Former Formula 1 driver turned Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle has revealed he suffered a small heart attack shortly before conducting the Monaco Grand Prix podium interviews in 2016.
Brundle had finished his commentary duties and was making his way from the booth to the podium, situated on the start/finish straight, where he was interviewing the top three drivers.
Speaking at the Autosport International Show in Birmingham, Brundle revealed he suffered a heart attack on his way to the podium interviews.
“I had a small heart attack running to do the podium in Monaco,” Brundle, who still managed to interview the top three, explained.
“I ended up with a 23mm stent in my left arterial descending. So I didn’t think I could do the race and the cardio guy said ‘yeah, you can do the race, just don’t forget your blood thinners’.”
He underwent a medical procedure and was forced to miss the Canadian Grand Prix, but returned to motorsport a few weeks later by competing at Le Mans in LMP3 and finishing second in class.
“I went to Palmersport and did 75 laps in a car and thought ‘yeah, I can do this’,” he added. “I had bruises coming out of my chest but I thought ‘I love Le Mans, I’m not going to miss this’.
“I sat at the press conference and there was a 17-year-old and a 19-year-old sitting alongside me and I thought ‘that’s not bad for an old geezer, 57’. We finished second in the race which was unfortunate, not first.”
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