F1 fans all make the same complaint after watching the Azerbaijan GP grid walk

Formula One fans are not happy with one major chance put in place for the Azerbaijan grid walk.

In a rare scenario, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is currently underway with the race starting a day earlier than most other race weeks, with lights out at midday on Saturday, September 26.

Ahead of the race, Sky Sports, as always, conducted their grid walk interviews, but F1 fans were not happy when they realised that it wasn't Martin Brundle doing the walk this week.

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F1 fans fume as Martin Brundle absent at Azerbaijan GP

As part of his contract with Sky Sports, F1 legend Brundle only needs to attend just 16 of the 24 scheduled races during a campaign, allowing him to miss certain weekends.

Therefore, it appears his absence in Baku was a planned one, with Natalie Pinkham, Jamie Chadwick, Jacques Villeneuve, David Croft, Karun Chandhok and Ted Kravitz making up Sky's lineup.

Although this lineup is more than capable of covering the race, it was clear within seconds of the grid walk interviews, done by both Chandhok and Chadwick, that F1 fans were really missing Brundle's typical wit and sarcasm.

Reacting to the interviews, one fan wrote on X: "Sky Sports can't afford to lose Martin Brundle. They just can't."

Another added: "This Chandwick (Chandok + Chadwick) grid walk really makes you appreciate Martin Brundle. These two are too shy approaching people!"

While one brutally wrote: "Karun and Jamie are useless doing the grid walk. They don’t know anyone outside the f1 world so never speak or spot celebrities. I assume it was penny pinching not using Martin Brundle for every race."

And another fan claimed: "This Grid Walk is so poor man. Martin Brundle wouldn't give 2 f's. If he wanted to speak to someone, he'd get straight in there. It's so boring too."

It is possible that Brundle will be back doing his famous grid walk interviews when Formula One returns for the Bahrain Grand Prix next weekend.

READ MORE: Five of Martin Brundle’s most ridiculous F1 grid walk moments

Why is the Azerbaijan GP on Saturday?

As always, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this year is taking place at Baku City Circuit in the country's capital.

But, unlike other years, the entire weekend schedule was moved forward by a, with the race starting at 12:00 (BST), with qualifying starting at 13:00 BST on Friday.

The reason for this is to avoid a clash with Azerbaijan's national Remembrance Day, taking place on Sunday, 27 September

Azerbaijan's Remembrance Day was introduced by Presidential decree in December 2020 to remember soldiers who lost their lives in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.

The war saw 2,783 Azerbaijan soldiers die and the Remembrance Day is held annually on the day that the war started six years ago.

It means the Azerbaijan GP is the second race of the season to be held a day early, with the Las Vegas Grand Prix is also regularly held on a Saturday night since it was added to the race calendar in November 2023.

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