Martin Brundle's grid-walk interview with Marco Materazzi may be his most awkward one yet

Martin Brundle and badinage have always gone hand-in-hand. 

Sky Sports’ prized F1 pundit and co-commentator is known for his infamous repartee on the grid, and at the Australian Grand Prix, he did well to live up to his reputation by gifting us another instant classic.

The subject of his hilarious exchange was none other than Italy and Inter Milan legend Marco Materazzi, or, in the words of Brundle, “Marco Marriachi.”

Yes, that is about right. That is exactly what Brundle called him in what was a hilarious struggle to get the defender’s name right. He asked: “Are you Marco Marriachi? Matazzi?”

Brundle then asked the Italian a series of questions, asking of his favourite F1 team and which team did he play for during his career – which was followed by the admission that he’s not really a football man. 

Materazzi nonetheless went ahead and asked Brundle if he likes football, which, it is safe to say, was something he shouldn’t have done. Reason being, it paved the way for Brundle to aim a dig about Italy and their failure to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2022.

“No Italy in the World Cup this year? Sorry to hear that,” he said to the 2006 World Cup winner.

Materazzi obviously did not have a rejoinder up his sleeve and all he could manage to say is: “We speak about the Formula One.”

Brundle then decided to put Materazzi out of his misery, walking away and saying the last of his golden words for the day: “Well, that didn’t go well.”

Wow. Talk about painfully awkward. But that’s what can happen with Brundle and his iconic grid-walk interviews.