Callum Ilott and Alex Brundle drive each other to laughter by embarking on a special journey with one of their sponsors.
The professional racing drivers take it in turns to get behind the wheel and quiz each other about their careers that are being supported by Adrian Flux, one of the UK’s largest specialist motor insurance brokers.
They discuss a wide range of topics during the 25-minute film, which sees them talk while travelling before they carry on their conversation in front of the enchanting Old Hunstanton Lighthouse in Norfolk.
IndyCar ace Callum Ilott on his Red Bull Junior days
Ilott, a 2021 Formula 1 test driver for Ferrari and Alfa Romeo reserve, spent the last few weeks of the season competing in IndyCar.
His performances did enough to secure a full-time seat with Juncos Hollinger Racing for the 2022 series. The deal marks the culmination of a near seven-year journey which has seen him switch from the world of karting to single-seater racing.
Ilott, speaking in the video shot this July, said: “I spoke to Helmut Marco (Red Bull chief) at the Silverstone Grand Prix in 2014 and from there they said ‘ok, you go and do F3 with Carlin, under the Red Bull Junior team name, and that’s where the single-seater started.
“I was thrown a bit into the deep end, it wasn’t easy, but I just about came out of it. The idea was to follow off what Max Verstappen was doing. I did the difficult conversations with Helmut at a very young age on my own. It’s not simple and I think the thing for me was that I didn’t really understand what I was being thrown into in terms of racing in Formula 3.
“Dealing with Helmut was really simple. He was very straightforward and he’d be a bit strong with the way he communicated that. You knew what was coming but you didn’t know which way. I wasn’t speaking to him that regularly so that’s why I put a bit of pressure on myself and it actually was the way I learned and was a coping mechanism after that.”
Callum Ilott, left, has Alex Brundle in hysterics while the pair chat about the highs and lows of their careers so far.
Alex Brundle on his 24 Hours of Le Mans woes
Ilott had Brundle in stitches as he struggled to parallel park – the first of many laughs the talented duo shared during their chat.
It wasn’t all fooling around though as they discussed the highs and lows of racing around the world with Brundle, the son of Formula 1 legend and commentator Martin, regaling some frustrating memories from his appearances at the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
The modern endurance racer, who hosted a live Q&A with his father at The Classic 2021: Silverstone, said: “I’ve finished on the podium twice, both second, which is the worst. You’re not sure if you want to be happy or sad.
“One of them was where we were leading and really should have won and one of my teammate damaged the car and we had to fix it and it put us behind again. The other one was when one of my teammate had done it earlier on and then we were pushing back through and we were like ‘we’re second, awesome’ whereas the other one was where we really felt we should have won the race.
“I still have a picture of me on the podium (looking deadpan). We should have won the World Endurance Championship that year. With that incident for one of my teammate, because Le Mans carries the most points as well, it took us out of Le Mans and the championship as well and I was like, what?”
In the driving seat: Alex Brundle, left, and Callum Ilott continue their conversation in the 25-minute film.
Can I get track day insurance with Adrian Flux?
As keen supporters of motorsport, of course we’ve got you covered if you want to get your inner Callum Ilott and Alex Brundle on.
If you get the chance to pretend to be either of them at a circuit any time soon, we have track day cover to suit while you’re behind the wheel.
