- Conor Benn suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Chris Eubank Jr last month
- The boxing star was awkwardly congratulated by Martin Brundle despite losing
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Formula One icon Martin Brundle found himself in an awkward situation after congratulating Conor Benn for his fight against Chris Eubank Jr – despite him losing.
The British star stepped out at the Miami Grand Prix over the weekend, just a week after suffering defeat to his British rival in a highly-anticipated title bout.
Benn and Eubank Jr engaged in an epic 12-round battle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the latter coming out on top via unanimous decision.
Now that the dust has settled from their bout, both fighters have been out enjoying their freedom and, for Benn, that involved a trip to the Miami Grand Prix.
During his visit, he was interviewed by Brundle on the grid – however the veteran reporter made a crucial mistake when speaking to Benn about the fight.
After introducing himself, Brundle said: ‘Wow! What a boxing match that was – congratulations.’
Martin Brundle congratulated Conor Benn for his fight with Chris Eubank Jr – despite him losing
Benn suffered a unanimous decision defeat to his rival at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Benn quickly replied: ‘Thank you, I appreciate that. Although it was a great fight, I didn’t get the W [win] which I hoped for.
‘So hopefully we’ll run it back in September and I can make amends.
‘This is my first time here. It’s absolutely amazing, what an event, what an occasion, I see why loads of people turn up.’
Several high-profile British names are expected to attend the Miami Grand Prix, including Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, comedian Jack Whitehall and chef Gordon Ramsay.
Benn and the assortment of stars watched on as Oscar Piastri won the Miami Grand Prix, his third victory in succession and fourth of the season.
His McLaren team-mate, Lando Norris, finished second in the race – despite being left frustrated with Red Bull star Max Verstappen.
At the start of the race, Verstappen was away cleanly and moved right to cover Norris. But the defending world champion carried too much pace into the first corner, locked up and Norris was side-by-side with him.
Coming into the next turn, the chicane’s left-hander, Norris had nowhere to go on the outside. He ran off track and plummeted straight to sixth.
The 28-year-old took a trip to Miami for the Grand Prix after his grudge match with Eubank Jr
Benn and Eubank Jr are obligated to rematch each other and are likely to fight again this year
‘He forced me off, mate,’ complained Norris of Verstappen. ‘What am I meant to do? Just drive into the wall? I was completely alongside.’
Afterwards, Norris was still debating the incident, saying: ‘If I don’t go for it, people complain, and if I do go for it, people complain, too. But that is the way it is with Max. Crash or don’t pass.’
Benn and Eubank Jr, meanwhile are obligated to rematch each other, and there are plenty of fans who would be happy to see them put on another show.
However, Benn could still follow Eubank Sr’s advice and drop back down to welterweight in a bid to become world champion in that division.
