Martin Brundle is often remembered chiefly as the man who ran Ayrton Senna close in British Formula Three but never did much after that. But that summary does not do justice to a very intelligent and fast racing driver, who never really got the breaks at the top level of single seaters. In other disciplines where he got the chances, he took them. He was the 1988 World Sports Car Champion, and won the 1990 Le Mans 24 hour Race for Jaguar.
His Formula One career began with Tyrrell in 1984. He put in a number of aggressive and fast drives, finishing a fast second at Detroit. But then double disaster struck. At the Dallas Grand Prix, Brundle broke his ankles in a practice crash. Then Tyrrell were disqualified from the world championship for 1984 due to a technical infringement. Through years of inferior equipment and sabbaticals from F1, it would be 8 years before Brundle would legitimately claim another podium finish, although the top step eluded him. The closest he came was Canada in 1992, where in a race of attrition, Brundle looked to be favourite to inherit the lead before he himself broke down. Despite this, his 1992 season is widely regarded in Formula 1 as the closest any team-mate of Michael Schumacher's has come to matching his performances.
Brundle retired from full-time Grand Prix racing in 1997, although he has continued to be a star performer at Le Mans. He is best known now as a highly regarded British Television commentator.