Martin Brundle is legendary for his famous grid walks before an F1 Grand Prix. Before the Las Vegas GP, Martin Brundle tried to get an interview with Shaquille O’Neal but got frustrated as he had to wait while Shaq was taking some photos with the Red Bull team.
As Martin Brundle was waiting for Shaq to finish taking photos with Red Bull, at one point, he gave up hope of interviewing him and said “Wasted my long microphone cable”.
Shaquille O’Neal is 7 foot 1 inch tall. This makes him one of the most tallest celebrities to walk on the grid. Shaq is also adored by almost everyone in the world. As a result, he endorses a number of brands. Shaq has also attended a number of F1 Grand Prix in the past 2 years.
āIāve had a great television career so it doesnāt really matter if itās over this evening.ā – Martin Brundle.
Martin Brundle (on Shaq) – āI donāt think heās up for it, Iāve wasted my long microphone cable.ā
Brundle is a national treasure and a legend at that. š #LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/IFxh3FZhOu
ā Paul McGinnes š (@PaulMcG92) November 19, 2023
Shaquille O’Neal is considered to be one of the best centers in NBA history. He won 3 Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and another with the Miami Heat. He is also popular for the rivalry he had with Kobe Bryant who is considered to be one of the best players in NBA history. Kobe and Shaq were teammates in the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996 to 2004. After the 2004 season, he had a quarrel with Kobe and decided to leave the team.
While Shaq won 1 Championship without Kobe on his team, Kobe won 2 more without Shaq in the Los Angeles Lakers. During an interview, Shaq said he was mad after Kobe won his 5th Championship ring as it was 1 more than he had in his career.
Even after retiring from the NBA, Shaq continues to make money through sponsorships and endorsements. This has allowed him to gain a net worth of $292 million. This puts him just slightly richer than Lewis Hamilton who is the richest driver in F1.
When Shaquille O’Neal created a meme-worthy moment with Lewis Hamilton
In 2021, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were fighting with gust for the Championship. While going into the 2021 United States GP, the 2 drivers had already reached the peak of their rivalry. Max Verstappen managed to win the race after overtaking Lewis Hamilton on track.
After the race, the winner’s trophy was presented to Max Verstappen by none other than the great and beloved Shaquille O’Neal. When Shaq walked in front of the podium to give the trophy to Max, his height was hilariously obvious. He actually made F1 drivers standing on the podium look short.
Throwback to when they decided to let Shaq stand next to Lewis on the podium in Austin š pic.twitter.com/PkOu6XKVV2
ā ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) October 18, 2023
Usually, before the trophies are presented, the presenters wait beside the podium while the national anthems of the winning driver and team play. However, Shaq decided to stand between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen during the national anthems. The image and video of Shaq standing between the 2 drivers went viral almost immediately.
The winner’s podium is approximately 60 cm tall. Despite standing on top of this podium, Max and Lewis looked tiny in front of Shaquille O’Neal. This soon became a meme on the internet. To this date, we still don’t know why Shaq decided to stand between Max and Lewis. Was it because of their rivalry, or was it purely for comedic purposes, or was it just something that he didn’t think about? It will be interesting to find out.