Martin Donnelly: unbroken and unstoppable

Martin Donnelly: unbroken and unstoppable

He’s a survivor, who fought back from a crash which could have broken his spirit. Martin Donnelly’s racing career was cut short at the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix, when his Lotus left the track and hit a barrier at 160 miles per hour, throwing him from the car. Martin tells Tom Clarkson his memories of that fateful weekend, and the great lengths he went to as he tried to return to racing – including treatment from the doctor who had helped Niki Lauda after the Austrian’s life-changing crash. He reflects on his close friendship with Ayrton Senna, who rushed to the scene that day in Spain, and on his brotherhood with fellow racing drivers like Damon Hill and Johnny Herbert, alongside whom he rose to Formula 1. Support from his father and deals with shrewd team owner Eddie Jordan shaped his career. His time at the top of motorsport was short-lived, his potential never fully realised, but Martin never stopped racing.


Related episodes:

Eddie Jordan
Damon Hill
Tommy Byrne
Johnny Herbert
Derek Warwick


This episode is sponsored by:

DoorDash: use code GRID for 50% off your first order with DoorDash. Subject to change, terms apply.

Emma Sleep: save 5% on top on all offers at www.emma-sleep.co.uk/grid



Episoder(423)

Rob Smedley: “I cried for about an hour after Massa lost the 2008 title – it was so intense…”

Rob Smedley: “I cried for about an hour after Massa lost the 2008 title – it was so intense…”

This week, for the first time on Beyond The Grid, presented by Bose, we’re not speaking to a driver or a team boss, but to an engineer – and someone who’s been directly involved of some of the biggest...

28 Nov 20181h 18min

Emerson Fittipaldi: When you left the pits you had to give yourself to the sport. You couldn't think what might happen...

Emerson Fittipaldi: When you left the pits you had to give yourself to the sport. You couldn't think what might happen...

He's the granddaddy of Brazilian motorsport; a true trailblazer who, having become F1's youngest ever world champion in 1972, inspired a generation of exceptional talent in his homeland, including Nel...

21 Nov 20181h 9min

Carlos Sainz: "Racing is in my blood - my father taught me a champion's mentality"

Carlos Sainz: "Racing is in my blood - my father taught me a champion's mentality"

F1 has seen its fair share of second generation racers, but Carlos Sainz doesn't quite fit the mould. The natural script would have been for him to follow his famous father and namesake into rallying,...

14 Nov 201853min

Claire Williams: “I had no aspirations to run an F1 team - it was never in my destiny”

Claire Williams: “I had no aspirations to run an F1 team - it was never in my destiny”

To say Claire Williams has racing in her blood would be an understatement. But despite being born into and raised around one of F1’s most successful teams, it’s fair to say she never expected to one d...

7 Nov 201847min

Jackie Stewart: “I removed emotion completely when I drove racing cars – I had to…”

Jackie Stewart: “I removed emotion completely when I drove racing cars – I had to…”

He’s regarded as one of the very best drivers of all-time; a man who, when he walked away from F1, had amassed three world championship titles and a then-record 27 Grand Prix victories. But that he wa...

31 Okt 20181h 12min

Nico Rosberg: “I don’t miss the driving, but I miss the winning…”

Nico Rosberg: “I don’t miss the driving, but I miss the winning…”

He’s the only man in the last nine years other than Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel to win a world title. But what makes Nico Rosberg’s story so compelling is what happened immediately after his cr...

24 Okt 201858min

Charles Leclerc: “People say the pressure in Ferrari will be on another level - but mental strength is my biggest quality”

Charles Leclerc: “People say the pressure in Ferrari will be on another level - but mental strength is my biggest quality”

It takes a special kind of driver to get the call to race for Ferrari with less than a season of Grand Prix racing under your belt - especially when the man you’re set to replace is a world champion. ...

17 Okt 201850min

Johnny Herbert: “I always felt I could beat anyone, anytime, in any car. But after my accident, I never had those feelings again…”

Johnny Herbert: “I always felt I could beat anyone, anytime, in any car. But after my accident, I never had those feelings again…”

He’s one of racing’s toughest nuts – a man who refused to let potentially life-changing injuries stand in the way of his dream of racing in Formula 1.  This week on Beyond The Grid, presented by Bos...

10 Okt 20181h 6min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
forklart
stopp-verden
popradet
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
det-store-bildet
nokon-ma-ga
rss-gukild-johaug
fotballpodden-2
dine-penger-pengeradet
aftenbla-bla
rss-ness
rss-espen-lee-usensurert
hanna-de-heldige
rss-dannet-uten-piano
e24-podden
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk