Born and raised in King's Lynn, Norfolk, Brundle began racing at age 12 in a self-built Ford Anglia in grass track racing. He progressed to Hot Rod racing in 1975, achieving ‘Star grade’ status. In 1977, he debuted in the British Saloon Car Championship, becoming the series' youngest ever driver at the time.
Brundle moved into single-seater racing in 1979, competing in Formula Ford. He then raced Tom Walkinshaw’s BMW touring cars, finishing second to an international field at Snetterton. He won the BMW championship in 1980, partnering Stirling Moss in the TWR-run BP/Audi team during the 1981 British Saloon Car Championship season. In 1982, he moved up to Formula Three, achieving five pole positions and two wins in his debut season, winning the Grovewood Award. The following year, he battled Ayrton Senna for the Formula Three championship, losing on the final laps of the last race. He was offered a Formula One entry in 1984.
Brundle’s Formula One career began with Tyrrell in 1984, finishing fifth in his first race in Brazil and second in Detroit, less than a second behind Nelson Piquet. He broke his ankles and both feet in a crash during practice at the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix, forcing him to miss the rest of the season. The severity of the injury initially led doctors to consider amputation of his left foot. While he recovered, the damage left him with permanent injuries, preventing him from running and left-foot braking. Tyrrell were later disqualified from the 1984 World Championship due to a technical infringement, wiping his achievements from the record books. He scored his first credited points with a fifth-place finish at the 1986 Brazilian Grand Prix after two non-classified championship finishes.
In 1987, Brundle moved to Zakspeed, scoring only two points with a fifth-place finish at the San Marino Grand Prix. He then joined Jaguar in sportscar racing, with whom he had already won races in the European Touring Car Championship. Brundle won the 1988 World Sportscar Championship with a record points haul, also winning the 24 Hours of Daytona. He became a test driver for Williams and stood in for Nigel Mansell at the 1988 Belgian Grand Prix.
Brundle returned to Formula One in 1989 with Brabham, having also competed for Jaguar in 1988 and 1990. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1990, driving the XJR-12. He joined Benetton in 1992, achieving five podium finishes and finishing sixth in the World Drivers' Championship, his best championship result. He scored a further podium with Ligier at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1993, before moving to McLaren for 1994. He finished seventh in the championship with McLaren, achieving a second-place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix. He returned to Ligier in 1995, scoring another podium in Belgium. Brundle retired from Formula One at the end of the 1996 season with Jordan.
Upon retiring from racing, Brundle moved into commentary, working for ITV Sport (1997–2008), BBC Sport (2009–2011) and Sky Sports F1 (2012–present). He won the RTS Television Sports Award for best Sports Pundit in 1998, 1999, 2005 and 2006. His pre-race grid walks became a customary feature of his broadcasting. In rallying, he competed in the Rally of Great Britain in 1999. His son Alex is also a racing driver, winning the 2016 European Le Mans Series in the LMP3 class.
Brundle was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2025 New Year Honours for services to motor racing and sports broadcasting. Canadian film director David Cronenberg named the protagonist of his 1986 film The Fly “Seth Brundle” after him, and the sequel’s protagonist “Martin Brundle.” He also appears as himself, providing commentary, in the 2025 film F1.
[unverified] The mathematical modelling study that ranked Brundle 30th best Formula One driver of all time was published in an academic paper in 2016.