Martin Brundle leaves F1 star speechless with new nickname before Hungarian GP

23 July 2023 , 14:49

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Martin Brundle greeted Carlos Sainz moments before the race

Carlos Sainz was given a taste of Martin Brundle's unpredictability when the former F1 driver called him by a new nickname during his grid walk.

Brundle, who enjoyed more than a decade behind the wheel, is now more regularly seen in front of the camera on Sky's coverage. He has locked horns with celebrities and drivers alike since taking on the role, with Cara Delevingne among those to have a run-in with the 64-year-old.

Ferrari driver Sainz started 11th on the grid, and was preparing to fight his way through the field when Brundle caught his eye. Approaching the Spaniard, Brundle opted to dub him 'Carlito,' prompting a curious reaction.

"A quick chat here with Carlito," Brundle said as he approached the 28-year-old. Sainz responded with a smile, asking the broadcaster "What did you call me?"

When Brundle clarified things, Sainz laughed before confirming he was good to go. "I'm confident that at least we can have a bit of fun today," he said when asked about his ability to make up ground on those in front of him.

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"Looking forward to the whole race, trying to get some positions. But at the same time it's going to be warm. it's going to be hard on tyres and that's where we struggle a bit so we need to be thinking both ways."

Sainz finished fifth in the drivers' championship in 2022, and he occupied the same position ahead of the race in Hungary. He has recorded seven top-six finishes, but has yet to secure a podium finish.

What have you made of Carlos Sainz's season so far? Have your say in the comments section

Carlos Sainz was given a moment's pause by Martin Brundle

He was narrowly pipped by Fernando Alonso in Q2, ensuring he started on the back half of the grid. However, he worked his way up over the course of the race, passing his compatriot among others.

"I’m not happy to miss out on Q3 for the first time this year by only two thousands," Sainz said after the dust settled on qualifying. "I haven’t been comfortable with the Medium compound all weekend and I paid the price today, in the tightest qualifying of the season so far.

"It won’t be easy [on race day] with the traffic and the high degradation, but we’ll try everything to overtake and gain positions to bring home some good points."

Lewis Hamilton started on pole, starting at the front for the first time since the 2021 season, but couldn't make it stick. He had fallen to fourth early on, with runaway championship leader Max Verstappen taking first place as he looked to extend his overall advantage.

Verstappen had a lead of 99 points on his closest overall challenger going into the race. His fellow Red Bull, Sergio Perez, started ninth on the grid but worked his way through the field to claim a podium finish and remain second in the overall standings.

Tom Victor