Martin Brundle awkwardly shuts down Michael McIntyre request on Monaco GP grid walk

is no stranger to the odd rebuff during his iconic Formula 1 grid walks, yet it was his turn to decline as Michael McIntyre approached him for an interview before the Monaco Grand Prix. The British comedian caught up with Brundle amid the excitement of race preparations. The Sky Sports pundit revealed BBC bosses had been keen to secure him for a spin on Michael McIntyre's quiz sensation, Michael McIntyre's The Wheel.

Declining the invitation due to clashes with his congested F1 timetable led to a moment of mirth. Brundle inadvertently referred to the show as "the show with the circle," which cued McIntyre to jest: "The show with the circle? It's called The Wheel! I think a Formula 1 driver should know what a wheel is. That is not a circle, it's called a wheel."

When pressed by McIntyre, "Why don't you come on The Wheel?" Brundle awkwardly cited his hectic Formula 1 commitments: "Because I can't do it, it's in June. I've got to do some other things, but one day I will."

The Monaco grid, often referred to as the 'Crown Jewel' of F1 events, was peppered with celebrities. Among those who paused for a chat with Brundle during his grid walk were supermodel Naomi Campbell and legendary former West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle.

However, an awkward exchange occurred when Brundle spoke with Christian Horner, Red Bull's team principal. Horner seemed taken aback by Brundle's question about whether they planned to utilise drivers from their sister team, Racing Bulls, to assist Max Verstappen in the race.

Brundle queried: "We're thinking some teams may use one car to create a gap, have you effectively got four cars on the grid to play that game with?" To which Horner retorted with a smirk: "Why on earth would you think that, Martin?"

Unfazed, Brundle pressed on: "I think that's what you might be thinking. You've got [Isack] Hadjar and [Liam] Lawson in a really good place here."

It was then that Horner offered a more comprehensive response, denying any plans to use the Racing Bulls cars to aid his own.

Horner clarified: "Racing Bulls are running their own race, they're in a great position. Isack did a great job, Liam as well yesterday. But we're focused on our own race. Yuki [Tsunoda] is a bit far out of touch to have much of an influence, so it's more down to safety cars and what the others do."