Brad Pitt sends apology to F1 presenter explaining USGP 'snub'

Former F1 driver turned pundit Martin Brundle has revealed that Hollywood star Brad Pitt has personally reached out to him to apologise for their controversial encounter on the grid ahead of the US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas last week.

It may be remembered that the Oscar-nominated actor received backlash after he hurriedly walked away from Brundle, who was trying to ask him some questions during his famous Sky Sports TV segment during the race coverage.

While Pitt was pleasant and generally respectful the whole time, he understandably refused to give Brundle any details about his rumoured film project which is believed to be centred around the sport. He told the presenter that everything was "top secret" when asked about it on the grid. Brundle then proceeded to say that he seemed to be enjoying his F1 weekend experience, which Pitt acknowledged before walking off.

The actor did not necessarily say anything disrespectful, but Brundle pointed out that someone was tugging at his shoulder to stop him from following the actor.

Ahead of this weekend's Mexican Grand Prix, Brundle took to Twitter to say: "Got a note from Brad Pitt explaining what happened with our near miss on the Austin grid.

"Unnecessary, but nice of him. Absolutely nobody is obliged to talk to me on the grid, but as I endeavour to make 10/12 minutes of live and unscripted sports TV I'm obliged to at least ask."

Despite this, many F1 fans are still unhappy about Pitt's actions. Some are saying that he had no right to make a film about F1 if he did not even know who Brundle was. Others said that he missed out on the opportunity to connect with the potential audience for his film.

Nevertheless, Brundle himself appears to be satisfied with the apology. However, he did not elaborate on what Pitt said to him to explain what happened on the grid.

F1 owners Liberty Media are successfully bringing more attention to the sport, but the presence of A-listers on the grid has been a constant topic of debate among racing fans who are unhappy about "casual fans" getting preferential treatment and sometimes getting exposed for their lack of knowledge about the sport.