Sky Sports F1 reporter Martin Brundle had a perilous moment on the grid in Miami when he stood directly behind Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes to show the taillights. The Briton’s car had a backfire in the engine, causing Brundle to be hit on the knee by a hard blast of air.
Lewis Hamilton started the Miami Grand Prix eighth, after another difficult qualifying for the seven-time world champion. The Briton eventually crossed the line in sixth place, with teammate George Russell further back in P8. A few minutes before the start of the race, Mercedes was carrying out some tests with Hamilton’s car, which gave Martin Brundle the opportunity to capture the W15 up close. Brundle is the face of Sky Sports F1 and known for his walk across the starting grid, where he pulls on the sleeves of drivers and celebrities live on screen.
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Backlash Mercedes
However, Brundle had a perilous moment when he wanted to show viewers the rear lights of the Mercedes. Hamilton’s car had a so-called kickback. This happens when a racing car takes in too much fuel, leaving too little air in the combustion engine and combustion does not take place on time. The exhaust valve then opens while the air and fuel mixture is still igniting, causing this explosion to occur in the exhaust. Formula 1 cars are accompanied by a lot of motor violence, which means that this results in a huge bang and a palpable burst of air.
Video footage
On https://twitter.com/LH44_insights/status/1787207558802940170 It is therefore clearly visible that Brundle is terrified and quickly jumps out of the way: “The car had a backfire and almost knocked me out,” the Brit then says, laughing. “Luckily it hit me on my knee and not anywhere else.” Taillights in Formula 1 are used to indicate that a driver is charging his systems, or in poor visibility in wet conditions.
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