S1 Ep15: It's The Real 'Sonny Hayes' - Martin Donnelly!

Joining Ben and Nicola for the lowdown from the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa is Martin Donnelly, who is the inspiration for Brad Pitt's character, 'Sonny Hayes', in F1: The Movie.The Belgian Grand Prix weekend was an interesting one with lots of weather, safety car, and pit lane starts but did it all become a bit of a damp squib? Ben, Nicola and Producer Jim have lots to discuss including Oscar Piastri's dominant drive over Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton's remarkable comeback and Red Bull's first race with a new boss. Martin Donnelly is our special guest and he tells us about how the late Eddie 'EJ' Jordan got him into Formula 1 before a horrific accident in 1990 ended his motor racing career. It is that accident which is the backstory of 'Sonny Hayes' in F1: The Movie, and Martin explains how a random phone call led to him being a key part of the film. Plus we'll take a look ahead to the last F1 race before the summer break which is the Hungarian Grand Prix. Please don't forget to follow Midweek F1 wherever you listen to your podcasts so you never miss an episode and leave a review or comment.