Martin Brundle shunned by Usher on F1 grid walk in Saudi Arabia

Brundle attempted to speak to the eight-time Grammy winner but was moved aside by his bodyguard

Martin Brundle was ignored by Usher on the F1 grid in Saudi Arabia (Sky F1 )

Martin Brundle was shunned by American singer-songwriter Usher on the F1 grid in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

Sky Sports F1 pundit Brundle, undertaking his usual pre-race grid walk, attempted to speak to the eight-time Grammy winner, who is attending the race this weekend in Jeddah.

Yet Usher, flanked by a bodyguard, did not show any interest in speaking to Brundle.

Seeing the musician walk towards him, Brundle said: "I don't know if we're going to get anywhere near him, but we'll give it a try."

Brundle then said: "Usher, Martin Brundle, British TV.” When ignored and told by Usher’s bodyguard that the American wasn’t keen on speaking, the Sky F1 pundit added: "Okay, no worries. We'd have loved to have talked to him and see what he feels about all of this."

Usher, who performed at Super Bowl LVIII last year, was seen chatting with Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari garage before the race. Hamilton finished where he started, in seventh place.

Brundle, a former F1 driver himself, is known for his amusing and sometimes awkward encounters with drivers and celebrities on the grid before races.

Brundle had a run-in with Kylian Mbappe’s bodyguard last year in Monaco, saying “I’m in charge here”, when trying to conduct an interview with the France and Real Madrid star.

Brundle told off Kylian Mbappe's security guard in Monaco last year (Sky Sports F1)

In Brazil in November 2023, Brundle bumped into American rapper Machine Gun Kelly and an odd interview occurred, in which the American rapper fiddled with Brundle’s poppy, asked him to play the air guitar and put his thumb down to the camera at the end.

Brundle also briefly encountered Shaquille O’Neal in Las Vegas in 2023 with the NBA legend simply saying “Lewis Hamilton baby”.

Brundle also endured hilarious encounters with DJ Khaled and Pharrell Williams in Miami in 2022, as well as a slightly frosty exchange with Cara Delevingne at Silverstone two years ago, in which the model refused to talk to the broadcaster.

In Saudi Arabia on Sunday, Oscar Piastri won the race after a controversial first-lap incident with Max Verstappen, with Charles Leclerc finishing third.