Featured Image Credit: Sky Sports
Topics: Formula 1
Jack Kenmare
A well-known Hollywood actress has been criticised by fans after she snubbed F1 legend Martin Brundle during his Abu Dhabi Grand Prix gridwalk.
Ana de Armas, who played CIA agent Paloma in the 2021 James Bond film No Time to Die, was on the Yas Marina grid ahead of the much-anticipated Formula One finale in the Middle East.
The 37-year-old could be seen chatting to Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton in the pit, and later said she was "very excited" to attend. "I can't wait to see who wins the race," she told Experience Abu Dhabi.
But as seen in the footage below, the popular Cuban actress turned down a gridwalk interview with Sky Sports presenter Brundle on Sunday, a decision that angered fans on social media.
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One wrote: "AHHAHA NOT ANA DE ARMAS REJECTING BRUNDLE," while another commented: "Ana De Armas how dare you ignore brundle."
A third said: "Martin Brundle got ducked by Ana De Armas," and a fourth wrote: "Remember whose sport this is Ana De Armas! Very lucky to be on the grid and you snub an interview"
A fifth added: "Ana De Armas being ignorant disappointed me. Like why bother going on the grid if you’re not gonna speak to Martin man does my head in! If you’re on the grid expect Martin to come up to you ffs."
Back in 2023, after model Cara Delevingne turned down a gridwalk interview at the British Grand Prix, Brundle's Sky Sports colleague Karun Chandhok called on the FIA to take action against celebrities who show a lack of respect for the sport.
"I honestly think we should have a 'chart of rudeness' in F1!" he wrote on Twitter. "Next time, take the grid passes from people who don't care and give it some deserving kids who will treasure the experience."
Brundle has been met with a handful of difficult encounters on the grid, but one in particular stood out from the rest.
"I was in Qatar trying to speak to David Beckham and there were two guys man-marking me," Brundle told SPORTbible earlier this year.
"Wherever I went, they were just looking at me. They did not want me to talk to David Beckham on that grid; the World Cup was coming up, wasn't it? That was a little bit scary because they were literally on the grid to stop me.
"So, I went round the back of [Lewis] Hamilton's car, and they went round the front and kind of just looked at me. That was a little bit odd."
"Shaquille O'Neal [too]. When I'm on American grids, I always put a longer cable on my microphone because I can only just reach their mouths. If the cable is too short, I can't reach! All of their sport stars are just huge," added Brundle.
"Shaq was having a picture with the Red Bull team and Max [Verstappen], and as he walked off after being with them, I went, but he wasn't stopping for me. He was like a man mountain. I nearly said 'short and sweet' but you can't say that when he is involved."
Thankfully for Brundle, the vast majority of his encounters with celebrities are positive ones.