By Daniel Moxon
Martin Brundle was forced to stand up for himself when Lewis Hamilton took him by surprise. It happened during an interview at Silverstone which was broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 as the channel was previewing the British Grand Prix weekend. Hamilton is at his home race for the first time as a Ferrari driver and, while making that point, broadcasting legend and former F1 driver Brundle reminded the seven-time champion of that now iconic photograph of Hamilton wearing a dark suit and overcoat outside Enzo Ferrari’s house at Maranello, released in January. Brundle said: “That image of you in the black coat in the square, the Schumacher square at Ferrari, one of the most iconic photographs ever in Formula 1 .” And Hamilton replied: “Thanks man. That means a lot coming from you – you don’t have too many positive things always to say.” The Ferrari racer smiled as he said it, but still that response clearly caught Brundle off-guard and, in the moment, he felt he had to defend himself, replying: “Well, that’s not true.” Sign up to our free weekly F1 newsletter, Pit Lane Chronicle, by entering your email address below so that every new edition lands straight in your inbox! In his role as a pundit, Brundle has commented many times this year on Hamilton’s struggles since making the move to Ferrari. He has yet to stand on a Grand Prix podium while wearing red this year and, at times, the 40-year-old has been very negative about his own performances. But Brundle has also been a key ally at stages of Hamilton’s racing career, including when he was a youngster when the former F1 racer stepped in and helped Hamilton’s father Anthony to navigate some challenging contract issues. As for Hamilton’s current situation, things are starting to look up. A Ferrari car upgrade helped the Brit to feel more comfortable in the car last time out at the Austrian Grand Prix , where he was able to match his best result to date by finishing fourth. He brought the momentum he gained from that into his home race this weekend and started strongly on Friday, ending both practice sessions in the top three to raise hopes of another fairytale result at Silverstone where he has already won a record nine times in his F1 career. “It was a really good day. Great to see the crowd, amazing to be out on track in a Ferrari here at Silverstone,” Hamilton said. “And also the Red Bull and McLaren have an upgrade, so for us to be in the mix still given they have had a step today is really positive. “Definitely feel we can dream of having a strong weekend but putting it all together and extracting it is another thing. But I will prepare myself the best I can to make sure we get the best result. Tomorrow and Sunday there is rain coming as well.”