I have no life). Time for me to consume some cocktails. Maybe if I drank more I would understand why backmarkers are nothing more than people who lack intelligence versus people who simply are driving cars that are not as competitive as the leaders.
James Hunt had a successful career and he did start his career in a crappy car before moving on to McLaren (which he used to win the WDC once) so you would think he would not be as critical as he was to back markers. But the man was just brutal in his race commentary when a leader would come up to a back marker. Many many times James Hunt would refer to these back markers as people who lacked intelligence because they would no move over as fast as the leaders would have liked them to move over. Yes there were some back markers who were not easy to pass, but the mirrors in these cars are extremely small and the back markers still had to drive their own races. I am just watching the 1990 Australian GP and it is amazing, James Hunt is comparing Thierry Boutsen to Roberto Moreno saying anyone who thinks Boutsen is remotely as talented as Moreno is clueless and does not know a thing about motor racing. Excuse me James, I am not a Boutsen fan, but I think you consumed a few too many cocktails while you were telling the world about your opinions of how little people knew about the world of motor racing. Thierry Boutsen may not have been as successful as Senna, Prost and Piquet were. But he was a talented driver who really did not do that many dumb things on the track. I am not dissing Roberto Moreno, but I find it interesting on how some commentators claimed this driver or that driver would be WDC before they had actually accomplished much in the sport.
Anyway ...
Martin Brundle on the other hand is the man. Sure he did not win a WDC (maybe he would have done better had he driven for some top teams), but he was ultra experienced, he knew what it was like to be at the front of the field as well as the back of the field and you could see it in his commentary. Martin Brundle will tell it like it is. He will only dis a driver when the driver does something really stupid. But rarely will Martin say some back marker driver lacked intelligence because he happened to be in a car not remotely as good as the leaders were driving.
There obviously has been many "paid for their rides" F1 drivers over the years and many of them were not always as talented as other drivers. But just because someone is driving a slower car that can not compete with the top cars does not mean they lack intelligence. In my opinion Martin Brundle is an outstanding commentator and the world will be losing one of the best when he does hang up the microphone (hopefully not for many more years to come). James Hunt may have been a party animal, fun to be around after the races type of guy, but I think a few too many cocktails made him forget what it was like to be a driver. Maybe James Hunt should have spent more time in a lesser talented team. Oh well too late ... we all know what happened to James anyway and may he rest in peace (LOL as I dis the man for his commentary style).
Anyway just my observations after watching 16 seasons of F1 races in the last couple of months (yes I have no life). Time for me to consume some cocktails. Maybe if I drank more I would understand why backmarkers are nothing more than people who lack intelligence versus people who simply are driving cars that are not as competitive as the leaders.
02-03-2011, 03:34 PM
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Every race from 1986 to 2010 is available here for download. The vast majority of the races use BBC, ITV or ESPN English language commentary. But there are some older races in French, Germany, Italian and even a couple in Japanese.
Last edited by My993C2; 02-04-2011 at 04:44 PM.
02-03-2011, 07:22 PM
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He (Hunt) actually had his worst season with McLaren in 78' (notwithstanding the 79' with Wolff). He was actually quite good with Hesketh, finishing 8th, 8th and 4th before becoming WC at McLaren in 76.
I cannot comment on his words at the BBC though as I never heard him...
c.
I cannot comment on his words at the BBC though as I never heard him...
c.
02-03-2011, 08:36 PM
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Brundle is a great commentator. Can't wait to watch this year's coverage with Coulthard alongside him. But you know who was a great commentator? Murray Walker. His knowledge and tact is unbeatable even today.
02-03-2011, 08:54 PM
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"and Jacques Villeneuve is out of the Canadian Grand Prix, this is absolutely fantastic!!!" - Murrary Walker commentating at the 1997 Canadian Grand Prix.
02-03-2011, 09:30 PM
#7
Considering I don't get the UK broadcasts, I can't comment with a background as thorough as the OP's about each of those guys. That said, my favorite is definitely Matchett. He offers a lot of good technical insight and strategy and while it is good to have Varsha to narrate the goings-on and Hobbs to offer a driver's perspective, I think Steve's insight is probably the most valueable. IMHO, I have heard some things, and I know is bad but none of them immediately come to mind, where I thought that Brundle was being a bit biased. The degree of bias with which a person speaks is a big issue for me, but thankfully he (Brundle) doesn't exhibit that often.
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02-03-2011, 11:18 PM
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No, the car was not Tyrrell!
c.
02-03-2011, 11:53 PM
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Murray Walker definitely had his Yogiisms. Favorite quotes:
"Well, now we have exactly the same situation as at the beginning of the race, only exactly opposite."
"The lead car is unique, except for the one behind it which is identical."
"There are seven winners of the Monaco Grand Prix on the starting line today, and four of them are Michael Schumacher."
"There's nothing wrong with the car except that it's on fire."
"Well, now we have exactly the same situation as at the beginning of the race, only exactly opposite."
"The lead car is unique, except for the one behind it which is identical."
"There are seven winners of the Monaco Grand Prix on the starting line today, and four of them are Michael Schumacher."
"There's nothing wrong with the car except that it's on fire."
02-04-2011, 10:58 AM
#10
Just watched the 1st round of the 1994 season (Brazilian Grand Prix), and am pretty convinced it has to be one of the most (if not THE most) epic seasons of F1 ever.
Storylines:
- Last years champion (Alain Prost) has just retired
- His former rival (Ayrton Senna) has just moved into what was last year's all-conquering car (Williams)
- The new young hotshoe (Michael Schumacher) is beginning to look like a serious threat
- Rule changes: Driver aids banned, active suspension banned, refueling allowed
- A battle between Senna and Schumacher dominates the race at the front, with Schumacher passing Senna
- Ayrton Senna retires from his home grand prix due to a driver's mistake (power-on oversteer - first race with no traction control?)
- Two hot rookies (Jos Verstappen and Eddie Irvine) tangle to take out a total of four cars in a spectacular crash
All of this in just the first race of the year, in a season where we know there's a lot more to come (San Marino fatalities, Schumacher/Hill at the end of the year, etc). It's also interesting to see how naive everyone was with regards to safety in the time leading up to San Marino. In particular - no pit lane speed limit? cars obviously bottoming out for the first few laps?
Storylines:
- Last years champion (Alain Prost) has just retired
- His former rival (Ayrton Senna) has just moved into what was last year's all-conquering car (Williams)
- The new young hotshoe (Michael Schumacher) is beginning to look like a serious threat
- Rule changes: Driver aids banned, active suspension banned, refueling allowed
- A battle between Senna and Schumacher dominates the race at the front, with Schumacher passing Senna
- Ayrton Senna retires from his home grand prix due to a driver's mistake (power-on oversteer - first race with no traction control?)
- Two hot rookies (Jos Verstappen and Eddie Irvine) tangle to take out a total of four cars in a spectacular crash
All of this in just the first race of the year, in a season where we know there's a lot more to come (San Marino fatalities, Schumacher/Hill at the end of the year, etc). It's also interesting to see how naive everyone was with regards to safety in the time leading up to San Marino. In particular - no pit lane speed limit? cars obviously bottoming out for the first few laps?
02-04-2011, 12:05 PM
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Yes I thought '94 was an epic year... '93 was also good.
Yeah safety even back in the mid 90s was not a high priority. A million people in the pit lane, many of them wearing just shorts and t-shirts, no pit lane speed limiters. When the cars crashed and the wheels came off there was no tether to prevent the wheels from being hurled around. The '94 San Marino GP had more that just the two fatalities. Big crash at the start of the race even before Senna's crash and then a tire takes out someone in the pits late in the race. I must say though I miss Imola ... Bernie Ecclestone needs to be bitch slapped for taking it off of the calendar.
Yeah safety even back in the mid 90s was not a high priority. A million people in the pit lane, many of them wearing just shorts and t-shirts, no pit lane speed limiters. When the cars crashed and the wheels came off there was no tether to prevent the wheels from being hurled around. The '94 San Marino GP had more that just the two fatalities. Big crash at the start of the race even before Senna's crash and then a tire takes out someone in the pits late in the race. I must say though I miss Imola ... Bernie Ecclestone needs to be bitch slapped for taking it off of the calendar.
02-04-2011, 01:26 PM
#12
94 was also one of the last years before they destroyed a lot of the classic tracks. IIRC Hockenheim, Imola, Silverstone, Spa and Monza all had chicanes added or altered after 1994.
It was also a huge transition period for the cars themselves into the "modern era". Some cars in 1994 still had three pedals, it was when the "legality plank" was introduced along with several aero limitations. It was one of the last years when we saw V8's (Benneton), V10's (Williams) and V12's (Ferrari) all competing at the sharp end. It marked the end of the old 3.5L formula, and the introduction of the 3.0L formula.
It was also a huge transition period for the cars themselves into the "modern era". Some cars in 1994 still had three pedals, it was when the "legality plank" was introduced along with several aero limitations. It was one of the last years when we saw V8's (Benneton), V10's (Williams) and V12's (Ferrari) all competing at the sharp end. It marked the end of the old 3.5L formula, and the introduction of the 3.0L formula.
02-04-2011, 04:36 PM
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I love the onboard views from all cars. But I especially liked the onboad views from the early 90s cars when the engines sounded much deeper and meaner and you could see the driver working harder with the manual gear boxes. I totally respect the ability of the modern F1 race car driver. But to me the late 80s to early-mid 1990s was one of the best eras in the sport.
