Interview: Alex Brundle

(c) Octane Photographic

There have been many successful father and son racing drivers, often the later is inspired by the former. We have seen double champions like Graham and Damon Hill, success from Gilles and Jacques Villeneuve and more recently Keke and Nico Rosberg. They all wanted to emulate their fathers success and another one of those is 2012 Carlin GP3 driver Alex Brundle. Alex is the son of F1 podium finisher and current Sky Sports F1 Commentator Martin Brundle.

Alex has gone up the ranks with the support and advice from his father. Finding success in competitive series like F2 and Formula Palmer Audi, he is surely one of motor sports rising stars. Along with his single seater racing, he also raced sports cars and in 2012 will drive alongside his father at Le Mans.

I got the chance to ask Alex some questions, click read more for the answers.




1) When did you know you wanted to be a racing driver, your father must of been a big influence?

I don’t ever remember a decision point relating to this but I was never forced or introduced to the sport either. It simply seemed the obvious path to take for me. With Dad racing in Formula 1 I assumed that growing up to be a racing driver was a completely normal career path. I could never understand why others found my participation so interesting. It was the family business and that was that.

2) Describe your journey up the ranks, was it difficult or quite straight forward?

I don’t think anyone has a simple journey through the ranks even those who win many series on the way through like Gary Paffett or Lewis Hamilton. Those watching from above often massively underestimate the competition in the lower formula particularly in British Junior motorsport. Because things aren’t as Glitzy as in the F1 spotlight the audience often assume the competition follows suit but series like British F3 and Formula 2 are Brutal. There were plenty of lessons to be learnt. The difference for me was that those around me assumed I had a head start or an advantage that simply didn’t exist. I felt expectation ate away at my confidence and detracted significantly from my performance when I was younger. Having said that took a lot of the experience and some good results from my junior years.

3) Did your father give you any advice, was it helpful and did you take it on board?

There was plenty of advice changing hands but gaining information as a young driver isn’t an issue. There are people with experience around the paddocks of all series but deciding whether that advice is relevant to the particular situation you find yourself in is quite hard. Organising and applying the information is tricky so those around you can only be of so much help. Simply taking advice and applying it directly to the race track parrot style never yields results but listening to the right people and applying the key elements of their advice is often helpful. My Dad is one of these people.

4) You raced in the Formula Palmer Audi series for 2 seasons, improving each time, do you have any stand out highlights from those years?

Scoring the podiums and other good results in my final year in the category were highlights of course. They were great cars and it’s a shame to see the series wrapped up. An exercise in managing tyres with a turbo engine that I think will benefit ex FPA drivers in Formula 1 cars of the future also!

5) After competing in Formula 2 you then moved to Formula 3, how different are the two series?

The series are about as different as 2 junior formula can be, but they are both very worthwhile. Formula 3 allows drivers to work within a team and attempt to develop a car over a season. (admittedly not from scratch) I didn’t find the cars particularly enjoyable to drive but very educational in terms of chassis and aerodynamic setup choice. The cars are very under powered and over gripped but also the balance between mechanical and aerodynamic grip is interesting. They have small ‘tyre to ground’ contact patches but very powerful aerodynamics so they are quite specific to drive. Formula 2 cars are almost exactly the opposite where mechanical grip dominates and they put out 500 bhp on peak boost. I think the series offers drivers a fairer chance to demonstrate the abilities but there is considerably less adjustability as a consequence. Both series are relevant and it’s not my place to pass judgement on either. They presented their own challenges.

6) You then moved back to Formula 2, what were the reasons for the move back to the series?

The series had moved forward considerably since I had left it in 2010. There were many more Grand Prix venues on the calendar and I thought the infrastructure would be considerably improved having had a chance to settle down after initial teething problems. I thought I had a  chance to do well in the series. And I wanted to apply what I had learnt on the (undoubtedly) level playing field that F2 offers.

7) You will drive in the Le Mans 24 hour race alongside your father, does his success intimidate you or drive your to beat him?

To be honest neither. I am looking forward to driving with him for a common goal. I respect him for what he has achieved and I would like to think he respects me as a driver also. I have been a touch faster than him each time we have been out for a little while now so I hope we can put that aside and get on with beating the others!

8) You have been confirmed as a Carlin GP3 driver, what are your feelings as you look ahead to the season?

I am looking forward to the GP3 season. No doubt it will be competitive with some second and even third year drivers in the line up for this year but I think it will be a good test for me. I am looking forward to trying to fight at a high level to improve myself as a driver and hopefully take away some good results.
9) What are your ambitions for the future? F1 or sports cars?

My ambition is Formula 1 but my goal is professional motorsport. If I can be a professional racing driver then I will be happy but I go to bed at night dreaming of being a Formula 1 driver and that is what I am pushing for.

10) Looking to the F1 2012 season who do you think can win the driver and constructors titles?

No idea! It’s not really my job to decide. If you made me commit, my money is on Jenson and Mclaren.

Thanks to Alex for answering my questions and in such detail. It is nice to see that he is combining sports cars and single seaters, the more experience he gets in both will be vital. Also it is interesting to see the relationship he has with his father.

You can follow Alex on twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/AlexBrundle
His official Website: http://www.alexbrundle.com/
His GP3 driver profile: http://www.gp3series.com/Teams-and-Drivers/Drivers/Alex-Brundle/