Hamilton pays tribute to legendary F1 commentator Murray Walker
MURRAY Walker, the iconic voice that led 25 years of Formula 1 coverage in the UK, died last Saturday aged 97.
The news sent the motorsport world into mourning as tributes poured in for Walker, who served as the lead F1 commentator in the UK between 1976 and 2001.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton recalled how he heard Walker commentate when watching F1 as a child in a post on Instagram shortly after the news emerged.
“So sad to hear of Murray’s passing,” Hamilton wrote.
“I remember growing up hearing your voice over the races. You made the sport so much more exciting and captivating.
“The iconic voice of our sport and a great man, thank you for all you did, you will never be forgotten. Rest in peace.”
Asked for his memories of Walker during the FIA press conference on Sunday in Bahrain, Hamilton explained the role he played in his enjoyment of watching F1 and his contribution to the series.
“I just remember hearing this iconic voice, growing up watching all the grands prix,” Hamilton said.
“He really made the sport exciting. There’s been no-one like him that I’ve seen on TV, that even without watching the TV, if you’re out of the room and you hear him
you’re excited, it makes you want to run back in and see what’s happening.
“He is very much loved around the world, I think, and particularly in the UK. I think his contribution to the sport was huge.
“Obviously me growing up watching him through that early phase of my life, and hearing him, no-one can come close.
“So it’s naturally sad to hear his passing, but I think he’s had a long, great life. I hope and pray that I have the opportunity
to live a long life like he has.”
F1 paid tribute to Walker by placing a banner commemorating his life over the main straight of the Bahrain International Circuit for the final day of pre-season testing on Sunday.
Walker’s first auto racing broadcast with the BBC came as a corner commentator for the radio at the 1949 British Grand Prix. He dedicated most of his early career to motorcycles, first working alongside his father and then becoming the
BBC’s lead motorcycle racing commentator in 1962. He moved to Formula 1 in the 1970s, becoming the full-time voice of the series in 1978. For 13 years, this role saw him paired with 1976 World Champion driver James Hunt.
Walker also called other races for the BBC, including a decade of the British Touring Car Championship.
He followed Formula 1 rights to ITV in 1998, but he returned to the BBC after his retirement from full-time commentary to call the short-lived Grand Prix Masters series in 2005. In recent years, he returned again to provide additional studio coverage for Formula 1 on both the BBC and Channel 4.
With a few exceptions, Walker was the leading voice of the sport in England from 1978 to 2001. In America, he is more famous as a figure around the series, a universally-respected voice that all commentators aspire to.
He is the soundtrack of decades of archived races, inseparable from the eras of Piquet, Prost, Senna, Mansell, Schumacher and Hakkinen.
Walker’s passing was announced last Saturday by the British Racing Driver’s Club, the group that runs Silverstone Circuit and, with it, helps put on the British Grand Prix.